The world of work can be both wonderful and stressful at the same time. If you are a business owner it is likely that you feel this way a lot of the time and can also see this feeling reflected in your employees. As an employer you have a duty to not only pay your employees a fair salary for them to have a good quality of life but you should also have procedures in place to protect their mental health and well-being. A few small changes can make a big difference for your team members and they will feel more valued. Keep reading for how to effectively safeguard mental health amongst your staff.
Think about team building
An effective way to improve your employees’ mental well-being is to offer team building days and activities. This allows employees to blow off a bit off steam as they can have some time away from their desks and computer screens. It allows your team to get closer to each other and really feel like part of something bigger, which can be an issue if members are working from home and feeling isolated. When your team knows each other better and build stronger relationships, they will feel more comfortable talking to each other and will be more likely to share concerns or stresses that they are feeling. There are team building days to suit every sort of person and business too. For example, Team Tactics offer a vast range of team building days that are a little out of the ordinary. They have everything from treasure hunts to fire walking and zorbing for those who are a little more adventurous. You may also find that employee productivity and the overall success of your projects improve as employees are comfortable working together and in sync to achieve the company’s goals.
Offer development
Offering personal development is something that every business owner should offer to employees and has a huge impact on employee well-being. If team members feel like they are not offered any sort of development and training, they will quickly become demotivated and this could have a drastic effect on their mental health. Put certain processes into place so that your staff can keep track of their progress and make goals for what things they would like to achieve within the company. Most employees feel happier when they know they have something to aim for and can continue progressing until they reach where they want to be. Having a strong HR department is integral to making development and training a success so make sure to make time for regular catch-ups with them and always strive to find new ways to support employees feelings and feedback about everything from their workload to the company culture.
Show your appreciation
Finally, it cannot be emphasised enough how important it is to show your appreciation for your staff members. Without their dedication and hard working, your business may not be where it is today so don’t let them feel underappreciated. Simple things like praising them after a project is completed or treating them to a lunch out after a deal has been made, will have a positive effect on their mental health as they will feel valued as part of the business. Sometimes you need to go further than just verbal appreciation and offer a pay rise when it is merited. This will also affect well-being as employees won’t have to stress out factors outside of work such as having enough money to get by and being able to enjoy their time off with hobbies and holidays as well as look after family comfortably.
