The workplace is stressful, even for teams that work well together. It’s unavoidable, but anyone in a leadership role can start improving things overnight by implementing new strategies. Here’s how to offer mental health support in your facility and help everyone maintain their wellness.
1. Offer Wellness Paid Leave
Everything feels worse when there’s seemingly no end in sight. Employers may offer paid time off (PTO), but workplace politics or unhealthy dynamics could prevent people from enjoying much-needed time away from the office.
Management teams can offer wellness paid leave in addition to any existing PTO plans. Team members could use the time for therapy appointments, yoga classes or any other activities that would restore their peace of mind. They’ll be much more inclined to use it for that intended reason rather than spend their sick leave when they’re not actually ill.
It’s crucial to enforce any paid leave, too. The pressure to work may stick around and influence people to avoid mental-health-related time off. Managers can check in with their team members and set up wellness days if no one uses their leave.
2. Create A Recharge Station
People in situations where they’ve felt exhausted and negative need to recharge their social batteries. Stress and anxiety can make that battery drain even faster, so it’s a familiar workplace feeling.
You could create a recharge station in your workplace to solve this problem. A recent study found that resting restores a person’s peace of mind in addition to their immune system, so this simple office addition benefits people in more ways than one.
Place a bench in a shaded area outside or reserve a corner of the office kitchen for anyone who needs alone time. Everyone will know they have a space to let go of their stress and return to their work with improved focus.
3. Provide Mental Wellness Memberships
Thinking outside the box to offer mental health support in the workplace creates more engaging resources and inclusivity, so don’t stop at a new break room or paid leave. Managers can also fund wellness memberships with apps tailored to mental health needs. Team members can get tailored help whenever they need it. Consider apps like:
- Headspace
- Finch
- Talkspace
You’ll encourage workers to try something they may not have attempted before. It’s an excellent form of support that will help people in the workplace even if their career takes them on a different path.
4. Encourage More Exercise
Increasing your circulation immediately improves your mood, which is incredibly helpful to stressed-out employees. A local gym membership provided by the company would make this form of mental health support more accessible. You could also get groups to take walks around the building or down the street together during a shared break. A five-minute stroll will do wonders for everyone’s mental health if it becomes part of their daily routine.
5. Enforce Wellness Breaks
Sometimes, people feel they can’t leave their desks once their workday begins. Team members and leaders should encourage each other to take their wellness breaks daily. Managers also have a unique opportunity if they establish schedules for their employees. Build flex time into everyone’s day to allow them the freedom of scheduling their time off as needed.
If you’re unsure when you or someone else should put their work on pause, check for burnout symptoms like:
- Difficulty concentrating
- Lingering exhaustion
- Frustration
Adding and enforcing wellness breaks throughout the day will reduce symptoms of burnout that hurt everyone’s mental health. Supporting each other also creates positive team energy, which people may need after a long period of feeling stressed or burned out in their jobs.
Offer Mental Health Support
Talk with your team members, managers and supervisors to determine the best mental health support for your workplace. The office will become a more positive, happier environment when everyone gets on board with ideas like flexible break times, recharging and wellness resources.
Author Bio
Jane is an environmental writer and the founder and editor-in-chief of Environment.co where she covers sustainability and eco-friendly living.