Mental Health in The Workplace

Given the frequently serious consequences of mental health problems for individuals and their loved ones, there is a strong moral case for businesses to prioritize mental health in the workplace. Moreover, a growing body of studies and polling data suggests there’s an equally strong economic case for taking mental health seriously.

A Gallup poll from 2013 found that absenteeism due to depression alone costs U.S. employers approximately $23 billion per year in lost productivity. Add to this missed work days because of stress-related illnesses, addiction, and other common mental health disorders that afflict millions of people in our society, and the expenses can mount quickly.

Aside from reducing productivity losses and employee turnover, an effective approach to mental health in the workplace can raise workforce morale, and improve relations among employees and managers.

A work environment conducive to good mental health

A manager’s first priority should be to foster a salubrious work environment, and encourage sound habits and practices in general.

•  Keep stock of the essentials, like workplace safety, clean air, good hygiene and organization, proper equipment and training for all employees. Ensure that everyone knows and understands h/er own role and assigned tasks.

•  Promote mental health literacy in the workplace. Consider supplementing your organization’s current training regimen with expert seminars that address warning signs of mental health problems, stigma and unwarranted feelings of shame or embarrassment around mental illness, popular misconceptions about the mentally ill, and common but inaccurate descriptions of mental illness.

•  Involve staff members in decision-making. Ideally, they should feel that their point of view and individual agency are respected, as opposed to feeling like cogs in a machine who robotically follow orders.

•  Promote work-life balance by enabling staff to share the workload, and providing adequate vacation, sick leave, and family-related leave.

•  Insist on respectful behaviour and inclusiveness at every level of your organization.

•  Provide opportunities for skills acquisition and advancement.

•  Recognize and express gratitude for good work at all levels, and acknowledge individual employees’ contributions to the overall success of the enterprise.

•  Provide employee feedback mechanisms, and have an appropriate conflict resolution strategy.

•  Encourage openness, honesty, and respectful discourse around mental illness, emphasizing the notion that mental health challenges are nothing to be ashamed of. (This is especially important, since concealed mental health problems can undermine an employee’s performance and overall health.)

•  Remember that people with mental health challenges may be taking psychoactive medication as part of a treatment program, and/or attending regular therapy sessions. These obligations may preclude them from putting in long hours at work, or limit their flexibility in terms of shift-scheduling.

Aspects of the physical environment can also help to promote good mental health. For example, studies indicate that the presence of green plants in an office environment can help reduce negative emotions like stress, anger, and fatigue, while promoting focus, productivity, and job satisfaction. Nowadays, a growing number of office environments offer recreation spaces to help employees regain their focus, and some even have dedicated nap rooms!

Accommodating mental illness

Just as with physical disabilities and chronic conditions, reasonable accommodations can often be made for employees with mental health challenges, helping them perform to their full potential at work. The first and most crucial step is to overcome the stigma that our society has historically attached to mental illness, so that staff members who face mental health difficulties can freely articulate their needs.

Practical Advice For Reducing EmployeeTurnover

Employee turnover is a fact of life in the business world, and not necessarily a bad thing—particularly if new entrants are exceptionally skilled and qualified, and the rate of turnover is manageable. But if you’ve experienced higher-than-normal employee turnover, you know how

disruptive it can be to the day-to-day operations of your business.

Regardless of their experience, credentials, and expertise, new hires require training and time to both become familiar with the workplace and integrate themselves successfully into its social milieu. Whereas employees who’ve been with the company for a while have had ample opportunity to learn by doing and develop automaticity with mundane tasks, newcomers initially tend to perform these duties more slowly and less sure-handedly. At least temporarily, this can cause friction, encumber productivity, and detract from the bottom line.

Much of the advice that follows can be encapsulated in a simple axiom: If you want your employees to stick around, give them good reasons to do so.

During the hiring process, favour candidates who seem compatible with your company culture.

Begin with a list of “must-have” qualities for candidates, and narrow the search down to individuals who meet those criteria. Include not only professional qualifications, but social skills and personality traits as well. Is this person equipped to handle the unique challenges of your business? Does s/he seem like s/he would get along well with the other staff, and customers/clients?

Do some research into the job market. What kind of compensation are employees in comparable positions receiving elsewhere?

Search online job boards for positions requiring a comparable skill set, and pay attention to the compensation and benefits that other companies offer—especially your competitors. If you can’t match other businesses in terms of salary, you’ll probably need to offer non-financial incentives—such as a flexible work schedule, greater convenience, shorter hours, or legitimate prospects for upward mobility—to convince employees to stay.

Praise good work, and offer specific constructive criticism of not-so-good work.

Everyone likes to hear that s/he has done a great job. By taking the time to provide positive feedback and congratulate employees on their successes, you will both enhance their positive feelings about the company and encourage desirable work habits.

Delivering criticism of less-than-stellar work in a diplomatic manner, without provoking defensiveness or resistance, is one of the most delicate tasks that managers face. Begin by mentioning at least one thing you appreciate about the recent efforts of the employee in question. When you arrive at the substance of the critique, be very specific about what you would like that person to do differently. Avoid accusatory statements; instead, favour phrases like “In future, it would be great if you could (specific instruction).”

Offer opportunities for growth and development.

Ideally, a relationship between employee and employer is mutually beneficial: the employer garners an opportunity to elevate h/er business to new heights with the help of a talented professional, while the employee enjoys the chance to grow, cultivate new skills, and experience success in a business environment. But an employee is in no way beholden to your organization; at some point, s/he will consider moving on in search of greener pastures, especially if s/he detects a risk of career stagnation. By offering reasonable opportunities for learning, growth, and career advancement, you increase the likelihood that employees will remain with your company over the long term.

A raise or bonus can be a powerful motivating tool.

Even a modest salary increase sends a psychological message to employees that the company’s managers value their hard work, and would like it to continue. 

When Saying No is in Your Best Interest

If you’ve ever worked as a salesman you were probably coached to take “No” as an incentive to keep pushing for a “Yes.”

In the world of sales that’s a good philosophy to adopt, but as a business owner you might be faced with many instances where you’ll have to say “No” and some of those “No’s” could be directed at a potential client.

Is there a right time to say “No?” Consider the following potential factors:

Company Standards

That would be your company standards. Every company builds its success upon a strong reputation. In today’s 24/7 news cycle, that reputation is as fragile as ever. One negative review can zip around the globe and become a viral infection that puts a dent in your business reputation. You don’t want a client bringing your company quality standards down by asking for compromises. There could be many reasons why a client might be in a hurry to close a deal or in need of a product shipment. However, if you rush to cater to those clients and your business suffers, who is the real loser? Don’t let the promise of a big payout be the reason why you compromise on your standards of excellence.

Over-confidence

 “I can do that.” It’s what every client wants to hear and it’s a phrase you should be able to deliver with confidence but suppose it’s not true? If you take on an assignment or promise of a delivery that you can’t meet then your overconfidence could be your undoing. You might have to hire extra workers or pay for overtime which cuts into your profit margins. There might be additional training that is required which can impede the deliver. For instance, if you were asked to deliver a Power Point presentation in four hours and you’ve never created a power point presentation the answer shouldn’t be “I can do that” but “no.”

Strong Objections

There is a learning curve associated with entering into a relationship with a new client. You both are going to be finding out about each other’s company practices. Suppose you uncover something that goes against your own ethics? What if the client asks you to falsify invoices to make them look good? Yes, they can promise additional business but you’ll be selling out your own standards and more than likely get in trouble with the government. You might also find that some members of your staff have objections about a client’s business practices. If you trust your staff then you should consider their view points on this matter. This is a perfect time to say “no” to a client.

Saying “no” isn’t the end of your business. In many ways, it can make your business stronger.

Can You Hire Unpaid Interns to Help Your Startup?

It certainly takes a lot of staff to get a business up and running. Along with the full salaried employees, many business owners have turned towards the idea of bringing on unpaid interns as a way of supplementing the staff needs. The Ministry of Labour has very specific guidelines when it comes to bringing these types of workers into your business. The first thing you have to determine is if your intern fits the official definition of an intern.

As classified by the ESA (Employment Standards Act) an intern is “an individual who performs work under a program approved by a college of applied arts and technology or a university.”

A person who falls under that classification is excluded from being designated as an employee and therefore doesn’t have to conform to the ESA requirements for that type of worker. However, there are some possible complications. The ESA defines an employee as one or more of the following:

a)      a person…who performs work for an employer for wages,

b)      a person who supplies services to an employer for wages,

c)      a person who receives training from a person who is an employer, as set out in subsection (2) For the purposes of clause (c) of the definition of “employee” in subsection (1), an individual receiving training from a person who is an employer is an employee of that person if the skill in which the individual is being trained is a skill used by the person’s employees, unless all of the following conditions are met:

a.       The training is similar to that which is given in a vocational school.

b.      The training is for the benefit of the individual.

c.       The person providing the training derives little, if any, benefit from the activity of the individual while he or she is being trained.

d.      The individual does not displace employees of the person providing the training.

e.       The individual is not accorded a right to become an employee of the person providing the training.

f.       The individual is advised that he or she will receive no remuneration for the time that he or she spends in training.”

Obviously, that is a lot to sort through. The best course of action is to contact the Ministry of Labour before hiring an intern to make sure you’ll be in compliance. You might also look into programs where the government will provide funds to your business if you hire a post-secondary student for a 12 week internship.

Strictly speaking, you’ll need to pay for 25% of this person’s salary but the government will step in and fund the rest. This applies only to companies with fewer than 500 employees who have been in business for a year or longer and it is only for improving a company’s e-commerce website.

It could be the perfect way to get a fresh approach for your business!