All month long we are raising awareness for mental health. What even is mental health in the first place? Mental health , when Googled, is explained as “a person’s condition with regard to their psychological and emotional well-being.”
Your mental health can often be affected by outside stressors, genetics, or even trauma to name a few. "WTW (formerly Willis Towers Watson) asked 322 U.S. employers with 100 or more employees about their expectations for 2022. Among the findings: 86 percent of employers said mental health, stress, and burnout were still a priority." ( Source)
Organizations have tried to indirectly combat mental health in the workplace by offering office perks intended to make the workplace more fun and inviting. While fun food days, interoffice events and games, and a ping pong tournament are an enjoyable experience, ultimately that is not enough to provide the mental health most employees need.
"70% of employees enrolled in wellness programs have reported higher job satisfaction than those not enrolled in the companies’ programs. ( Alfac’s Workforces Report).
So while mental health is important for employers and companies to have frank discussions about, they should start including monthly team events around this subject. Another key point is the individual employee should take it upon themselves to speak up and make the topic of mental health awareness an important piece of their daily life.
Here are 5 key things you can do on a personal level to raise awareness in the office and start these important conversations:
1: Start A Company-Wide Headspace Meditation and Mindfulness Event- Even on the best days, stress can prevent us from being fully focused and doing our best work. Headspace for Work offers proven mindfulness programs that lead to healthier organizations from the inside out.
2: Go Outside- Schedule time to go outside. Just a few minutes during the day can make a big difference. Simply being outdoors and surrounded by nature not only improves well-being but forces you to be more present.
3: Connect with Your Teammates- Take a few minutes to connect personally with someone on your team. Let them know you care and you're there for them if they want to talk.
4: Take A Tech Time Out- Take a break from tech and social media and work to improve your focus and reduce stress. Set aside that time away from social media and email so you can truly connect with yourself and others.
5: Give gifts to your teammates- Small tokens of appreciation not only make the recipient feel valued and appreciated, but the act of giving helps the person giving the gift as well. Research has shown that people who spend time giving back have better mental health outcomes, including greater happiness and less distress.
Gifts For Mental Health
Human Resources have a unique opportunity to impact employee mental health. Just like everything we do, mental health takes work. Attempting to perfect everything at once will, without a doubt, lead to more frustration. Instead, pick one or two areas to practice until they become healthy habits. Then pick up another, and go from there.
Here are some more great blogs to continue the conversations around office mental health:
Interested in chatting with your rep? Find your account manager here - and they'll touch base with you to find a good time to discuss your vision!
We've had the privilege of working with some amazing organizations to develop a branded, special experience for their team. We appreciate their trust in finding the perfect fit, and we're so excited to highlight how they turned out!
Whether you're just dipping your toe into the custom experience, or you're an old hand at it, we know that together we can pair up to make an amazing impact for you and your organization!
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