You may or may not know that Mental Health Awareness Month has been celebrated in May since 1949. If you do know, it’s most likely because your corporate wellness program at work has informed you via email, newsletter blast or a workshop invitation.
Many assume that employee wellness starts and ends with the employees themselves. For some, corporate wellness is awkward because they’re not yet comfortable talking about the topic. Others assume that mental wellness is a purely personal responsibility and not something to discuss.
This piece will explain why mental health awareness is something that every workplace should be willing to discuss all year round.
Individuals who are not as open about mental health awareness tend to see corporate wellness programs as something intrusive. To many, the workplace and their personal lives are entirely separate.
Maintaining a work-life balance is of course very important. Keeping your personal life and work life separate can be key to good mental wellness. However, mental wellness issues aren’t going to simply stop or pause when you arrive or leave your work.
Your work life, social life, and home life are all interconnected. Issues or hardships you are having in one can easily spill over into another. Breaking healthy eating habits and physical activity at home due to stress will lead to problems maintaining energy at work. Similarly, a stressful work environment will impact your social life.
Most managers, team leaders, and company owners aren’t unreasonable – they’re human too. They understand, on some level, that corporate wellness matters. But it can feel difficult to justify the resources or time spent on it. This once again reinforces the narrative that employee wellness is “separate.”
However, even the most business driven leader should pay attention to mental wellness in the workplace. This is simply because it promotes better work efficiency. Workers struggling with mental wellness concerns will be less productive, less engaged, and more likely to produce lower quality work. Companies that invest in employee well-being see higher profits and higher retention.
If employee wellness is being given the attention it requires, your employees may surprise you with their hidden reserves of ability, skill, and tenacity. Corporate wellness shouldn’t be seen as another expense. Instead you should view it as a way to lower health care costs and develop a more effective and reliable workforce.
Setting up a corporate wellness program doesn’t have to be complicated. There are plenty of easy ways that any company can start to promote better employee wellness. Good initiatives can include:
Flexible Company Culture: Something as simple as allowing work from home can help struggling employees find the work-life balance they need. Maternity leave, flexible vacations, and flexible work schedules are all small ways to make life much easier for someone.
Mental Wellness Days: Taking a day off to focus on mental wellness, or provide mental wellness resources and information, can go a long way. A little bit of time can have significant results.
Improved Mental Wellness Packages: It’s essential to make sure that any healthcare packages you provide for your employees cover mental health as well as physical health. It’s a good idea to examine what your human resources offer regarding mental health insurance and see how you can expand on it.
Employee Wellness Programs: One of the best ways to improve mental wellness in your business is to establish a corporate wellness program. This turns mental wellness from something you sometimes mention, into an ongoing focus for everyone at the company.
If you’re looking for an effective corporate wellness program, look no further. Liberate can provide for all your corporate wellness needs, letting business owners focus on what they do best, confident their employee wellness is getting the attention it deserves.
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