Fighting Fit: Mental Fitness at Work

Whether its 9-5 or shift work, balancing a job with a personal life is a common daily challenge for many of us. While the importance of your physical health cannot be understated, mental health is just as critical in the workplace.

Ireland suffers from one of the highest rates of mental illness in Europe, costing the economy a staggering €8.2 billion per year.

What are you doing to support your staff’s mental health?

Mental Health Challenges in 2019
In 2019, mental health remains rightly on top of the agenda. Last year, 1 in 8 Irish people reported suffering from chronic depression at one point in their lives. While mental illness covers a range of issues, the most common workplace issues include stress, depression, anxiety and mood disorders.

Depression and anxiety are increasingly plaguing the Irish workplace. With Irish teenagers reporting most commonly anxiety, these issues aren’t going away.

Mood disorders, including bipolar disorder, are also challenging Irish workplaces, with 45,000 Irish people suffering from BD in 2018.
 
Importance of Mental Fitness in the Workplace
Just like poor physical health, poor mental health can impact on business performance.

Staff who feel unsupported while suffering mentally are more likely to take time off, risking talent loss as a result.

Most of all, a business with a positive and fun working environment can thrive, and so too can its staff. By ensuring mental fitness is taken as seriously as physical fitness, you can foster great productivity and a healthy place to work for your staff.
 
How Your Business Can Help

• Foster an Open Culture

A company’s culture can be crucial for an employee’s mental health journey. Fostering a culture of openness amongst staff or keeping an ‘open door’ policy for colleagues will break down the stigma of mental illness.

Building approachability into the corners of your business, from senior management downwards, will go a long way in creating a healthy work environment for all.
 

• Mental Health Policy

In the age of workplace bullying and social media policies, consider putting a mental health policy in place.

Providing staff time to attend counselling sessions, hosting awareness training or having procedures in place to support staff suffering mentally will build a healthy work environment.

By putting a policy in place and taking mental fitness seriously, your staff’s work-life balance will improve, and so too will your reputation.

• Working Smart

In the past, hard work was often associated with long hours and stress. That should no longer be the case. Your business can support mental health by encouraging staff to work smarter, not harder.

Motivate staff to be productive during the day, ensure workloads are manageable and keep a check on staff who may be struggling mentally.

• Exercise and Relaxation

Show support for mental illness by hosting work exercise or relaxation classes.

Physical activity can benefit a person’s physical and mental fitness. Providing time for staff to have fun with these activities will improve your reputation and productivity. But most of all, a healthy work environment will benefit all. 
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