Taking Care of Mental Health is Essential in a Workplace
For most employers, the growth of the business is their primary concern. They will do everything to ensure the success of the business that they have started. They hire employees who can help them achieve their goals. Sadly, most employers are only concerned about the business and not the welfare of the employees. There are even workplaces where the employees are not treated fairly.
They are asked to work constantly without getting the pay they deserve. They do their job well and are not even thanked for their service. This is the kind of relationship that breaks employees. This is why some of them end up leaving the company. Others don’t maximize their potentials or are not as productive as they are supposed to be.
If all these basic needs are not given importance, it is even worse when it comes to mental health. Most employees don’t even think about their mental health anymore since they could barely attend to their physical needs.
Ignoring mental health and treating them like machines that can work constantly is counterproductive. According to studies, employees without proper mental health care develop short and long term disabilities and are unable to carry out their duties well. Furthermore, 9.5% of the adult population suffers from depression at some point in their lives. They are unable to handle the problems that go their way.
It also hurts the business
Asking employees to keep on working will also hurt the business in the long run. As a result, these employees end up going on sick leave for several days. They are unable to perform their responsibilities. This causes around 200 million lost workdays a year if each employee with mental problems take 5 days of work leave in a short span of time. Companies in the US alone could lose up to $44 billion in total if this problem persists.
Let them know you understand
There is always a stigma that comes with people confessing that they have mental health issues. They end up getting fired. They don’t get the kind of help they need. They are also being mocked. As a result, they tend to hide their feelings. They pretend everything is perfectly fine when they are not. Therefore, you have to show to them that you care and you understand their situation. Provide them with the time they need in order to cope up with their problem. Don’t threaten them of losing their jobs if they are unable to perform their duties or come back to work right away.
Some studies have shown that employees leave their job because they are under too much pressure. Worse, it has also been revealed that people whose mental health is not taken care of end up doing crazy things, even shooting people. They cannot control their emotions and even their actions in certain situations.
All of us need to take care of our mental health. We could not let our personal issues consume us. We should also not be embarrassed asking for help whenever necessary.
Photo Attribution:
Featured and 1st image from http://www.thestar.com.my/~/media/online/2017/04/02/00/52/mentalhealthissues.ashx/?w=620&h=413&crop=1&hash=BB26185AF5B79E58ADECE9BB6D544B5D36FB8FDB
2nd image from http://edition.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/09/20/health.depression.workplace/index.html
