Our well-being refers to our overall state of physical, mental, social, and financial health. Each of these is vital to a person’s overall well-being. If you have a bad day, or a bad week, it will affect your ability to be productive at work, and at home. When faced with a mental health crisis that bad day extends to various workplace dynamics, including workload and interpersonal relationships with coworkers and supervisors.
Employers tend to be acutely aware of the need to provide resources for nurturing employee physical, social, and even financial well-being, but often overlook the importance of mental health. However, an employee’s overall well-being, including their mental health, plays a vital role in employee retention and has a significant impact on business performance.
We all know that an employee’s overall well-being has many significant impacts on the workplace and the company as a whole. Overlooking or, even worse, neglecting employees’ mental health can have a devastating effect on many facets of your company.
According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), mental health concerns in the workplace can contribute to increased absenteeism, lost productivity, decreased customer satisfaction, and reduced profits. Furthermore, NCBI reported that the leading cause of poor job performance is work-related stress.
When ignored, mental health and well-being concerns can lead to increases in workplace accidents and related injuries. In fact, between 60-80% of workplace accidents stem from workers experiencing stress-related distractions or fatigue on the job. These accidents not only lead to employee injuries but also contribute to higher workers’ comp. claims against the employer.
An employee struggling with mental health may have an increase in days missed at work, leading to understaffing issues, which can have a lasting domino effect that impacts productivity and customer satisfaction.
Even worse when your employees show up to work but are not mentally or physically able to complete the duties of their job. These employees are likely to be less effective and less productive, and their impaired performance could lead to errors in judgment that could have potentially significant consequences for the employer. Furthermore, because they are present at work, their reduced job performance is likely to go unnoticed until it creates problems their employer has to mitigate.
According to a recent report from the Harvard Business Review, 91% of working adults believe that a company’s culture should support mental health. Employers who disregard their employees’ mental health and well-being are more likely to be perceived poorly by the general public and stakeholders, resulting in reduced workplace morale, reputational damages, and lost business. Such negative stakeholder perception could have lasting impacts on an employer’s brand, which may limit its ability to attract top talent and remain profitable for the foreseeable future.
It is really important for employers find ways to demonstrate they value employees beyond their work contributions. We encourage businesses to invest in your team’s overall health and happiness, as human beings, not just employees. Employers need to establish a long-term strategy for promoting employees’ mental health and well-being that outlines the steps they are taking to keep their employees happy.
It is our passion at Clarity HR to support your team. Your business’s HR functions begin with a deep dive into the HR practices of your organization and understanding your HR needs. Clarity HR assesses your goals and objectives and helps you develop and implement policies that will help your company maintain a healthy overall company culture that promotes the mental health and well-being of all employees.
Your Clarity HR team will work with you to determine the right mix of onsite resources you will need to promote a company culture that fosters positive mental health and well-being among its employees. We’re here to be your partner and to shoulder the burden of managing your human capital needs. Contact us today to see how we can help your company thrive!
AUI Cares- Community Resources for Mental Health and Substance Use and Recovery
