Thanks to the pandemic, people have reported increases in poor mental health symptoms, like anxiety, depression, and stress. Because we spend so much of our time on the job, the workplace is a crucial element in mental health. As a manager or employer, you can take important steps to support workers and help them be proactive in improving their mental health.

Be an Open and Communicative Employer

One of the best things you can do to promote good mental health in the workplace is to be a good boss. That means being open and appropriately vulnerable with your employees and keeping the lines of communication open.

Check in regularly with employees too. Find out how they’re doing and what they could use to feel more supported. You don’t have to disclose a mental illness, but sharing some of your own struggles, for instance, with the shared experience of the pandemic, helps employees feel comfortable sharing.

Establish Employee Mental Health Programs

If your company doesn’t already have one, consider creating an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). An EAP is voluntary for companies, but it provides excellent benefits that support workers:

• Confidential, free assessments
• Mental health referrals
• Short-term counseling
• Substance use counseling
• Nurse advice lines
• Legal assistance

An EAP is an important way to offer employee mental health resources. Your workers should have a place to turn to if they struggle with mental health. Make sure you have resources available that they can access anonymously. This might include websites and apps for mental health, suicide hotlines, or a list of mental health professionals in the company healthcare network.

Provide Wellness Tips for Employees

Information is power. Empower your workers to take charge of their health and wellness by providing tips, strategies, and other resources. Overall wellness is essential for good mental health, so include all areas of health.

For instance, tips tips or apps for improving sleep, maintaining a healthy weight, or finding purpose in life will all improve wellness and impact mental health.

Boost Employee Morale

No workplace will ever be perfect, but when the environment causes significant and widespread discontent and unhappiness in workers, it’s time to take a look at making some changes. When employees have better morale, they are happier and more satisfied with coming to work every day.

One of the best ways to improve overall morale is to create a company culture that promotes work-life balance. Encourage employees to work reasonable hours, avoid checking emails after work, and use flex time. Workers are happier when they don’t feel overworked, stressed, and run down.

You can also help workers feel more satisfied at work by helping them get more invested in the company’s success. Take their ideas seriously and support worker-led initiatives. This gives them more control over their work and helps them feel like part of the team.

Employee wellness and mental health is important for each individual. It’s also important for the company and productivity. A happy, healthy workforce is good for business. Take steps to show your workers that their health and happiness matters and they will automatically feel more valued and satisfied with their jobs.