Poor mental health in the workplace significantly affects organizations’ retention rates. According to McKinsey, employees dealing with mental health challenges are four times more likely to leave their jobs.
In recent research findings, 77% of large employers note a rise in mental health-related issues, marking a significant 33% increase from the previous year’s Large Employer Health Care Strategy Survey.
Workers expect companies to be part of a mental health support network: a survey by the American Psychological Association revealed that 92% of workers consider it vital for an organization to provide support for the mental health of their team members.
Organizations can drive change and boost retention rates by increasing employee access to mental health tools and resources.
First things first
Prior training initiatives and fundamental HR practices lay the groundwork for addressing employee mental health in the workplace.
- Ensuring fair compensation and manageable workloads. A Gartner study conducted with leaders found that improving job manageability is five times more effective at improving manager effectiveness than building skills’ proficiency alone.
- Promoting work-life balance and flexibility. According to another Gartner study, the percentage of employees defined as high performers increases by 40% in organizations offering more flexibility than when and where employees work. The improvement happens partly due to complete flexibility, which grants employees greater autonomy and significantly reduces the risk of burnout by fostering better work-life balance.
- Supporting remote workers. Pew Research Center reports that 53% of participating remote workers in the United States felt less connected to their colleagues. Providing robust remote work support and opportunities for connection is crucial to combating feelings of isolation and loneliness for remote workers.
- Establishing a safe environment for open communication and fostering a culture built on trust. Open communication supports employee happiness, improves employee engagement, and strengthens bonds between team members.
- Offering benefits such as mental health days and reimbursing therapy expenses. By providing benefits, employees are healthier both physically and mentally, which ends up lowering the overall costs of benefits to an organization.
6 Ways Corporate Education Can Foster a Mentally Healthy Team
Mental Health Awareness Training
Some employees may come from diverse backgrounds, which affects the comfort level when managing mental health. Other employees may lack the education, support, or opportunity to prioritize their mental well-being.
Employers should consider developing and conducting workshops or training sessions to increase awareness and understanding of mental health issues. It’s up to an organization to educate employees and managers about recognizing signs of mental health struggles in themselves and others.
Financial Wellness Training
The dramatic increase in the cost of living is a worldwide issue. In 2023, global prices rose by 7.4% on average globally.
Around 67% of employees, or two-thirds, reported that they believe the cost of living is outpacing growth in their salary and wages, compared with 58% in February 2022.
PwC reports that over half (56%) of full-time employees stress about finances. In comparison, 34% said financial stress had a major impact on their mental health, with 18% reporting that it affected their work productivity.
Financial wellness training builds employee confidence and brings a long-term peace of mind that can improve morale, productivity, and performance while reducing absenteeism, healthcare costs, and mental health strain.
Stress Management, Soft Skills and Communication Training
Programs that teach stress management techniques, mindfulness and resilience-building strategies are ways that organizations can promote mental health in the workplace.
Stress management training improves an employee’s decision-making and executive function while improving physical and mental wellness.
Soft skills training is another strategy that organizations deploy to improve productivity, customer service, job satisfaction, and more. Soft skills focus on how people communicate, interact and work together using critical thinking and time management.
Companies have begun to provide resilience training to their workforce, too. It helps employees set boundaries, engage in positive and constructive confrontation and learn coping mechanisms to apply to the real world and at work.
Leadership Training
Employee’s perception of the quality of a work environment is strongly influenced by leadership. The Toxicity in the Workplace survey consisted of 8,400 professionals and showed that a toxic manager’s impact has consequences for mental and physical health.
Individuals reported an increase in anxiety (51%), mental fatigue (44%), and physical effects such as headaches, sleep issues, stomach problems, and changes in appetite.
The same survey showed that 44% of the participants indicated that poor communication was the most cited issue regarding toxic managers, further confirming that honing leadership skills is vital to employee mental health.
More data that confirms how vital communication is in a leadership development plan: This Harvard Business Review survey asked what the most needed soft skills for managers were. 56% of participants responded that effective communication was leaders’ most crucial soft skill.
Mentoring and Peer Support Programs
The level of support felt by peers significantly shapes one’s perception of fairness within an organization.
Mentoring programs improve worker satisfaction, which reduces turnover. Nine out of 10 employees with a mentor express more job satisfaction.
Buddy systems and peer support programs increase employee job satisfaction and engagement, which improves retention rates.
Organizational Culture Training
People want their work to have significance. When an organization communicates its values and culture, it attracts people with similar values.
One Gallup survey asked a group of workers what they would change within their organization to make it a better place to work. 85% of the responses were related to three categories: culture, compensation, and well-being, with 41% mentioning engagement and work culture.
Corporate culture evolves and adapts to the needs of the team, society, the market, technology, and other influencing factors. Organizational culture training empowers employees by letting them know what leaders expect from them, which improves job satisfaction and employee mental health at work.
Final thoughts
Organizations must take mental health in the workplace seriously. Part of that strategy is to give employees access to quality information and assist them in understanding the challenges ahead.
Corporate education fosters mental health in the workplace using various proven strategies that approach the topic naturally and constructively. Training programs help develop your workforce and also encourage discussion about mental health and well-being.
Leadership skills training plays a major factor in retaining managers because it provides them with the communication skills they need to keep their employees engaged and mentally healthy.
We want to help the communication flow better in your organization. Our job-specific training is your AI-powered digital solution to quickly help your employees meet their full potential. Contact Voxy today for a 15-minutes assessment of your needs.
