Mental-health related issues are more common than most of us think, with approximately 6.5 million adults in the UK suffering from a mental health problem such as depression and anxiety.
Majority of us are so caught up in our hectic working lives that we never stop to think that our current lifestyle choices are proving a negative impact on our health and wellbeing. According to a study by the UK Workplace Wellbeing, they found that a quarter of workplace absences are due to mental illness related issues, costing employees an estimated £26 billion per year.
This can have a huge impact on your business, and not just financially, but you are also losing valuable employees and their interest in working.
So what is mental health at work?
Mental health consists of our emotional, psychological and well-being state. Those combined affect how we act, feel and handle stress and make life choices. Ill mental health usually starts off by feeling a bit down but can quickly escalate to something far more serious such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia if not addressed right away.
It is fairly common to experience a rise and fall in our state of mind depending on what is going on around us.
Most people that feel good about themselves often work a lot better and productively with their respective colleagues.
However, changes in our mood and state can cause conflict in our behaviours with others, we find it difficult to juggle multiple tasks, and some people are also less patient with customers or clients. This is when the mental health of the staff member needs to be addressed and the correct support needs to be given in order to help to recovery.
Mental health training
Training your staff with a relevant mental health first aid training course is highly beneficial as it provides employees with the right skills and confidence to recognise the symptoms of mental health issues, and have the ability and knowledge to support anyone affected.
It also helps to promote mental health awareness in the workplace and gives your employees the reassurance that you are there to support them if they are experiencing any mental health-related issues and when to guide them towards seeking appropriate professional help.
The workplace is where we spend the most of our hours during the day so it is important to have a fulfilling job that would be good for your mental health and wellbeing.
