4 Key Reasons to Focus on Mental Health Issues in the Workplace
  • By Check-a-Salary
  • Updated Monday 21 st August 2023

4 Key Reasons to Focus on Mental Health Issues in the Workplace

Mental Health issues are common in everyday life, Including within the workplace. Employers can’t hide from mental health issues, which are fast becoming an epidemic across workforces in the UK.  No longer can companies turn a blind eye; employers are now expected to lay strong foundations to support their workforce. However, in making this investment what can they expect in return?

1. Enhancing reputation as an employer

Companies are literally fighting for the best employees out there, and with unemployment at such a low, this battle looks set to continue.

Anything you can do to help improve your reputation as an employer of choice is a positive step towards recruiting the best people available. 

By ensuring you have a mental health strategy for your employees in place, it will help to convince potential employees that they should work for your company as you can demonstrate your commitment to improving and maintaining the mental health of your employees, showing that you care about your workforce and their mental wellbeing.

This can give you the edge in the recruitment market - even over competitors who might pay more but show less awareness of mental health.

2. Reduced sick days

If you operate a mental health programme, and support your workforce in this capacity, you can almost certainly reduce absenteeism -sometimes significantly. 

Firstly, someone with mental health problems can take large amounts of time off work and, unfortunately in some cases, may never return. You can help this person, and affect this outcome, by counteracting the problem at the start. Running a programme that supports your staff in their everyday life can be a game changer for your employees, but can also lead to a more productive workforce.

3. Improved productivity

Employees who suffer with mental health issues are almost certainly not going to be as productive as they would be if they were feeling more in control of their mental wellbeing. 

Make sure to learn more about how a happy mind will be more engaging and focused as well as how to measure these metrics. Caring for mental health benefits not just the individual, but the entire organisation.

There is some correlation between people who feel unmotivated and those experiencing mental health issues. However, to be clear people who are demotivated don’t automatically suffer from mental health. Yet, having energy, ambition and motivation are the key drivers that will help people to retain their focus and be less likely to experience mental health issues. 

Employees who are demotivated can have a negative impact on the business directly by not working efficiently in their position. This problem can easily become worse as their negative attitude and approach will tend to creep through the whole workforce. Suddenly, you don’t just have one person being inefficient - you have a whole workforce demotivated and under-achieving. 

Running a programme can help keep your staff productive! 

4. Boost in employee engagement

If we acknowledge that a productive company is a great place to work, which in turn leads to a motivated workforce, then you will have created a culture of success and a place where people want to work!

You won’t have to pay huge salaries and recruitment fees to acquire new staff. You have a high performing workforce. You can manage the salaries you pay people and other aspects, such as employee performance schemes, become more relevant. 

This will enable you to push promotion and career growth throughout your company, which will ultimately mean that people want to work for you, that they will be motivated in their jobs and that they will want to continue on their career journey with you.




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