What is a mentally safe workplace?
A mentally safe workplace is one where stakeholders are protected from risks to their mental health and safety. These risks may include stress, workplace bullying, harassment, and fatigue.
Physical health and occupational safety aren’t the only things that dictate the overall health of an office or a company. Mental health plays a big part in keeping the workplace holistically healthy.
Bad mental health keeps quality and efficient work at bay. Mental health problems prevent employees from showcasing their best efforts and reduce motivation and overall work satisfaction.
The state of a company’s culture also reflects on its top management’s efforts in handling mental health concerns. Nobody wants to come to work in a place where stress is the norm instead of a by-product of great office culture and an awesome work ethic.
Mental health problems are literally more trouble than they’re worth. So, it makes sense that the return on investment for alleviating mental health problems in the workplace is 4 USD for every 1 USD spent, according to the World Health Organisation.
And employers are actually compelled to accomplish compliances and requirements to keep their workplaces conducive to mental health. Protections have been built by law to keep mental health hazards such as bullying or harassment from becoming a detriment to an employee’s health.
How is this culture built?
A mix of technical and psychosocial support is needed to erect a culture where mental health is treated with the same importance as physical safety.
To execute it with any chance of success, any efforts must actually be backed by someone in authority. Ensuring that a company’s mental health status is in tip-top shape starts from the top.
Leadership.
From corporate executives to district managers and supervisors, management must inject a standard of psychological stability.
They should be the first to commit to mental health advocacy, promoting mental wellbeing, and safeguarding their employees from negligent, reckless, or intentional deterrents.
Leaders can take the first step by constructing an Occupational Health and Safety strategy. This encompasses a whole range of activities that not only ensures safety in performing in the day-to-day routines but also a proactive approach to promoting mental health.
In fact, the workplace becomes a convenient hub for mental health advocacy because (1) key communication structures are already in place, and (2) the hierarchy helps in disseminating and enforcing policies and programs, seminars, skills training, and other forms of improvement that the employee needs for them to grow professionally and mentally.
Despite these harsh times, it cannot be denied that we need to find a way to get employees back in the workplace, but the company should put their safety first and foremost.
To do that, it must follow through on safe return to work policies and produce a safe environment to return to. Only then can it empower and support its employees’ personal growth and safety.
So who’s responsible for a mentally safe workplace?
How do you cement a culture that upholds mental health safety? Well, part of it is on the individual level, but it ultimately resides in the people who hold sway over the decisions of the organisation.
If you feel like the organisation has drifted away from protecting the welfare of its constituents, talk to your employer, and come up with a reasonable plan.
If YOU are the employer, steady yourself with a deep breath and examine what needs to be done to support your employees’ well-being as best as you can.
With your newfound awareness, do communicate the importance of securing the mental welfare of the company, and your productivity and overall work satisfaction in the workplace will soar.
Want to learn more about how to achieve these goals? Visit our website if you want tips on how to pursue a more proactive mental health strategy for your organisation.
Our Training Programs
Standard Mental Health First Aid, where we train managers and supervisors to recognise the emotional, behaviour and thinking changes to an employee who is developing a mental illness or worsening of an existing mental health problem or in crisis and offering them an initial support.
Workplace Health and Safety for Managers, we focus on managers and supervisors’ legal responsibilities, increase their knowledge in work health and safety. This program is a 1-day training.
Training Platforms:
Onsite training, where we can come to your workplace and train your staff, managers and supervisors for all our courses.
Our Blended Mental Health First Aid Workplace Training (Video conference) is the perfect avenue to begin this mission. This program includes self-paced study and 2 sessions of 2hrs and 30minutes of Video conference training facilitated by our in-house Master Trainer.
Online E-Learning, self-paced provides which the participants are able to control the amount of material they consume and the duration of time they need to learn the new information. The E-Learning courses we offer are:
- Online WHS for Managers and Supervisors
- Online Workplace Bullying and Harassment for Employees
- Work Health and Safety Committee
- Online Workplace Bullying and Harassment for Managers and Supervisors
Start your training today. Call 07 5499 2406 or visit our Online Courses to learn more.
Access Mental Health Awareness Books from Amazon: Mental Health Books
