Every one of us will experience stress and anxiety at some point in our lives. On a mild day, it may mean we lose focus and concentration.

If the condition becomes more profuse and persists long-term, it can have a wider impact on our work and relationships. Both in the workplace and at home.

Burnout, sickness, low morale and absenteeism. The effects of poor mental health can have serious repercussions on the workforce and business.

Burnout can be avoided. Once a person reaches crisis point, recovery can be a much slower process. That’s why early intervention is key.

Post pandemic, it has never been important for employers to nurture and support employee mental health and wellbeing.

Yet what hurdles stand in the way of people asking for and accessing mental health support?

Stigma

The Baby Boomer Generation typically lean more towards a self-reliant, “never complain, never explain” approach. It’s more common for Gen X and Millennials to be open about the topic. They tend to be more receptive to asking for, and receiving support.

Given mental health been championed so much in recent years, from the Royal Family to entrepreneurs and celebrities, this is unsurprising.

So, why the stigma? A theme we hear many times, is that people fear they may be seen as less competent if they admit to struggling with their mental health and wellbeing

“Will it look like I can’t cope with the job?” “Will it impact on my career?” “What will people think?”

This is where we need to change the narrative.

By normalising and de-stigmatising mental health and wellbeing, talking about it, bringing it into the open, we break the “taboo.”

It is a positive and strong step, to take control of your mental health. We support our physical health by regularly checking in at the gym. Why should our mental health be any different?

Mindset

The symptoms of mental health issues can vary. It’s common for people to feel the problem is not serious enough to reach out, or perhaps writing off symptoms as just a bad day, added work pressure or money worries.

There is often a sense of wanting to be self-reliant and again the sense of stigma and embarrassment remains in asking for help here.

When it comes to the workplace, a fear of not wanting to be seen as struggling with your mental health by co-workers and managers is also a big block in reaching out.

Financial barriers & limited availability

All this aside, there can be a more practical hurdle. That of finances. More than ever, post Covid-19, this is a factor, especially as we navigate the current cost-of-living crisis.

This is where innovative employers can really come into their own. Offering your workforce access to confidential, independent mental health support as part of their employment benefits, is shown to build loyalty, increase productivity and staff retention.

It is crucially important that employers offer this in a confidential and independent way. Our mental health MOTs take place in a neutral location and are highly successful for this reason.

In these check-ins our highly experienced technicians safely assess and support your team. They provide reassurance and, if necessary, a tailored plan of further action to drive towards positive mental health in your business.

ROI

It is proven that early intervention and proactively supporting colleagues in their mental health challenges generally sees a quicker return to normal productivity.

The benefits are numerous for both employers and employees from reduced staff turnover, increased productivity, boosted staff morale and a healthier P&L.

Contact us to find out more.