4 Ways to Support Good Mental Health in the Workplace

With October being Mental Health Month, its an invaluable opportunity to raise awareness and discuss mental health in the workplace.

Encouraging and supporting a positive mental health culture for your staff with small changes will enhance productivity, lessen sick leave and most importantly create a healthy and enjoyable work environment.

The current data shows many workplaces and worksites across Australia are moving in the right direction to address mental health in the workplace. If you’re a business owner or team leader looking for approaches on how to support mental health in the workplace – try one or all of the below activities.

Organise Group Meditation Sessions
While most of the world has adopted to a new way of working, one of the greatest struggles those of us working from home are finding is the balance of being productive and switching off when they need to. Encourage staff to create a space devoted to mediation and lock in a weekly virtual session with a meditation teacher. By offering mediation sessions regularly, your team will learn to handle the stress of every day and take those practices into their workday and home life.

Mental Health Knowledge Sharing Sessions
What we commonly notice when assessing workplaces is the lack of open communication around staff concerns and limitations. Learning to talk candidly with colleagues about your boundaries and disappointments can be the answer to most employees’ issues. In 2020 mental health is no longer a scary term, and companies now understand how open and candid discourse creates connection and safety amongst its employees.
Why not lock in a health education session with an expert – one that uses the method of mindfulness and meditation. Training staff to connect and have conversations that are meaningful and authentic.

Add a little wellbeing to your weekly newsletter.
Reinforce good mental health through your existing newsletter or intranet.
One of the most significant hurdles for companies is trying to turn awareness into direct action. We suggest offering simple How to’s & quick tips to let your staff know that you are encouraging them to health and wellness seriously, it will enable them to take part knowing the message is filtering down from the top. This creates a healthier, less stressful space.

Healthy cooking sessions for your team
A great place to start is by encouraging staff to make healthy food choices. There is no denying the connection between food and maintaining good mental health in the workplace.
By keeping staff bellies healthy by offering healthy food, staff are able to influence their mental health for the better. Cooking together as a group has long been hailed as a great team-building exercise.