Emotional well-being is just as important to our overall health as physical well-being. Yet it’s something that’s easy to push aside—especially in the workplace. October is Emotional Wellness Month, so in this week’s blog we share some timely tips and ideas for how you can prioritize and nurture employee emotional well-being this month—and all year long.
What is emotional wellness?
Emotional wellness, or well-being, refers to our ability to effectively manage stress, adapt to change, maintain healthy relationships, and cultivate a positive outlook on life. Emotional health is a part of mental health, which is the overarching term we use to describe our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. In general, emotionally healthy people tend to have good coping mechanisms for negative emotions. In the workplace, emotional well-being incorporates how employees handle work-related challenges, interact with colleagues and balance their professional and personal lives.
What is the state of emotional/mental well-being today?
Numerous studies confirm that we continue to experience a mental health crisis both in the U.S. and abroad:
- Mental Health America reports that 23% of U.S. adults experienced mental illness in the past year.
- A recent Calm study finds that 61% of employees say they’ve felt down, depressed or hopeless over the past month.
- According to Gallup, 44% of employees worldwide say they are stressed.
- Burnout statistics are skyrocketing. Over 40% of people feel burned out at work, according to a new Society for Human Resources study.
Why is it important to support emotional health at work?
Job performance and emotional health are inextricably linked, so when one suffers, so does the other. With statistics like the above it’s imperative for organizations to support employees’ emotional well-being. Not doing so puts employers at risk for increased burnout, higher absenteeism, lower productivity, and more turnover—all of which impact the bottom line. A focus on emotional well-being also fosters a more positive, supportive work environment and helps build resilient, engaged teams.
Here are 8 ways you can support emotional well-being in the workplace.
Create a psychologically safe environment.
Psychological safety is the shared belief that team members will not embarrass, reject, or punish one another for speaking up with ideas, questions, or concerns—or for making mistakes. It’s the kind of environment that allows employees to take risks and feel comfortable being themselves at work. Not surprisingly, an inclusive, psychologically safe environment reduces stress, leading to better emotional health. The presence or absence of psychological safety can also influence the degree to employees feel comfortable raising mental health issues and seeking care when they need it.
Support managers to lead with empathy.
Employees say that a caring and supportive manager can improve their mental health, while a stress-inducing manager can have a negative impact.1 Provide managers with training and support so they feel comfortable discussing emotional topics with employees and learn to spot mental health concerns on their team. Encourage managers to conduct regular check-ins with employees and be curious about their lives and well-being beyond the workday.
Foster a healthy work-life balance.
Offer flexible working hours to give employees the autonomy to tend to personal responsibilities while still meeting work commitments. Actively encourage employees to take regular breaks throughout the day, allowing them to recharge and maintain productivity. Respect boundaries around working hours and availability. Finally, promote and encourage the use of vacation time, ensuring employees feel supported taking the time they need to fully disconnect and rejuvenate.
Urge leaders to be role models for good emotional well-being.
As the saying goes, it starts at the top. Senior leaders should become comfortable addressing the importance of good emotional health in all-employee forums, like town halls. Being open about their own experiences with emotional well-being can also help to normalize the topic. Role-modeling healthy behaviors—like setting work boundaries and blocking time on calendars for stress-reduction practices like exercise and mindfulness—helps to set a good example.
Offer access to emotional health resources.
Ensure you have resources in place to help employees when they need it. Common offerings include:
- Access to mental health providers and counseling through an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), text-based app, or onsite counseling in the workplace.
- Paid mental health and family leave to recharge or tend to family concerns.
- Stress management and resilience training programs that give employees the skills to bounce back faster after negative experiences.
- Subscriptions to mindfulness or meditation programs.
Support employees with aspects of their lives that contribute to stress.
Caregiving is a massive source of stress for employees. Consider onsite daycare, back-up childcare or caregiving stipends for both child and elder care. Financial instability is also a major stressor, so offer access to financial wellness programs that help employees budget and plan for a major purchase like college or a new home, or save for retirement. Student loan debt repayment programs are also helpful in relieving the financial stress many younger employees experience.
Remind employees to focus on the basics of self-care—sleep, exercise and nutrition.
Regularly communicate that focusing on self-care isn’t selfish. Prioritizing sleep can benefit our emotional state and coping abilities at work the next day. Eating a healthy diet also has known benefits for our emotional health. Likewise, regular exercise can boost endorphins—the brain’s feel-good neurotransmitters—that last long after the workout is over.
Increase social connections at work.
The current epidemic of loneliness is having a negative impact on our emotional health. Given that we spend up to a third of our lives at work, having a network of workplace social connections is critical. Workplaces need to be intentional about creating connections among team members with simple actions like: beginning meetings with a quick discussion of non-work-related topics, like weekend plans; volunteering together for a local cause; after-work get-togethers; or coffee-catch-ups during the day. Supporting Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), which provide a forum for employees to connect with one another over shared interests or heritage, is also key.
As we observe Emotional Wellness Month this October, it’s important to remember that supporting employees’ emotional well-being is not just a monthly initiative but a year-round commitment. By prioritizing emotional well-being, companies can create a more resilient, engaged, and productive workforce and a workplace where employees feel valued, supported, and empowered to bring their best selves to work every day.
Want help creating better emotional well-being for your workforce? Contact us at connect@webmd.net.
