Mental health is the core well-being of any great team. After all, we pay our team for their mental willpower, ideas, and skillset, which should be one of the most appreciated assets any company could have. However, with things like burnout, toxic office culture, or even just a drop in morale can shake up the mental health of a team, which is important to keep up with. Don’t stress if this is something you haven’t quite taken the time to deal with, as we’ve walked you through a few key steps for being more engaged with your team’s mental health. Check them out below:
When (and why) Problems Start
One of the biggest reasons that problems begin at the workplace is engagement. While employers often chalk up their workplace morale to be commonplace for their industry, that’s not a good gauge of making a place everyone wants to work. Instead, it’s important to understand why exactly people might feel unhappy or disengaged in your workplace, which will not only will this practice bring about more productivity in the long term, but also save tremendously on retention as well. However, first, that starts with looking at how your shop compares to others.
It’s smart to understand where you stand amongst the competition. According to Access Perks, 59 percent of employees say they’d be willing to leave their job if a more appealing one came their way; which makes us ask: what are our employees looking for in others that we might not have? Is it the benefits package? Unlimited time-off? A more relaxed work from home policy? Depending on your industry, there could be a combination of answers, but only one way to find to them.
Of course, one of the most significant reasons people are looking to hop ship is higher pay, which as noted by the Society for Human Resource Management, is approximately why 44 percent of people quit their jobs. It’s smart to ask yourself if anyone deserves a raise, which is followed by asking if they’re worth the investment. Beyond just money, there are other factors you could consider to make everyone’s workplace better too, like more benefits, flexible work hours, or even increasing paid time off. Brainstorm a few preemptive solutions you, yourself would enjoy as an employee, ranking each option in a hierarchy of affordability.
How To Talk About Them
In addition to the preemptive measures you can take to improve morale, it’s equally important to sit down and talk with your team about how they’re feeling. While this can sometimes feel uncomfortable at first, it’ll serve as a big lifesaver down the road for your company. Not only does this start to show that you care, but it also shows that you’re willing to take the time. You want an engaged team because as noted by The Marlin Company, 37 percent of engaged employees have no interest in leaving their workplace. Which, if you’re looking for numbers like that, then it’s crucial to get on the ball with hosting these team feedback sessions.
Ideally, you’d like to schedule team feedback sessions at least once a week or every two weeks. While that might sound frequent, we can all agree a lot can happen in that time frame. That’s why it’s also important to host an airing of grievances regularly. When setting the stage, have the room feel as comfortable as possible (perhaps even stepping out of the office for a bit), or possibly by providing food or drinks. Ultimately, you know where your team is going to feel the most expressive, so build the foundation for communication accordingly.
When starting a dialogue, it’s important to start with a question that everyone can (and most likely will want to) answer. It’s easier to start by asking about how the week was, what they did and didn’t like, and what they feel could be improved. Furthermore, try to steer the conversation away from personal attacks, personality fits, or factors beyond company control, but rather geared towards collectively, how can everyone’s individual experience be improved. Try to walk away with at least a couple of actionable solutions to go into the next week with, providing building blocks to build your direction.
Building Towards A Better Future
While it’s easy to say you’ll try this or that, putting ideas into action requires hard work. For most companies, it’s smart to start drafting and publishing the policies and procedures you’ve built through feedback sessions. This generally defines the general idea of the session, as well as what actions, limitations, or parameters that are put upon it to make it successful. Although it might take a little getting used to, building out this process isn’t as difficult as you might imagine.
An excellent example of building out an option for employees to work remotely or from home, which as noted in a study presented by Talent Works, showed that 77 percent of employees felt that flexible working conditions aided in productivity. When working towards your own remote work plan, common parameters to have in place include quotas, remote clock-in apps, or even screen sharing services. Additionally, have communication channels open (commonly during ‘on hours’ to avoid a culture of ‘always online’) through channels like email or Slack to keep a level of transparency. Steps like these can often provide growing pains, but once you’ve established a routine on how to implement new programs, you’ll be building a desirable place of work to be in no time.
What are some strategies you’ve implemented to be more in tune with your team’s mental health? Comment with your insights below!
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