A successful leader in business will always have a lot on their plate. With all of the duties that come with such a position, it can be easy to lose sight of more intangible issues affecting the bottom line of your business, such as the mental health of employees. So to help our entrepreneurial Learners improve their workplaces, we’ve put together a list of the top things you need to be aware of as a leader when it comes to improving and cultivating strong mental health among your employees.
1. Recognize the Signs
Mental health problems can be difficult to spot, but you can train yourself to recognize some telltale signs. Sometimes these can be as simple as an employee having more trouble with their work than usual, but they are often more nuanced. By learning how to spot these signs, you’ll be better positioned to help your employees and maintain team cohesion.
2. Be Open and Raise Awareness
Everyone can hit a rough patch and your employees are no different. An employee should feel that they are able to report any issues they have to you without fearing that their problems will be disregarded. By raising awareness of mental health issues in the workplace, you can encourage employees to report any issues they’re having to you, allowing you to help them solve their problems and keep the team moving.
3. Cultivate a Hospitable Environment
Work is usually high on anybody’s list of “things that cause stress”, so you don’t want to make it any more stressful than it needs to be. By making sure to moderate the amount of tasks given to employees, those tasks will be completed to a higher standard, and helps your employees avoid burnout.
4. Be Flexible
Every employee is different, and their problems will often require different approaches. As a leader, it is crucial that you are flexible enough to help employees in a way that suits the situation. This can often be as simple as granting them leave for a short period, or extending deadlines on projects. Exercise your judgement for each situation. If you are fair to your employees, they’ll work harder for you in turn.
