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Supporting Mental Health in the Workplace

 

 

Employers can play a crucial role in the wellness of their workforce. Here’s how organizations can take action and be supportive.  

  

Organizations recognize there is a profound connection between an individual’s work life and their mental health. Happy and healthy employees are the backbone of a great organization. How employees feel directly impacts their contribution in the workplace. What’s important for employers to remember is that everybody struggles, and it’s not uncommon for challenges like mental health issues to spill over into the workplace.  Organizations that are able to support their employees can help foster a more productive environment, a more positive outlook for their employees. Tomas Chamorro Premuzic, ManpowerGroup Chief Talent Scientist, provides steps employers can take to create a culture that supports mental health. 

  

Foster meaningful work  

Employees – especially Millennials – desire to do meaningful work that matches their values, interests, lifestyle and development. When that is lacking, it can lead to disengagement, burnout and depression. “One of the best ways to create a culture that supports mental health is to ensure people experience their jobs in a meaningful and purposeful way,” Premuzic says. “This can be achieved by giving employees autonomy and resources.”  

  

Have career conversations  

The impact of work extends to all areas of your employee’s lives. Perhaps the best way to create a culture that supports mental health is to ask employees what they need to be supported and make them aware of additional resources that are available, such as employee assistance programs. Schedule regular career conversations, maintain an open dialogue and truly listen. “It’s also important that managers do not check out from their employees,” Premuzic says. “People need guidance and direction from a leader so the worst thing you can do is disappear or be unapproachable.”  

  

Cultivate connections among colleagues  

Cultivating friendships inside your workplace helps workplace mental health as well as your employees’ careers. We spend much of our time at work, so it makes sense that socializing with colleagues can help make work more enjoyable. Encourage connecting beyond the usual project meetings and emails by creating social groups or outings beyond the confines of work. Encourage employees to take lunches or walks with each other during the workday.  

  

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, which provides a reminder that organizations should routine examine how they provide for employee well-being. But this is a topic that needs regular visitations. After this month is over, remember to make mental health a priority for your organization.  

About the Author

Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic is the Chief Innovation Officer at ManpowerGroup, responsible for leading the Center of Excellence for Assessment and Analytics, developing data-driven solutions and insight to create new value for clients and candidates by driving predictable performance. He joined ManpowerGroup in 2018 after serving as CEO of Hogan Assessments, a world leader in personality assessment, leadership, and organizational effectiveness. As a well-known international expert in business psychology, people analytics, talent management, and artificial intelligence, Dr Chamorro-Premuzic has written 10 books and over 150 scientific papers on the psychology of talent, leadership, innovation, and AI. He is particularly focused on studying the best ways to use AI to augment and enhance human capabilities and his latest book, "I, Human: AI, Automation, and the Quest to Reclaim What Makes Us Unique," explores this topic in depth. He has also released three TED talks, including two on the topic of his best-selling book, "Why Do So Many Incompetent Men Become Leaders (And How to Fix it)." His work has been recognized by the American Psychological Association, the International Society for the Study of Individual Differences, and the Society for Industrial-Organizational Psychology. A professor of business psychology at University College London and Columbia University, co-founder of deepersignals.com, and an associate at Harvard’s Entrepreneurial Finance Lab, Dr. Chamorro-Premuzic is passionate about leveraging people, analytics, and assessment to help individuals understand themselves better and companies better understand their people. Dr. Chamorro-Premuzic regularly speaks at high-profile events and shares his perspective in global media including the BBC, CNN, Harvard Business Review, Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Fast Company. Tomas was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina and now lives in Rome with his wife and two children.

Profile Photo of Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic