A study by the World Health Organization (WHO) notes that mental health is of strategic importance for business. It directly affects the sustainability of the company, the level of employee engagement and staff turnover. Supporting psychological well-being is possible through organizational changes aimed at improving working conditions.
Risks for business
Inefficient organization of work processes can significantly worsen the emotional state of employees, writes portal 24tv.ua. The World Health Organization identifies 10 categories of risks associated with the working environment:
– The feeling of uselessness of work and unrealized professional potential;
– excessive workload and constant deadlines;
– inconvenient working hours: night shifts, long working hours, etc;
– lack of control over the work process;
– poor working conditions: limited space, poor lighting, noise, outdated or unsuitable equipment;
– poor corporate culture: lack of management support, high competition for resources, excessive bureaucracy;
– tense relations in the team: conflicts, microaggression, bullying;
– role ambiguity and blurred responsibilities;
– lack of career prospects and low pay;
– imbalance between personal life and work.
These factors affect employees’ well-being and can exacerbate existing mental problems or provoke their emergence. Therefore, it is important for managers to be attentive to changes in team behavior and respond in a timely manner.
How can a leader support the team?
Deterioration of mental state often becomes noticeable when emotional stress reaches a peak, and it is impossible to ignore apathy or outbursts of irritation, robota.ua notes.
In such cases, it is recommended to start an open dialog in the team, to let employees know that everyone’s experiences are important, and problems do not go unattended.
To assess the state of the team, psychologists advise regular anonymous surveys on stress levels, job satisfaction and the balance between personal and professional life.
It is very important for a manager not to ignore the “silent signals” of burnout, to provide a real opportunity to “reset” by providing an additional day off or temporarily reducing the workload. It is also recommended to introduce flexible working conditions – adaptive schedule or remote work format.
