Kavita Jhaveri gives a dose of mental wellness and its implications for workplace.

We all have come to realize the importance of mental wellness majorly owing to the Pandemic as of recent. Addressing mental wellbeing in the workplace could contribute to generate significant benefits for workers and employers alike. It is in the heed of every employer to pay as much attention to mental wellness of employees as any other factor.

If any mental health issues are detected, it could lead to increased absenteeism, lack of concentration with an adverse impact on productivity & profits. It could also drag up the costs in terms of timeline, training & incentivizing. The employer should consider the ‘cons’ of not addressing mental wellness on its business. A reasonable amount of time should be spent at least weekly or fortnightly, to have a F2F meeting and sort out any glitches in work conduct.

There is a need to acknowledge the humane factor so as to create an empathetic attitude towards mental wellness amongst organization members. This should be a primordial for any company who values the contribution of its employees. A precursor to overall health of any organization is the mental vitality of any employee.

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A norm in the corporate life amongst employees is the issue of stress. This emerges as a result of increased demands, competition dynamics, financial constraints, workload pressure etc. There are some employees who take on more work than sanctioned voluntarily in order to multi-task & impress their seniors. This could have its repercussions too. The company should organize mental wellness programs, & weave such mental wellness strategies at every nook & corner. There could be a workplace policy on mental health as well. This should define with clarity the approach mechanism to address mental health on the part of the employer.

Avoid for the employee to reach the ‘burnout’ stage. Take such preemptive steps that speaks of the concern of the employer & welfare of the employee. This could be a win-win for both the employer as well as employee. If need be, the employer should consider hiring a full-time counsellor to mainly hear out the affected employee, soothe & provide remedies & recovery or coping strategies to them.

Internal office politics is another factor that could affect employee morale & productivity. This could have long-term irregularities in employee performance too. This is especially true of people who are meek in handling relationships, are dormant in attitude & possibly gullible in nature. Special care & attention should be given to these so that enthusiasm & output levels do not sore but only ‘soar’.

Highlights of employee performance should be acknowledged & applauded publicly. This will definitely raise the self-esteem of the employee in question. The culture of a forward-thinking organization should be open & engaging rather than bureaucratic, demoralizing & bland. The mental wellbeing of the human “resource” should be considered a strategic priority for the country and also an economic imperative for such corporations.

One should keep in mind the adage: An active and successful personal life begets success in the work life too.

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