employers in the UK between £3342bn, according to the Stephenson Farmer report Thriving at Work in 2017. It is also the main cause of sickness absence in this country as one in 6.8 people experience mental health problems in the workplace. In addition to this, women in full-time employment are nearly twice as likely to have a common mental health problem as full-time employed men. Therefore, it is crucial for employers to invest time and resources in staff wellbeing and being positive about mental health at work. A culture that encourages staff reliability and high spirit is probably going to keep staff in the business for longer. Besides, staff who feel their prosperity needs are being met are less inclined to take sick leave and are bound to get back from any leave taken in a more passionate manner. Happiness at work can be achieved for employees with corporate wellbeing policies and programmes. If you don’t have one in place, here are some tips for building your own.
Simple steps to create a positive working environment
◆ Praise your colleagues’ successes – making them feel valued will increase productivity ◆ Normalise random acts of kindness – you don’t need an excuse to do something nice for your colleagues; bring them a doughnut or take something off their to-do list ◆ Treat yourselves! Group nights out as rewards for good work or appreciation of effort made shows a workforce that its contribution is appreciated, which means they’re more likely to feel confident in sharing ideas and being creative
Strive for long term change T
SanaMente
he pandemic has brought mental health in the workplace into sharp focus. Poor mental health is a rising problem and is impacting businesses more than ever. The increased demand for greater mental health support in the workplace sets new challenges for employers. Linda Neville, owner of SanaMente and a mental health practitioner, explained: “Whilst it is extremely
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positive that mental health has moved up the agenda, it has increased the anxiety for business owners as they look to find the right long-term solutions to support their workforce.” Business owners face increasing issues of absenteeism, presenteeism, stress and lower levels of productivity, morale and motivation among staff leading to unachieved targets and higher costs to their company.
SanaMente has created a community platform called Strive for Businesses and individuals which works by providing a range of talking therapy solutions to fit the needs of the company. Employees have access to SanaMente’s Strive 1-2-1 support groups, live events and progress reviews as well as the resources and activities they need to help them live their best life. Strive recognises that each member of staff will have individual needs and fits all learning styles through audio, video, activities and reading content. Content is curated and presented by mental health experts, covering evidence-based, compassion-focused techniques to guide workplaces to improved mental health. “With a community like this one, we can help business leaders find the tools to help their workforce for the long term,” Linda concludes. This is a great example of a corporate wellbeing programme that others can take inspiration from. You can become part of the Strive community by visiting sanamentehypnotherapy.co.uk.
