Mental Health and Wellbeing in the Workplace

Dr Hendrik Lai

One of the most critical factors influencing employee well-being and performance is health. As a result, it is crucial to prioritize workers' health, well-being, and safety. To create the ideal work environment, you must first understand the critical aspects of employee health and how to ensure a positive workplace!

Employees are impacted not only by physical health issues caused by various injuries and sedentary work but also by mental health issues such as stress, depression, anxiety, heart disease, and other adverse health issues. In an unfavourable work environment, the company suffers from increased health insurance costs, a loss of employee motivation, innovation, and productivity, resulting in lower profitability and customer loyalty.

WORKPLACE FACTORS THAT IMPACT EMPLOYEE MENTAL HEALTH

According to a 2013 survey conducted in Australia, only one out of every eight employees go to corporate management to seek compensation for injury or illness caused by working conditions.

The reason for this is the company's adverse reaction to the current situation, potential future unemployment risks, complicated formalities, the employee's perception that he is not deserving of compensation, or that an injury/illness is not a serious enough event to warrant suggesting workplace improvements.

With this study, and in response to a survey of the effects of the environment on human health by Stanford University Doctor Jeffrey Pfeffer, several significant health determinants and recommendations have been identified to enable companies to provide a favourable working environment for their employees.

Work type and work control
The more the pressure in the workplace, the greater the chance of stress on the workers, leading to mental health issues and risks. It also refers to having more control over employee work processes, deadlines, and other criteria.

It is advisable to introduce variability and flexibility into the activities to be performed in the workplace by permitting employee rotation to specific jobs, which results in a loss of employee alertness, motivation, or routine, which affects work productivity.

Total number of hours worked
Employee productivity is hampered by employee weariness, energy exhaustion, and loss of attention, which leads to heart problems and mental health problems as the number of hours worked increases.

Schedule chores to not overlap with employees' free, off-site time, which should be spent with family, friends, or alone, "disconnecting" from work and resting.

Social assistance
Employee connections are a significant aspect of the social environment, positively and negatively affecting a person's health and well-being. According to the 2013 survey mentioned earlier in Australia, researchers discovered that 15-18% of employees are demoted or mistreated.

Lack of work-life balance; tensions
Employee duties in the workplace and personal lives add to the stress, workload, and internal criticism. Instead of going to a kid's concert, the employee works since he needs to prepare for interviews with potential partners.

The employee must choose an employer based not only on the compensation but also on whether the job will benefit the employee's physical and mental health. Company management must recognize that an employee's family is a vital aspect of his life and that work-life balance must be respected. Employee productivity and engagement will increase as a result.

Workplace honesty and fairness
These are some of the most significant factors in fostering employee trust in the firm and its policies - equitable work distribution, salary, job chances, advancement opportunities, etc. Tip: Communicate clear business aims and ideals to employees, and ensure equality among colleagues by offering equal rights.

Job insecurity and redundancy
Fears that the company will fail to earn a profit and be unable to provide regular payments are common anxieties among employees. Employees' dread of possible redundancy is a crucial source of insecurity, especially if their co-workers face redundancy.

Tip: Inform staff about prospective company difficulties and their threats to the firm's future on time, without producing any unpleasant surprises, which has higher stress and anxiety levels than timely awareness.

Medical Insurance
Because of the escalating cost per employee, not all businesses supply or can provide health insurance to their employees. While the primary goal is to provide health insurance to all employees, it is also critical to keep track of its internal environmental processes and the factors affecting employee health by making the improvements mentioned earlier and soliciting and accepting employee recommendations. They are the best at determining what is causing harm to their health and well-being at work.

Care
When employees believe that the firm or organization respects their contribution and cares about them, their morale instantly improves. Employees are content and feel valued. This improves their functionality while also benefiting their health. It avoids sadness, job-loss fear, physical and mental tiredness, and other symptoms.

Work-Family Management
Employees frequently struggle to balance family and work commitments. A work environment that supports employees' appropriate family responsibilities and aims for a proper work-family balance significantly impacts their psychological and physical well-being.

Let's Talk If you’re ready to take the next step in growing your dental office or DSO we’d love to hear from you. Click here, or follow this link to schedule a time to speak with Hendrik. https://calendly.com/sageconsulting-hendrik

Want to take your practice to the next level?

Fill out the form below.