The mental health of every team member is imperative to your team’s performance as well as your general organisation. Leaders at every level should always be finding ways to try and improve the mental health of the people they work with as well. If you want to find out more, then simply take a look below.
Develop Policies
The first thing that you need to try and do is make sure that you have a good set of policies in place. Your organisation’s culture will comprise of your practices, your expectations and also your values. Each one of these will set the general tone in which your employees perceive and engage with leaders. If you want to try and help your team, then it is important that you take the time to understand mental illness and that you also understand the relationship between mental health and the workplace in general. Perceiving the impact that working from home could have on people and then taking action on this is also crucial so be mindful of this if you can. It may be that some of your team have barriers which are stopping them from achieving success and this can work against you more than you realise.
Be Inclusive with Policies
The policies that you develop can easily lay down the foundation for your company. It will also change how your entire company interacts with vendors, customers and even employees too. When you have policies, whether they are written or unwritten, this will help to provide an environment that is not only safe, but also inclusive. It will also improve health across every area, so it is important to be mindful of this where possible.
Enrol in Health Training
Another thing that you need to do is make sure that you enrol in mental health training. It is important to know that mental health symptoms are not new, but they do have the ability to impact your team at an alarming level. Mental health training can easily be a preventative approach when it comes to mental health issues. Leaders can easily gain insight into the signs that they should be looking out for, and they can also find out when a team member is in need of additional support or even help. This kind of training can give your leaders the tools that they need to give the right kind of working environment, so every team member can thrive. If you want to help your team, then it is a good idea for you to list some workplace chaplains jobs, or even look into becoming a chaplain yourself.
Solicit Outside Help
Training should not be the end of the team member support you are able to offer. Training will give you a basis in which you can be much more supportive to your team, but at the end of the day, implementing policies and ensuring mental health resilience could well mean that you need the help of a mental health professional. The best and easiest way for you to see how leaders are at every level would be for you to try and solicit feedback on an anonymous level. This allows every leader to see where they are falling short, as well as seeing where they excel. It will also become the baseline at which you can measure progress.
Provide a Means
Receiving anonymous feedback from every team member is only truly possible if you know that everyone is comfortable in doing so. Surveys are a very good way for you to get a specific and focused response, not to mention that you can also rely on human resources or even other mental health professionals when deciphering the results. If you can do this, then you will soon find that the mental health of your team, rockets.
Openness
Asking for open and honest feedback and being open to the results, especially if the feedback is negative, can really help your organisation. It can also help you to benefit the health of your entire team. You just have to know how every team member perceives you so you can take action accordingly.
Put yourself Last
This may sound strange, but you have to remember that holding any kind of leadership position can be challenging. The success of every leader is not predicated on how they are seen, but more rather on how each team member is able to perform. The only way for your team to do well is if they have a good level of servant leadership. You have to make sure that you are serving the needs of your team and also the needs of the organisation over your own personal goals and biases. If you can do this, then you will soon see that you experience an improvement across the board.
Be Empathetic
If you can lead, while also making every effort to understand the needs of your team, then this will help you to run a better organisation overall. Empathy is quite possibly one of the most essential parts of you being a successful leader, and it can also give you a lot of benefits for your team. You may find that this includes being able to create new bonds and also providing far more insight. You may also find that you can increase the understanding that you have of your team this way as well.
Be Vulnerable
Every single person in the world feels vulnerable at some point, but it is quite often seen as a weakness rather than a strength. Leaders who are able to express who they are and who genuinely express the way that they think and feel, better the organisation more overall.
Be Respectful
Respect is quite possibly one of the most underrated parts of supporting mental health. It is a very simple concept but quite often it falls to the wayside during times of extreme stress or even conflict. It can also impact the mental health of your team. This is especially the case if they feel as though they are being disrespected by leadership. Respect is truly something that should not just be encouraged, but also embedded in your human code of conduct. Treating every team member with respect is vital, irrespective of where you work or your place on your organisation’s ladder.
Encourage Mental Health Days
It is important to know that every single person needs time to recoup and to regather themselves. Leaders have to make sure that every team member is able to take formal mental health days that are paid for. This will give them much-needed time so that they can take a break from the stress of work, and it also helps them to attend any health-related appointments without feeling judged. Mental health days should have a no-questions-asked policy so try and be mindful of this if you can.
Encourage Team Members
It is not enough for leaders to be able to support their teams. Leaders have to make sure that they are encouraging, and that they are able to ask team members to support each other. If you can foster an environment of respect, fairness and zero judgement, then you may find that you can then help your team to develop a level of empathy towards each other. This makes it easier for the team to perform better and it also helps them to make the most out of their time at work. You should not underestimate the power of having a well-connected team, especially when it comes to mental health.
Arrange Non-Work Activities
Teams happen to spend a great deal of time working with one another. Strong but well-functioning teams need to make sure that they are able to get to know each another far beyond just trying to meet goals. Leaders have to make sure that they move beyond team building and that they also arrange fun activities that go outside of work. Team members will probably enjoy the company of one another, and if you can give them a fun environment now and again, then this can result in improved communication and collaboration.
Provide the Tools Required to Support Every Level
If you have a stressor in the workplace, then this can centre around you not having the right tools or the right tech to get work done. At the end of the day, productivity is not always linked to your team not performing to the best of their ability. Sometimes leaders have to do what is required to try and reduce the workload for each team member so that they can free up time and focus on work that is higher level.
Communicate Often
One of the main things that happens to create a lot of anxiety amongst team members, especially during times of uncertainty, is lack of communication. If you make sure that your leaders are constantly communicating, then this can alleviate a lot of stress and anxiety. Even when the news is not ideal, it is always better to try and have certainty over confusion. How you go about sharing information is also a key part of making sure that your team are connected, so be mindful of this if you can.
