How do you foster a culture of well-being and mental health awareness in your organization?

Sometimes it's useful to look around the table, look for how people are sitting and listen for sounds of sighs or laughter which can often tell you a lot about how your team are.

Consider the office or workplace diversity and how that plays into well-being and mental health. Lack of diversity creates insularity and groupthink, a lack of creativity and alternative perspectives, and increased competition. Consider hiring processes that may be discriminatory and change them; advocate for more DEI training (by minority individuals, not white individuals) and take other steps to create a more diverse and dynamic work place.

For me, it begins with nurturing empathy among managers. Encourage them not only to look at people but to actively look out for what they may be going through. By teaching managers to lend a compassionate ear and truly listen, you create a culture where nothing goes unnoticed. Indeed, it's often not difficult to see signs of pain in people if we pay close attention and genuinely care about their well-being. This simple act of empathy can ripple through the organization, creating a supportive and emotionally intelligent environment where mental health is a priority. While feedback forms/surveys have their place in gathering information, they can only scratch the surface when it comes to raising mental health awareness.

Having one to ones with creates a better culture and allows discussion of any underlying or difficult issues. Done regularly, it improves communication and increases the feeling of support. One off meetings can feel like a box ticking exercise which has a negative impact on staff.

Mandatory workshops and seminars about mental health are mandatory helpful so that everyone at work is on the same page. This can be entertaining and build group cohesiveness rather than dry and lecture-style.

Open and regular communication is the bedrock of a wellbeing and mental health-aware organization. It's about telling your employees that they're valued not just for their work but as unique individuals with challenges and emotions. Regular check-ins that delve into their personal well-being, listening with empathy and providing resources for support all play a vital role. This approach lets employees know they're not alone, that their well-being matters to you, and that mental health awareness is a priority.

It can be helpful to hire a business coach if you find it difficult to see where changes can be made: an external perspective can be very valuable with sorts of issues.

Also it’s important to introduce yourself whenever you interact with someone new. Don’t assume they know who you are. And take interest in how their day is going. Take a moment to actively listen and interact..

It begins with showcasing your personal commitment to well-being and mental health by practicing healthy habits, seeking assistance when required, and setting boundaries to protect your own mental well-being. But it doesn't stop there. It's equally vital to model positive and supportive behaviors toward your employees. This means recognizing their achievements, offering constructive feedback, providing flexibility when needed, and expressing genuine appreciation for their efforts. In contrast, it's crucial to steer clear of cultivating or tolerating a culture of overwork, excessive pressure, or stigma surrounding mental health issues. Your actions and attitudes set the tone for the entire organization.

This sounds like management speak. Empowerment comes from within. Creating the right climate leads to these things. It is important to remember this.

The culture at work does contribute to individual empowerment. In a workplace where the owner and managers hold the power and make all the decisions, employees cannot utilize their skills and end up feeling frustrated, underutilized, unappreciated, and unsatisfied. Employees need to feel that they were hired for a reason, have something meaningful to contribute, and have a voice.

To empower your team members, offer them the autonomy to make choices that positively impact their well-being. Encourage opportunities for personal and professional growth and development, giving them the tools to navigate their own journey to well-being. Moreover, invite your employees to actively participate in decision-making, problem-solving, and innovation processes that directly affect their work and overall well-being. Their input can be invaluable in creating a work environment that supports mental health. When employees feel connected and valued within their workplace community, it significantly contributes to their mental well-being and the overall health of the organization.

Yes, it is important to give importance to the routine data collection so that people can see why it's important and the benefits of measured improvement. Making better use of what is already being done is much more efficient that starting again.

Employers should view their workplace as a community and invest in community-building initiatives which differ from team-building. A community respects each of its member's strengths and weaknesses. A community understands that everyone is human and will go through ups and downs. A community comes together both for a purpose and for the human experience of relating to, living, and working beside each other.

One powerful example of fostering well-being and mental health awareness in the workplace is through the implementation of mindfulness programs. These programs introduce meditation, deep breathing exercises, and other mindfulness practices to employees (which we have implemented in my workplace). By offering such initiatives, organizations provide practical tools to help individuals manage stress, improve focus, and enhance their overall mental well-being. It's a tangible way to demonstrate care for employees' mental health and give them the skills to thrive in both their professional and personal lives.