Advice
Organizations must take Mental Health Safety just as seriously as physical safety and adopt a risk management approach by identifying Psychosocial Hazards in their workplace. When I talk about mental health with teams, the first responses I hear from leaders are "I don't want to be someone's counselor". This is not being the resource for mental health assistance but an opportunity to address work design through surveys. Employers can then make workplace changes they do control that will affect a person's mental wellbeing, which will in turn increase their productivity.
Psychosocial Hazards include
- high or low job demands
- lack of role clarity
- remote or isolate work
- poor organizational justice
Relevancy for Today's Workforce
Mental Illnesses like Depression and Suicidal Ideation existed before the pandemic but as most could guess, global data suggests it has increased significantly in the last two years. In the past, employers set up Employee Assistance Plans and checked that off their list of employee mental health support. Those days are gone. A proactive risk management approach is what is needed for organizations to not only retain team members but also attract them. The future of work will prioritize Mental Health Safety and I believe those that embrace it will inadvertently advance other areas such as Diversity, Inclusion, Equity, and Belonging.
