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The Importance of Mental Health in the Workplace

The crises and challenges of the pandemic have put mental health in the spotlight for employers, and 2022 should remain a critical time for workplace mental health. Employees aren’t getting a mental break as the pandemic evolves. Employers continue to work on ways to address short- and long-term mental health issues as their employees live through the pandemic. Fortunately, the mental burden of the COVID-19 pandemic has enabled more transparency and empathy around the topic, especially in the workplace.

So, what is mental health? An employee’s mental health includes how they think, feel and act, and it includes their emotional and social well-being. While mental health includes mental illness, the two aren’t interchangeable. An employee can go through a period of poor mental health but not necessarily have an evident, diagnosable mental illness. Additionally, an employee’s mental health can change over time, depending on their workload, stress and work-life balance. Employers should be invested in their employees’ mental health because healthy employees are absent less, contribute to a positive workplace culture and are more productive.

What Can Employers Do?
  • Promote mental health awareness in the office.
  • Offer flexible scheduling.
  • Address workplace stress.
  • Evaluate benefits offerings.
  • Train managers.

Download the HR Edge Q4 2021 Newsletter for more information on the importance of mental health in the workplace, and also understand why employees stay or leave and ways that employers are integrating tech into HR.

For more human resources trends, industry insights and proactive strategies to maintain a competitive edge in today’s workplace, contact HANYS Benefit Services by email or by calling 518.431.7735.

This is not intended to be exhaustive nor should any discussion or opinions be construed as professional advice. © 2021 Zywave, Inc. All rights reserved.

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