When it comes to emotional wellbeing in the workplace, it is important to understand the needs of your team. Our working lives contribute a great deal to our emotional wellbeing, with the tasks and projects we carry out often providing fulfilment and achievement. However, work can also contribute to stress, unhappiness and difficulties in mental health. Let’s take a look at some of the ways you can support your team’s emotional wellbeing for a happier and healthier workforce.
Taking time to talk
As a manager, it can be difficult to know how to approach conversations about emotional wellbeing, but being there for your team is far better than ignoring any problems that might be playing on their mind. Discussing emotional wellbeing with your team is important and you need to make sure that you set the right tone. You should make sure that your work environment encourages people to come forward and talk about their mental health. It’s also worth bearing in mind that it’s not your role to spot cases of depression or anxiety in the workplace or to diagnose, but to notice changes in your staff and identify when they appear distressed. When it comes to your team’s emotional wellbeing, you can act as the vehicle between discussing their problems and helping to guide them to a suitable solution.
You’re there to listen and signpost to support, so make sure you are fully aware of all of your mental health policies and procedures and the support you may already have in place in the workplace for your team members who need it. It’s important to consider the support your struggling team members can gain outside of the workplace, too. Be sure to support your team’s emotional wellbeing by double checking if they have contacted their GP or another health advisory for advice.
Showing an interest
Setting an example for your team is important in gaining their trust and making sure that they can discuss any issues regarding their emotional wellbeing that they may have with you. Knowing your team’s traits will help you to identify any changes or withdrawals in the workplace that could be a sign of poor emotional wellbeing, therefore, it’s important to take the time to get to know your team properly so you can spot any signs early.
When it comes to having a conversation with a struggling team member, try not to make assumptions about their emotional wellbeing. Simply by avoiding making assumptions and asking open questions, you can show that you are interested in their needs and demonstrate that you are there to listen and support them. This approach will also allow you to signpost your team member to the most relevant support for them. When asking questions about your team’s emotional wellbeing, make sure these are open questions of interest that encourage positive conversation or actions by asking how you can help, whether they are coping and if they need support.
Supporting your team
Spotting any issues with your team’s emotional wellbeing is only the start. As an employer, providing a valuable support network is vital in maintaining a good state of mental health for your team both now and for the years to come. A great way to support your workforce is through suitable and reasonable workplace adjustments that are unique to their emotional wellbeing.
Some simple steps to supporting your team’s emotional wellbeing can include support with workload by providing more supervision and support from others and or less responsibility. As an employer, you can also help to make suitable adjustments to your team’s physical working environment to aid their emotional wellbeing. Small changes such as providing a quiet space to work or offering your team with the option to leave a public space for a private one if they feel the need will allow for a more productive and content workforce. Allowing your team to work from home and have flexible hours can also be highly beneficial for building trust between you and your employees as well as supporting their emotional wellbeing.
Whether you’re an international business or a small startup, taking the time to listen to your team’s needs is essential in the happiness and health of your workforce. Minimal investments can have massive impacts on your team’s emotional wellbeing, letting you offer essential support without it being costly or disruptive to your operations.
Taking care of your team is something we want to help you with, Whether its physically, financially or emotionally, we make it our top priority to help businesses find the perfect insurance policy for their team. Get in touch to see how we can guide you to a suitable choice for the future of your workforce. https://www.protectushealthcare.com/contact/
  
    
