Everyone had an opinion on Simone Biles when she withdrew from most of her events at the Tokyo Games. But, despite her critics, most people were hugely supportive that she had the courage to say “no” when her mental and physical health needed a break.
However, with a massive 51% of UK employees saying they feel the need to put on a brave face at work, even when they’re miserable or unwell, it’s clear that not everyone is as brave as Simone was. And it’s a big problem for our businesses, because employees are risking a significant negative impact on their mental health.
Along with that comes burnout, productivity loss, disengagement and increased staff turnover.
48% of employees think that disclosing a mental health issue to their manager will affect their career progression. While they’re more likely to discuss issues with their peers, its important we’re creating supportive and trustworthy environments for our people and reassuring them that any disclosures will remain confidential.
It’s time to ask yourself what lesson you could take away from the Olympics this year and how you could better support your staff to be more open and honest, when it comes to their mental and physical health?
If you don’t already have one in place, consider a wellness initiative to help create an approachable and understanding environment for your employees, and to demonstrate that yours is a business that really does care about its people.
We have access to an amazing mental health wellbeing plan, which starts from just £1 per employee per month and offers an advice line and counselling sessions – give us a call if you’d like more details.
Do you have questions about employee mental health?
Give us a call at CUBE HR, we’ll be happy to advise you and we have policies and templates available to meet every HR need.
Why not check out our other blog on the same topic Mental Health – 3 Things To Protect Your Employees
