Mental health awareness: Five research-supported ways to improve mental health in your workplace

To honor May as Mental Health Awareness Month, read this overview of five key research-supported recommendations from the American Psychological Association.

As communities continue to assess what we’ve learned post-pandemic, there’s more data than ever about how supporting mental health in the workplace leads to higher productivity, better employee retention, less burnout, and an overall happier workforce—in and out of the job.

What are some of the best ways for cities to improve the way they support mental health? AWC turned to the American Psychological Association (APA) for research-supported suggestions. For more details and data to back up their recommendations, find links to the well-referenced articles and encourage city staff, leaders, and managers to read the material.

APA points out that “enhancing your employees’ mental well-being is a talent management issue. It requires strategic investments of time and money. And the steps you take to better support your employees at work can empower them to thrive in other areas of their lives, thus ensuring the long-term health and success of your employees and your organization.”

1. Include people
   An article entitled Develop programs and policies that support employee mental health (apa.org) is a great place to start, with many overarching suggestions on impactful ways for leadership to increase organizational belonging. These broad actions have the potential to make an immediate difference, and to shift workplace culture over time.
   • Use inclusive terminology. Research shows that words matter. To build a common vocabulary, APA introduced the inclusive language guidelines.
   • Consider the creation of employee resource groups. These groups create a space for underrepresented employees to find one another, share common experiences, and seek advice.
   • Recognize and celebrate a variety of identities. Include important cultural and religious days in your organization’s shared calendar. Be mindful of scheduling meetings, deadlines, and events on these days, even if they only impact some employees.Kazoohr.comprovides a good starting point of dates to skip when scheduling meetings or events.
   • Promote team buy-in. People may be more receptive when they know that diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are long-term investments in your organization.
   • Educate your entire team about unconscious bias, and when you’re training team members, be aware of communication methods that support attitude changes and reduce defensiveness. Communicate the idea that all people should learn about and reflect on unconscious bias.

2. Involve people
   Involving employees in decisions is a great way to reduce stress and increase job satisfaction and retention. In fact, “nearly half of employees say lack of involvement in decisions contributes to stress in the workplace. The psychological benefits are great when leaders not only solicit employee feedback but use it to inform their decisions.” APA offers ways to engage employees and hear their feedback/act on suggestions in the article, listen to what employees need and act on it.

They also suggest ways to improve organizational engagement with EAP services where offered, and recommend “mental health first aid training,” to improve communication and intervention opportunities in the workplace.

3. Unplug
   There’s been a lot of talk over the last few years about the importance of “unplugging,” and supporting efforts to unplug. APA points out that, among other things, leaders should aim to reduce “presenteeism,” which they define as staff showing up at work even when they feel unwell out of fear of reprimand. They share that multiple studies indicate this problem not only leads to lower productivity than if the employee had just taken time off, but also to higher health care costs (not to mention worse health).
   • Managers and execs should take time off—lead by example.
   • Implement the idea that “off the clock” applies to everyone. Again, managers and leaders should walk the walk so employees feel safe to do the same.
   • Make sure employees have access to time off.
   • Encourage self-care by separating vacation time and sick days.

4. Zoom in
   In an article about how to increase employees’ options for where, when, and how they work (apa.org), APA states that “creating an environment of flexibility is not just a nice thing for employees. Research shows that when employees have a sense of autonomy, performance improves.” In other words, providing options increases productivity.

5. Do the work
   The APA goes on to remind us that “providing an inclusive and equitable work environment is integral to fostering a psychologically healthy workplace and supporting the mental well-being of employees. This is critical for Black, Hispanic, and LGBTQ+ workers, along with employees with disabilities, who are more likely to plan on leaving their jobs—especially if they’ve experienced discrimination in the workplace.” APA asks organizations to take a critical look at equity, diversity, and inclusion policies (apa.org), and provides concrete steps and tools for organizational evaluation.

While prevention is preferable, mental health issues will still arise, and APA offers a few insurance-specific improvement suggestions along with supporting data in the article—reexamine health insurance policies with a focus on employee mental health (apa.org). Other investments can make a big difference in retention, satisfaction, and productivity. APA suggests a regular review of your organization’s hiring practicesto ensure equitable pay.

Lastly, but perhaps most impactfully, APA charges organizations to train your managers to promote health and well-being (apa.org). Training and supporting managers (including mid-level managers) to support mental health is vital to implementing and sustaining policies and procedures that support employees, acknowledge mental health issues and signs of stress, help reduce turnover and absenteeism, and help to create a successful and supportive work environment.

Source: Where listed, the link is provided. Most of the information comes from the American Psychological Association (APA), which is a scientific and professional organization that represents psychologists in the United States.