All workers can face mental health challenges from time to time, but it’s more common in some industries than others. For instance, professionals who work in mental health have an increased tendency to report that their work has a negative impact on their mental well-being.
And the need for supporting mental health workers is perhaps no surprise. These workers often have to shoulder immense responsibilities as a routine part of their employment. While mental health workers will have their own tools for managing their well-being, it’s vitally important that facilities also do all they can to look after their employees. In this post, we’ll run through a few handy actions that mental health facilities can incorporate into their operations. Doing so won’t just benefit employees, but also have a positive impact on the organization as a whole, too.
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Treat It As A Priority
It’s much easier to prevent a problem rather than to treat it. Mental health workers are at an increased risk of burnout and work-related stress, but there are ways to keep it at bay. To do so, organizations must take a proactive approach to looking after their team’s well-being. Employee wellness must be built into the culture of the organization, as opposed to simply being viewed as an afterthought. This involves dedicating ample time, money, and resources to employee wellness.
Allow For Ample Time Off
If you’ve hired correctly, then your team will love what they do. However, there’ll be an upper limit to how much work they can cope with before their stress levels begin to rise. It’s important for employees of all kinds to take sufficient time away from work, but especially mental health workers. Organizations should provide plenty of time off to their employees — and perhaps even insist that workers use their allocated time away from work.
Provide Counseling
Mental health workers have to endure intense days at work, and it’s not realistic to think that they will always have the resilience or mental capacity to move on from those extra challenging days. Organizations can support the overall well-being of their employees by providing counseling and other mental health services as a routine part of their employee program. Your team will feel more secure in their work if they know they have the option of speaking to someone if they need to. Ultimately, mental health facilities should extend the same level of care to its employees as it does to its patients.
Make Their Jobs Easier
Mental health workers have a lot on their plates just through the course of dealing with patients. Adding extra time-consuming and stressful administrative tasks on top of those duties will only make things worse. Employees often complain about having to complete paperwork that can drain their energy, which doesn’t just impact their mental health, but also takes away from time that should be spent with patients. Using software like Lightning Step can help to streamline the documentation process, in turn freeing up a lot of employee time. Even relieving workloads a little can have a significant impact on overall wellbeing.
Start a Physical Health Program
As a mental health provider, you’ll be all too aware of how much of an impact physical exercise can have on mental wellbeing. When employees have a lot on their plates, it’s difficult for them to find time to exercise — all too often, overworked workers will simply return home and fall asleep. Organizations can support their employees by encouraging them to get the recommended amount of physical exercise each week. This can be achieved by paying for gym memberships or installing fitness equipment onsite.
Provide as Much Flexibility As Possible
Your organization will have its own needs and objectives. However, it’s recommended to allow your employees to have as much autonomy as possible over their working schedule. For instance, allowing workers to conduct some of their duties from home (especially admin work) can have a real impact on their mental wellness. Depending on the type of care you provide, you may also consider speaking to each individual employee and seeing what they need to be at their best.
Appreciate Their Work
Finally, remember that feeling appreciated can do wonders for staff wellness and motivation. Supporting mental health workers gives them the feeling that management is recognizing the efforts and achievements of workers and can help to boost overall company culture, improving morale at work and, as a result, positively impacting employee mental health. There’s no shortage of ways to recognize team members, including handing out awards, offering bonuses and other perks, or simply publicly acknowledging a job well done.
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