How mental wellness can improve work culture?

Workplace culture directly affects employee performance, attitude, behavior, and mental well-being. A positive work atmosphere can make people more motivated to increase their productivity and meet their goals.

On the other hand, performing in a negative environment presents mental wellness challenges and brings about stress, low employee engagement, and even unnecessary toxicity between employees. These effects indicate that improving workplace culture is the key to enhancing workers' overall well-being.

What about the effects of employees' mental wellness on the workplace culture, though? Do their psychological state and behaviors shape the working environment? It turns out, they do.

Read on to learn how good mind health becomes the foundation for removing workplace toxicity and setting a great work culture.

Removing mental wellness challenges improves employee engagement

Employees who have high morale and excellent mind health are likely to be more productive and willing to take on challenges beyond their roles.

That’s because having good mental wellness enables workers to focus better, become more engaged, and develop a sense of purpose. All these attributes motivate them to take more personal initiative even without being asked.

An improved psychological state can also minimize absenteeism among employees. Mentally fit staff members are physically healthier, meaning they are less prone to bodily ailments such as fatigue and headaches that normally causes them to miss work.

Calm-minded enthusiasm toward the tasks at hand drives up employee productivity without sacrificing the quality of the outputs. It also instills the spirit of persistence among employees and encourages them in overcoming challenging periods at the workplace.
 

Workplace culture can reduce work stress

Workers who have an optimistic outlook and an adaptive mindset inspire positivity in the workplace even in the face of a problem. It’s impossible to avoid stressful situations at work, but how employees react dictates how such events will mentally affect them.

While mindfulness helps reduce psychological issues like stress, burnout, anxiety, and depression using your awareness and intrapersonal skills actively takes it a step further. Knowing how your inner domain functions will give you a calm mind and leave you able to control your emotions.

Great intrapersonal skills enable employees to respond calmly even when the situation starts to get frustrating.

In turn, staff members are less stressed and create a positive, tension-free work environment.
 

What’s more, being level-headed allows workers to understand when their work is getting to them and need to destress. Better awareness fosters a culture of self-care, which then encourages employees to prioritize and protect their mental health.
 

Friendly work culture boosts team synergy

A mentally healthy workforce feels comfortable, has trust, and enjoys being in the company of each other.

People in such a workplace are also more eager to share their ideas and express their insights, thereby encouraging creative problem-solving and innovative plan-making.

What’s more, mental wellness fosters self-awareness and empathy among employees. These attributes enable them to be more open with each other to resolve issues before they arise and develop a sense of healthy workplace rivalry.

Established communication achieved through improving the psychological state can also be seen in how employees interact with their managers or leaders. Company hierarchy would usually leave staff members feeling anxious when approaching people at a higher position.

This assertiveness then allows employees to freely but also respectfully express themselves and their concerns to their leaders or managers.

However, those who built their confidence and honed their communication skills can speak to their superiors with ease. This assertiveness then allows employees to freely but also respectfully express themselves and their concerns to their leaders or managers.
 

How to Support Employee Mental Well-being

How managers and senior staff members interact with junior employees has a direct impact on the latter’s mental wellness, thereby affecting the workplace environment as well. That means improving work culture demands support for employees’ mental wellness. Only a fit and calm mind will work well.

Here are a few things supervisors can do to care for their workers’ mental well-being and create a positive working environment for everyone.

Express gratitude

Knowing they are valued and appreciated helps employees fulfill their psychological needs, which then motivates them to reach their full potential in the workplace.

Giving an honest thank you or a simple compliment or some recognition-based reward can go a long way in inspiring workers to improve their work.

Show empathy

Managers who show genuine support and provide for the needs of their employees make the latter feel safe and cared for.

Feeling sincere concern also makes workers comfortable to share their anxieties and ask for help in resolving them. It is the skill of aware listening that helps here.

Maintain transparency

Keeping a clear line of communication is crucial when an employee does approach their manager to discuss their issues at work. Doing so can ease the worker’s stress and/or anxiety about talking to their superior.

It also allows both parties to voice out their concerns and promptly settle the problem, thereby creating a workplace culture free of unresolved issues.

Encourage mutual respect among employees

Cultivating a respectful workplace environment makes employees feel valued and confident. It instills a sense of belongingness among workers and makes them feel that they are doing a good job.

Knowing they won’t be ridiculed at work also encourages staff members to improve their engagement, teamwork, and loyalty to the company.

Conclusion

Mental wellness among employees does so much in improving work culture. Those who have good mental health can increase their engagement and productivity in the workplace. They are also less stressed, more confident, and ready to help others.

Workplaces also need to pull their weight in improving the mental health of their workforce.

Saying thanks with a simple compliment or expressing care by providing access to mental wellness training can have an immeasurable payoff for companies in terms of maintaining employees’ mental wellness.