Although mental health isn’t something that’s discussed openly at most workplaces, there is a reason behind this. It is estimated that 9 out of 10 people with mental health issues experience strong stigma and discrimination from society. It’s no wonder then that employees are hesitant to communicate about their mental health issues.

Avoiding or ignoring mental well-being at work can have several long-term consequences. In addition to your employees’ health, it could also drastically affect your company’s growth potential. In this blog, we’ll discuss the key impacts and consequences of ignoring employee mental well-being at work.

How Mental Health Affects Organizations

The consequences of mental health aren’t just limited to individual employees. From missed opportunities to poor customer service quality, mental well-being can affect an organization in several ways. Some of the key effects of poor mental well-being may include the following.

• Frequent Absenteeism: People with mental health issues, like depression, anxiety, stress, etc., may not always be in the right frame of mind to work. As a result, they may take several unplanned leaves, which can seriously affect your business operations.
• High Error Rate: When an employee who is already battling mental health issues has to deal with tight deadlines and long working hours, it could add to their mental stress and lead to mental exhaustion. As a result, the employee’s quality of work will decrease and errors in the work process could increase drastically.
• High Turnover: People with mental health issues are more likely to have lower job satisfaction. They may even feel inferior at work or may feel they are not skilled enough to handle challenging tasks. This can push them to the brink of leaving their jobs. In a competitive industry like IT, good talent is hard to come by and high turnover will affect your company’s growth.
• Low Efficiency: In the IT world, technicians have to race against time to handle their tasks and complete them to perfection. However, when overwhelming workloads are combined with mental health issues, it can lead to frustration. When an employee’s tasks overwhelm them, their efficiency is likely to take an inevitable hit.
• Poor Customer Service: Your employees are at the frontline, representing your company to your customers. When they are unmotivated and depressed at their job, it will reflect badly in front of your customers. Poor service quality is one of the primary causes of customer churn.
• Low Profitability and Growth: All the factors mentioned above aren’t just individual issues. If ignored, these issues can adversely impact your profit. Your employees play a huge role in the profitability and growth of your organization. When their mental health is overlooked, it will inadvertently reflect in your company’s growth.

Overcoming Mental Health Issues at Work

Research has shown that companies can benefit a lot by treating the mental health issues of their employees. With an adequate focus on mental health, companies can boost productivity, reduce job-related accidents, lower employee turnover, etc. Here’s what you can do to overcome metal health issues at work:

• Take Precautionary Measures: You can avoid a lot of mental health issues simply by taking certain precautionary measures. For instance, if your employees are loaded with work, try automating their redundant tasks to ease their workload. Similarly, you can do your part to eliminate burnout and promote a healthy work environment.
• Look for Signs of Mental Health Issues: Mental health issues don’t just happen overnight. There are always certain tell-tale signs that an employee is facing burnout or other mental stress. You need to identify these signs before you can start with the remediation process.
• Promote Communication: To successfully overcome mental health issues, you need to promote proper communication about mental health. Eliminate the stigma surrounding it at your workplace and let your employees know it is okay to seek help for mental health issues.
• Provide Support for Professional Help: Mental health is always a sensitive issue and it must be treated accordingly. If your measures aren’t helping, it’s time to recommend professional help for those who need it.

How Smart Documentation Promotes Mental Well-Being

IT workers often get frustrated when they are left to deal with complex tasks using outdated tools. Business owners and IT managers should provide the best tools possible to boost productivity and eliminate work pressure. One such must-have tool is a robust smart documentation tool.

The use of smart documentation, even in remote or hybrid work environments, helps IT technicians feel more resourceful and inclusive, which keeps their stress levels and anxiety low and keeps them motivated.

We have discussed the significance of smart documentation in facilitating mental well-being in our ‘Promote Technician Well-Being with Smart Documentation’ ebook. Download a free copy of our eBook to learn more!

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To address the mental well-being of workers, we need to first understand the common factors that contribute to workplace stress. In this blog, we’ll explore the different workplace stressors and how you can take effective measures to overcome them.

Workplace Stressors

Even before the pandemic, many IT employees faced an increased risk of burnout and degradation of mental well-being due to various stressors. The pandemic has only amplified these risks. Some of the common stressors are as follows:

• Lack of Time: IT professionals always race against time to get issues fixed. As a result, they are under constant pressure to get things done. When frustration keeps building up over not being able to finish work on time, it severely affects the mental well-being of IT workers. IT managers should get a realistic estimate of what can be achieved within a specific time frame. Overpromising on workloads sets unrealistic expectations from IT workers and leads to mental stress.
• Unclear Processes: Getting stressed over lack of time is bad enough, but when you throw vague and unclear processes into the mix, it only adds to the mental woes of IT professionals. Unclear processes like poor workflows, ambiguous roles, ineffective documentation, etc., can increase the stress on technicians’ mental well-being.
• Information Sprawl: The data generated in today’s IT environment is truly overwhelming. IT workers need information on endpoints, servers, networks, user passwords and more to perform their day-to-day tasks effectively. Poor documentation practices lead to inefficiency, which adds to the troubles of IT workers.
• Manual Processes: We live in the age of automation. Manual processes and efficiency do not go hand in hand. Technicians spend a significant part of their time every day on redundant, manual processes. You need the right tools to automate processes whenever you can. Failure to embrace automation will make you lose your competitive edge in the long run.
• Inefficient Tool Stack: IT managers and business leaders must make life easy for technicians by providing them with access to the right tools. When technicians get stuck with inefficient, legacy tools, they are prone to face quality issues, time management issues, mental stress and more. You need to periodically review your tool stack and make sure it is up to date.
• Organizational Culture: An unhealthy work culture that doesn’t value the well-being of workers can be extremely toxic. A negative culture can affect camaraderie between workers and force them to look for a way out. In such environments, the mental well-being of a person takes a backseat.
• Lack of Collaboration: In this age of remote work, collaboration challenges are extremely high even for IT workers. Poor documentation can also lead to a lack of collaboration. Outdated tools that don’t have a record of previous works can make things more complex and affect the productivity of IT workers.
• Lack of Reward or Acknowledgment: Spending multiple hours every week on a thankless job can take one to the brink of frustration. To prevent this, deserving workers should be compensated with the right kind of reward and acknowledgment.

Measures to Overcome Workplace Stress

IT managers and business leaders need to promote mental well-being at work through various fun activities and stress management programs. It is vital to create a system where workers feel safe and valued. Identify the problems your workers face frequently and try your best to help them manage these issues.

IT workers often get frustrated dealing with outdated tools and inefficient processes. IT managers must provide workers with the best tools possible in order to boost productivity and eliminate work pressure. In addition to that, the financial well-being of workers must also be safeguarded. With over 60% of workers not being paid well enough to save for an emergency, employers need to do their part by providing them with the right healthcare plans.

Smart documentation offers IT workers a great way to reduce their workload and become more efficient. We will discuss more on the benefits of smart documentation in our following posts. So, stay tuned.

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According to a recent WHO-led study, lower productivity and higher absenteeism at work due to anxiety and depression sets the global economy back by at least $1 trillion annually.

There are several factors that can significantly affect the mental well-being of a person. Of these, workplace climate is one such factor. We spend a large part of our days working or worrying about our work. Stress levels can shoot through the roof when deadlines are tight and workloads are heavy. In such situations, even something as incongruous as a slow internet connection can send people flying off the handle.

Although stress can boost productivity intermittently, it can manifest as physical and psychological symptoms if experienced on a constant basis. Some of the effects of stress include hypertension, backache, headaches, anger issues, job dissatisfaction and low morale.

In fact, an estimated 1 in 6.8 people experience mental health problems at work.

Busy as a Beaver

Most IT professionals work behind the scenes, and the strain and isolation associated with their jobs make their roles especially challenging. The shift to remote work did not make things any easier for them either. In addition to making IT upgrades overnight, they had to deal with new challenges posed by remote work every day, such as the inability to “unplug” from work, working longer hours and experiencing more burnout.

Information technology professionals are susceptible to stress due to a variety of unique factors such as:

Time and Knowledge Constraints

Statistics show that heavy workloads, tight deadlines and demanding managers all contribute to workplace stress. In addition to placing employees under high pressure, they also affect work quality. It can feel crippling to be faced with tight deadlines and not have the information necessary to finish the job. Since IT jobs require frequent upskilling, a constant barrage of deadlines leaves little room for learning. All of this can result in high absenteeism rates, which exposes companies to the risk of losing their best IT talent to competitors.

The cost of depression is $51 billion a year as a result of absenteeism and $26 billion as a result of treatment.

Data Sprawl

Each day, IT professionals deal with an overwhelming amount of data. The data of companies is invaluable, and hence, must be stored securely. A data sprawl occurs when data production happens at an uncontrolled rate. This makes it difficult for IT professionals to get things under control, adding additional work pressure to their already busy schedules. An unmanageable data sprawl and overworked IT professionals make for a terrible combination that often results in data breaches.

Clunky Manual Processes

Imagine using a feature phone in the age of smartphones. It’s a great tool but how much can you really do with it? Companies that do not upgrade to newer IT tools create more workload for their IT staff and hamper their productivity.

Lack of Communication and Collaboration

Poor communication is more often than not the fundamental cause of misinformation. Employees may feel stressed if they are unable to communicate their needs. Working in a hostile work environment can make resolving problems and finding fulfillment at work difficult. Having little to no support from managers and colleagues brings morale down, which affects performance and creativity.

Lack of Reward or Recognition

Many people feel insecure about their job performance, which can lower their confidence levels. Getting instructions from more than one supervisor can create confusion and increase the likelihood of making mistakes. Clearly defining goals and regularly giving performance feedback are two factors that can ward off work insecurity.

Weak Documentation Process

IT professionals have to continually deal with slow documentation processes that disrupt the flow of work. Streamlining the documentation process saves IT teams from having to reinvent the wheel every time a problem arises. Poorly categorized documents, in addition to a weak documentation process, results in reduced efficiency of IT workers.

IT professionals’ chronic mental health issues can be effectively addressed with a smart documentation program. IT Glue streamlines and automates the IT documentation framework so IT professionals can save time and reduce stress. It automates mundane tasks and helps IT professionals achieve a good work-life balance.

Here’s an infographic that debunks common myths around smart documentation. Don’t forget to read it.

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A Lot on One’s Plate

Amidst the factors resulting in poor performance among IT professionals are organizational insufficiency, inefficient communication, ineffective teamwork and overwhelming workloads. U.S. businesses lose up to $300 billion yearly due to workplace stress.

The right tools, as well as a good company culture, can dramatically reduce the challenges that IT professionals face. No matter what your role is, a good understanding of your mental health can save you the hassle of dealing with issues later in life.

This is our first blog in a series that will cover the impact of mental health on productivity at work. In the following posts, we will discuss what causes mental health problems at work, how smart documentation calms one’s nerves, and why ignoring mental health problems can set you back at work and in life. Stay tuned.

To see how IT Glue reduces time waste, improves collaboration, and provides your employees with the information they need, when they need it, request a demo.

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Burnout stems from multiple causes — unfair treatment, work-life imbalance and dysfunctional workplace dynamics among others. But two factors common in most cases are unmanageable workload and constant on-the-job frustrations.

A survey in 2019 found that almost 82% of small business employees felt overworked. Now, with the onset of the pandemic, people are under more stress than ever. So, as an MSP owner or manager, you must proactively take steps to prevent burnout. We suggest you start by focusing on the stuff you can control.

Ensure information is easily accessible 

It is frustrating to spend hours looking in different places to locate a piece of information. Now imagine doing it daily. That’s what your team is forced to do if you don’t have robust documentation software. Things can quickly get overwhelming as your team has to exert more effort than required to complete every task — ultimately leading to burnout. What’s worse, it hampers your ability to resolve client problems promptly.

What you need is robust documentation software. One that ensures that every piece of information from device model number, software licenses, passwords, activity logs to SOPs are readily available in a secure, centralized location.

Your team will be happy, relaxed and confident because they know they can locate what they need in minutes and quickly complete their tasks — no more wasting time wandering time. What’s more, your clients will appreciate your punctuality.

Leverage integrations 

Technology is meant to simplify your life. But when your MSP uses multiple applications that do not integrate well with each other, it only makes your team’s job harder. There will be more instances of manual data entry and importing and exporting of data — forcing your team to jump unnecessary hoops to complete a task.

Now imagine an alternate reality where your whole tech stack integrates well with each other — right from PSA, RMM, IT documentation, to CRM. Your team will be able to automate tedious workflows and ensure there is greater transparency. For instance, every time a ticket is raised in the PSA software, contextual information from the documentation software will get pulled simultaneously. That means, in seconds, your team will get to know the client’s device configuration, location, passwords, and more.

Set up clearly defined processes

If you don’t have standardized processes for your repetitive tasks, each employee may end up doing it differently. This, of course, makes it harder to deliver consistent service, and thus can result in gaps between client expectations and what you’re delivering. Your techs, especially new hires, may end up feeling burned out because they can’t match the standards set by some of their colleagues.

Again, documentation software will help solve this problem to a large extent. Get everyone to document how they deal with different tasks. Find out the fastest and most effective methods. Based on that, set up standard operating procedures and checklists for each task. Then, share the documents with everyone.

It will instill confidence in your employees. They know they can always rely on this repository for support or guidance. Moreover, you will be able to onboard new hires and get them up to speed much faster.

Manage password resets more effectively 

For most MSPs, password resets form a major part of their support tickets. In fact, an average 10-person MSP wastes $9,350 annually just on password-reset tickets.

Cut down these tickets by investing in MyGlue. It is a simple tool that gives you more visibility and allows clients to manage their passwords, share them with their colleagues in a secure environment (SOC II, Type 2 certified), and stop hackers from exploiting sloppy, dangerous password habits.

Replace site walks with automatic network discovery

Site walks are an ineffective way to gain visibility into the client’s network. You have to spend hours commuting to their office and then scamper around documenting every device. It is a mind-numbing and time-consuming activity. On top of that, it is a health risk in these COVID times.

Instead of putting your technicians at risk, adopt Network Glue. It is a simple tool that automates network discovery, documentation, and diagramming. Once you install it on your client’s site, it accurately detects every device on the network regardless of vendor, gives you their details and configurations, and generates a comprehensive network diagram. Plus, it automatically updates the information periodically. Allowing you to eliminate site walks and lighten the burden on your team.

Wrapping up 

It may not eliminate MSP burnouts completely but having a powerful IT documentation software goes a long way in reducing your team’s workload and on-the-job-frustrations. Now, the question is which software you should go for? We may be biased, but IT Glue‘s really the only answer.

IT Glue is an award-winning, SOC 2-compliant documentation platform that serves top-performing MSPs worldwide and has over 200,000 users in 70+ countries. We allow MSPs to create and house all their IT documentation in a secure and easily accessible platform. We have a massive library of integrations featuring some of the finest PSA, RMM, CRM, and productivity tools out there, allowing you to automate tedious workflows. What’s more, we have add-ons such as Network Glue and MyGlue.

Want to learn more? Get a demo!

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A little while ago a colleague of mine stumbled across a Reddit page based on the opening comment, “Burnt out and I don’t know what to do.” The user worked for an MSP, and identified experiencing an overwhelming amount of responsibilities – the kind that isn’t sustainable. Scanning the page, a large influx of comments reported that many were struggling with the same kind of thing: feeling overworked, underappreciated, and experiencing something close to chaos in their companies.

Burnout doesn’t come out of nowhere, though. So, what’s causing the flame to go out?

Technical deficiencies

If you don’t have access to the right tools for the job, you’re likely going to struggle, or at the very least you’ll be lacking in efficiency. Think about the tools you use. Are you keeping up with the trends in technology? Are you leveraging automation? Do you have the right relationships between tools?

When it comes to the tools you use – your PSA, RMM, CRM, and so on, it’s imperative that you choose the tool that best fits your MSP’s unique needs. That’s why we’re so adamant about what you should be looking for in a documentation solution. If you settle for the wrong one, it’s going to leave you and your team stagnant, struggling to complete even basic tasks.

Time waste

How often do you have to search for information to get the job done? We come back to this question again and again, because it’s that crucial. If you’re constantly having to check all the hiding places just to find one piece of information, you’re wasting critical time and making tasks feel a whole lot harder than they should.

Think about the information you need to solve a ticket. Can you find the information easily? Is it in one secure and central location? The more information that’s readily available, the better. Not only will your team appreciate it, but you’ll build a positive reputation with your customers for providing punctual and efficient service.

No standardization

Do you and your colleagues complete the same task the same way? The answer is far too often, no. So standardize. Find the best possible way to carry out a task, and then document it so that everyone is following the same steps. SOPs and checklists are awesome ways of ensuring processes are followed accurately, and without skipping steps.

Lack of communication

Whether it’s about clearly explaining processes, or just being able to get a hold of a fellow colleague in an easier manner, both affect how sustainable a given workload feels. If you’re not already leveraging a social app in your MSP, it’s time to look into one. Tools for social interaction like Slack reduce friction and increase collaboration between teams, ensuring members can reach out to one another with ease.

No clear roles

Sometimes, especially in smaller shops, you might be wearing multiple hats. Take sales for example. Not every MSP starts out with a dedicated sales team or salesperson, and while sales may not be your strong suit, you still have to take on the role. Whatever the situation might be, it’s important to identify roles and responsibilities, and to keep them up to date as they change. Better yet, document these roles and have them easily available so that each individual team member is not only responsible but accountable for their tasks.

The twist? Most of what causes burnout is an outcome of poor documentation. Whether it’s spending too much time searching for something that could have been documented, or not having any SOPs and checklists available to ensure processes are standardized, it all boils down to the same thing. Even technical deficiencies can be combated by going one step further and taking advantage of documentation automation. When documentation is ingrained into your MSP’s culture, every team member benefits.

So, I’ll ask again. Feeling burnt out? Use documentation to relight the flame.

If you’re interested in what IT Glue can do to reduce time waste and further efficiency in your organization, sign up for a demo today.

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Documentation is a source of competitive advantage. When your processes are well-documented, they move from being individual knowledge to team knowledge. You execute consistently, and do not waste time looking for information, because it’s always at your fingertips. Companies with a high level of documentation maturity enjoy higher revenue growth, increased cost savings and superior valuations. IT Glue can help you get there.

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Today marks National Stress Awareness Day, and it feels like there’s no better time than now to dive into how you can reduce stress in your own workplace. Don’t get me wrong – we can’t solve this problem overnight. But with sure-footed baby steps in the right direction, we’ll be on our way.

Communication

How well does your team communicate with one another? If there’s one thing a degree in Communication taught me, it’s the heavy weight that miscommunication has on our interactions with others.

Having a lack of communication, or struggling with miscommunication, can lead to a variety of repercussions all of which include high amounts of stress. Think about it this way. Miscommunication leads to mistakes. You can’t possibly carry out your processes without knowing the full scope of what you’re trying to accomplish, and doing so will only lead to problems.

Not only does communication in the workplace need to be clear, but it needs to be open, comfortable, and acceptable. Whether it’s about an on-going project, or the ability to handle a given workload, if your employees are under stress and the thought of talking about it with a colleague or boss only causes more stress, then how healthy is your work environment?

Consider how you can make the flow of communication stronger in your own office. Whether that involves leveraging internal social technologies like Slack, having morning stand-ups to discuss current pain points, or creating one-on-one meetings with employees to touch-in. If you’re not sure where communication is struggling, have a meeting with your staff to find out.

Set clear goals

It’s easy to get overwhelmed with a heavy workload. In fact, that workload is often the front-runner for creating stress in the workplace. So make sure you and your staff are working together to set clear goals and expectations that help facilitate prioritization.

No, we can’t get through a blog post without talking about documentation – it’s in our blood. But in all seriousness, when you document your overall company goals, department goals, and individual goals, and have it easily accessible for your staff, everyone becomes accountable for their own actions with a clear understanding of their expectations.

Sometimes the workload gets heavy. That’s inevitable. But if your goals aren’t clear it’s far easier to get caught up in the stress of looming tasks than it is to properly deal with them.

Create a positive employee environment

Listen to your staff
Have you ever asked your employees what they need to be able to do their job better, more efficiently, and with less stress? Maybe not everything on their list will be achievable right away, but if your employees don’t have what they need to do their job the best that they can be doing it, you’re missing out an opportunity for growth.

Get out of the office
When was the last time your team did something outside of the office? When was the last time you discussed something that didn’t revolve around the latest ticket? You spend so much of your time with colleagues, so prioritize fostering an enjoyable work atmosphere by setting aside time to connect outside of your day to day tasks. Everyone is busy, so start by creating quarterly outings where you and your staff can go and celebrate your successes and kick back a bit.

Recognize achievements
When everyone’s working hard to reach the goals set out for them, it goes without saying that recognition is crucial. Celebrate everyone’s achievements, because creating an environment where everyone feels appreciated for the work they’re accomplishing is going to go a long way to increase their motivation to keep succeeding.

Can you improve your business processes?

Workplace stress can arise in a lot of different ways, whether it stems from social or environmental factors, or simply how you go about accomplishing your everyday business processes. If there’s friction in these processes, there’s bound to be stress too. Think of how your processes can be smoother, more efficient, and more streamlined, and all of your employees are sure to benefit. It should come as no surprise that we’re big believers in the following:

Documentation
Can documentation reduce stress? That’s a no-brainer in more ways than one. The constant search for information itself is a stressor, and having good documentation reduces that completely. Whether it’s internal processes or client information, the more you have documented the less stress you’ll have accessing that information and carrying out tasks.

Automation
Stressed about not having enough time? Automation is all about saving you time. If you can reduce the number of mundane tasks to complete by leveraging automation, you and your team have more time to get the rest of the work done.

The harsh reality is that there’s an endless list of workplace stressors we could get into which only highlight that a day like National Stress Awareness day certainly shouldn’t be limited to 24 hours. So extend it, because there are also just as many solutions as there are stressors. Make stress awareness a consistent part of the day-to-day culture at your company, and the benefits are bound to ripple throughout it.

If you’re interested in learning more about IT Glue, and how our app helps your organization battle stressors like time waste and communication, sign up for a demo today.

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IT Glue is a proven, best practices-driven IT documentation platform packed with features designed to help you maximize the efficiency, transparency and consistency of your team. With so much of your business productivity lost each day in search of vital information, let IT Glue secure this information and start Freeing Minds.

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You’re going on vacation to de-stress, so let’s make this as stress-free as possible. I’ve got a few steps you can take to effectively prepare your MSP for your few weeks away from the office.

Delegate tasks

Most workers fear taking a vacation because of the mountain of work they risk coming back to. To avoid this issue, delegate your tasks and spend some time training employees on them. If you can, practice being more hands-off before you leave, so employees can be confident to manage on their own. To support clients that you work with personally, introduce them to your top techs to maintain the relationship while you’re away.

Prepare for the worst-case scenario

What’s the worst that could happen? As rhetorical as this sounds, this really is something that needs to be planned for. Consider making detailed SOPs to outline important procedures for employees to reference when things go wrong.

Have remote access

While you do want to have a relaxing vacation without thinking of the office, having quick access to work can also give you peace of mind. So, bring your phone and laptop for added accessibility – just in case. If you are someone who can’t completely turn off from work, plan virtual meetings from your destination.

Do a post-mortem

When you come back from your trip, do a post mortem. Evaluate what your employees were able to handle while you were away and what could have been handled better. If something went wrong, put processes in place immediately so that you can avoid future issues.

Relax!

There was a reason you planned this vacation after all, so be sure to enjoy it! By taking the above steps, you can feel confident that you have taken steps to better prepare your office for your vacation. So, rest easy, relax, and enjoy your time off!

IT Glue is an information management platform that allows for efficient storage and retrieval of all the documentation you need to help your MSP run better. By integrating PSA and RMM data, we can help increase your efficiency upwards of 20%, and reduce onboarding times by even more. By eliminating wasted time from your business, IT Glue gives you more time to focus on what matters – growing your business.

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