Overlooking Mental Well-Being at Work: Its Impact and Consequences

In our previous blog in our mental well-being series, we shed light on some contributing factors, like poor work-life balance, high workload, unclear processes, etc., that affect the mental well-being of employees at work. Now it’s time to understand the possible consequences of overlooking the mental health of your employees.

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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