When you are overseeing a team as a manager, especially in an office, your role will go far beyond making sure that your team gets their work done on time.
Of course, that is going to be a key feature, but you also have to make sure that they are able to manage their workload, and, more importantly, you will have to check on their mental health.
There are many benefits to doing this. The first is that you will have better staff retention, the second is that there will be fewer sick days taken, and the third is that it will simply allow more of your team to feel comfortable in the workplace, which will lead to better productivity.
So how can you help to boost the mental health of your workforce? Here are some tips to follow.
Help Your Team To Maintain Their Work-Life Balance
It is something of the culture in the United States and in parts of Europe for bosses to expect their team to work long hours without a break. However, this does not bode well for work-life balance, and in 2023, more office workspaces will be offering their staff the ability to engage in more remote working or co-working with the help of websites like thebrew.co.uk. This will help the workers with families to better manage their time and assist them in being able to prioritize their mental health.
Provide Resources
As many as one in two people will experience a mental health crisis in 2023, which is a very high number! If you notice that a member of your team is struggling, the last thing you will want to do is drag them into the office and chastise them; you should aim to help them. This may involve you and other higher members of the team needing to take courses on how to identify stress and burnout in your team. As well as this, it may be wise for you to invest in counseling for your team members, or you can provide them with access to mental health services for them to go to on their own time.
Encourage Team Building Exercises
In the past, this would have usually meant doing some awkward workplace presentation which would have been based on PowerPoints and role-playing. However, in 2023, there are many ways you can encourage team-building exercises without death by PowerPoint! You could take your team for a day trip to a Paintball arena or even Laser Tag; this will help them to get the physical exercise that they need whilst also encouraging team building and making it fun.
Make The Workplace Comfortable
Have you ever visited a workspace and thought to yourself, 'I'm very glad I don't work there?' In most cases, this is due to a toxic work environment or it can be linked to the workplace itself. You need to ensure that the workplace you provide helps to boost mental health. Try to ensure it is lit with as much natural light as possible and that it is designed for comfort. This will usually involve investing in ergonomic chairs, and, of course, you should also encourage your employees to personalize their workstations, which will help them to feel more at home.