Workplace mental health is more important than ever.
Businesses of all sizes have faced a lot over the last couple of years, with restrictive lockdowns and the health challenges of the pandemic. Stress levels can be much higher than usual as you try to survive and then recover. It has undoubtedly put pressure on employees, managers and leaders across all businesses and sectors.
Even in normal times, nearly £35 billion was being lost to the economy because of mental health issues each year. When you consider that 1 in 6 people of working age are likely to have at least some sort of mental health problem, you can see why it’s important for businesses to have a strategy in place for dealing with it.
Businesses that support good workplace mental health not only reduce the risk of people being off sick for the short and long term, they can also improve productivity and profits. The trouble is that leaders and managers, as well as general employees, can find it a very difficult thing to bring up and discuss.
Talking About Mental Health in the Office
Many businesses over the last few decades have introduced health and wellbeing support for their employees, especially large corporations that have access to more resources. One part of the puzzle that is often brushed over but is very important to mental health outcomes in all situations is good communication.
A leader or manager might be confident about talking about deadlines and the latest growth plan. They are generally less proficient at speaking one to one with an employee who might be suffering from anxiety, depression or some other mental health issue.
Corporations and smaller businesses also struggle with communicating their own mental health support strategy engagingly and effectively so that people will take part. It means staff at all levels are more reluctant to seek and accept help.
Of course, the workplace can be a hectic, high-stress environment. There have been added challenges in the last two years with many employees, including managers, working from home. Remote engagement is different from being in the office and it can be difficult to communicate about deeply personal issues on Zoom.
Getting people to open up and having a non-judgemental approach is critical. You can’t do that if you don’t have good communication skills.
How Sonal Dave Can Help Improve Workplace Mental Health
If mental health is difficult to talk about for friends and family, it is doubly so for work colleagues, managers and bosses. We have a habit of leaving our personal lives at home when we head to our place of employment but if your mental health is not managed it can and will affect work.
My name is Sonal Dave and I’m a public speaking and communication expert. I’ve got a particular interest in helping businesses and large corporations to improve their communication skills, complementing their strategies for wellbeing and effective workplace mental health support. The skill areas I focus on include:
- Confidence: Let’s face it, talking about mental health is difficult for most of us. Gaining the confidence to discuss personal issues comes from having knowledge and being sure of your communication skills. Whether you are suffering from mental health problems or trying to support someone who does, my online and in-person courses give you confidence.
- Storytelling: People underestimate the power of storytelling in communication. We’re all hardwired to engage with stories and they can be particularly useful when you are trying to explain or understand mental health problems.
- Communication: Effective communication is all about knowing the right words to say at the right time – again, it’s something that can be tremendously difficult when dealing with mental health challenges. My courses give you the chance to look objectively at your communication skills and their appropriateness when dealing with mental health.
- Public Speaking: Learning to speak to an audience can help people overcome their fear of talking about emotive issues such as mental health. It brings together all the above attributes and builds someone who is a much stronger and more effective communicator both at home and in the workplace.
Would you like to find out more? Contact Sonal Dave today to see how I can help.