World Mental Health Day: the importance of wellbeing

What is World Mental Health Day?

World Mental Health Day is an initiative of the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) with the aim of educating the world about mental health. This initiative is supported by the World Health Organization (WHO), viralising the issue and advocating against discrimination.

World Mental Health Day is celebrated every 10 October, and each year a theme is selected for the movement. This year's theme for 2021 is "Mental health, a necessary right. Tomorrow it can be you".

The pandemic and mental health

• "More than 60% of employees said their company could do more to support mental health and emotional stress during the pandemic."
• "75% of employees experienced burnout due to the pandemic".
• "Nearly 50% of employees under 30 reported having anxiety."

CDC, 2020

Covid-19 has radically changed the way we perceive work. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention study has shown that more than half of essential workers have had to deal with mental health problems. These statistics, while a concern for all companies, should also be seen as an opportunity to implement change and grow.

How do I improve the mental health of my employees?

It is clear that in order to be a happy company and to have employees who are committed to the company's purpose, it is necessary to invest in the mental health of the employees. For this, there are 3 aspects that an organisation should take into account for a basic mental health of its employees:

1. Access to support through policies and resources.

A key initiative for employee mental health is to establish tangible policies and resources to help employees when they find themselves in situations that threaten their mental health. In addition to simply providing methods of contacting centres, a small or medium-sized company could:

• Establish policies where the employee can take actions that improve their mental health during working hours or in the workplace, such as going to the gym, volunteering or participating in team building events.
• Provide flexible remuneration schemes that include such benefits.
• Implement working time policies that help employees to adhere to reasonable working hours and rest breaks.

2. Education on the importance of mental health

To know whether or not they need to ask for help, employees need to know what mental health is, what the symptoms and impacts of poor mental health are, and who to turn to and how. In addition to providing basic information on aspects such as what is work-related stress or burnout, a company could encourage employees to do tasks or challenges that support their mental health on a weekly or daily basis.

3. Provision of tools to enhance the employee experience

To promote the mental health of employees, you need to show them that you value their work and appreciate the role they play in the organisation. By providing tools that connect employees and facilitate their daily work, any company can improve employee satisfaction and the working environment.

niikiis is an HR management software that promotes employee happiness and wellbeing by digitising tasks and promoting inclusiveness through internal communication. Implementing software such as niikiis can help connect not only remote or hybrid employees, but also those from different departments and even headquarters. With a tool that also facilitates self-management of time or training, any employee will feel more connected to the company culture.

Do you want to know more about how to improve the well-being of your employees with niikiis, the HR software for SMEs?

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