How Leaders Affect the Mental Health of Their People
Mental health is something that is increasingly being discussed in the workplace today, and rightly so. It is an area that we need to give more attention to because workplaces are becoming more and more stressful. It seems that there is more pressure and more stress placed on people than ever before. In this blog post, we are going to take a look at the relationship between leaders and the mental health of their workforce.
Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication
When it comes to leadership, a leader who is consciously aware of how their actions affect their team’s perception of them can boost the mental health of their workforce. However, this is a lot easier said than done. For a lot of leaders today, they have an unconscious bias that is holding them back. If you are a leader, you will either be unknowingly or knowingly aware of the impact that you have on other people around you. Someone in a leadership role is going to have more of a positive or negative impact on others in the workforce because they hold such a prominent position. This could be anything from the words you say to the way that you say them. It can also refer to the non-verbal cues you make and the decisions you make. All of these factors are going to have an impact on your team.
Because of this, it really is important to think about your actions from a mental health standpoint. After all, too often, the incorrect form of leadership can make mental health problems get a lot worse.
Inclusiveness
If you have a business that champions inclusion, this can lead to the mental health of your workforce increasing. This is all about leaders who embrace diversity. You need to create a working environment whereby people feel like there is a sense of togetherness. Employees will feel like they are able to be the person they really are in the workforce, rather than feeling like they have to hide behind a mask or a facade. It is also a workforce that gives everyone a voice and enables everyone to contribute. There is no denying that, as leaders, we often expect that people should and will bend to suit our behavioural characteristics and our style. However, we do not always realise that we can actually mobilize our members of staff as the people that they already are. If we all switch to this approach in the workplace, then we are really going to take strides forward when it comes to the mental health of the people that we work with.
For this to be effective, it is all about getting your head around the word inclusion and what it is actually going to mean for your workplace. A lot of people will use this term and the term ‘diversity’ in the same sentence. However, it really is quite a simple concept. It is all about a feeling of togetherness. It is all about creating that sense that you are all on the same team and that you are all on equal footing. It is about creating this feeling despite our differences – our differences should be embraced and you need to create a sense that everyone can contribute and this is what makes your team so great. It is important to recognise that leaders in the workplace have a huge impact on creating this sense of togetherness. This is because, without always realising it, we tend to pay more attention to the people we like the most and have a greater natural connection with. This is something that it’s best to acknowledge so that you can ensure this natural tendency is not affecting your team and there is less of a divide. Being more conscious about your actions is an important place to start.
So there you have it: hopefully, you now have a better understanding of the relationship between leaders and their workforce in terms of mental health. At USAFact, we provide a number of different services for businesses to help ensure their working environment is the best it can be for all employees. One of the services that we provide is employee drug and health screening, and this is something that a lot of companies can benefit from today. If you would like more information about how we can assist you and your human resources department, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us for more details.