Did you know that employees are as likely to face mental health issues in their professional lives as in their personal lives? Indeed, the office can be a rough place that exposes individuals to high stress levels, discrimination, and unfair treatment. As an employer, your priority is to build a safe working environment for everyone. Ensuring your employees feel valued and appreciated begins with the changes they need to be productive. From removing racial inequality to introducing breaks and increased vacations, these essential decisions can help tackle rising mental health issues caused by stress. 

Yet, businesses have a unique opportunity to make mental health an integral habit in the workplace. By designing a support system that can reach everyone and ensuring no employee is left behind, companies can reduce depression, loneliness, burnout, and anxiety disorders in the office. 

Introduce team bonding and social events

According to a US survey, employees who have friends in the office feel happier than others. Indeed, working with friends can affect your experience in and outside of the office. As the workplace can often be a place of rivalry, harmful gossip, and heavy workload, having friends to rely on can make a big difference. Therefore, arranging friendly social events and team bonding activities can help bring employees closer and create friendship. It goes without saying that making out-of-office-hours social events mandatory can also backfire on the business. 

Make fitness affordable

Physical activities play a crucial role in mental health. Maintaining regular activity can help release stress, boost the immune system, and create a feel-good sensation. However, exercising often comes at a cost. Businesses that can't afford to build an office gym could consider supporting gym memberships with local facilities such as Fitness 19, which can encourage employees to maintain a healthy routine. 

Introduce an office canteen

Some of the go-to energy foods in the office can increase anxiety and depression in vulnerable individuals. Coffee, for example, can increase nervousness, which can accentuate anxiety. Employees relying on coffee to perform are more likely to develop mental health issues. Additionally, processed foods, such as shop-bought sandwiches, can have a similar effect. Businesses can tackle dietary issues through the introduction of a canteen area where staff can have access to health-boosting foods that support their energy levels and mental health. The Mediterranean diet, for example, shows strong evidence of reducing depression symptoms. It is also suitable for meat-eaters, pescetarians, vegetarians, and vegans due to its versatility. 

Provide therapy services

Not everyone is familiar with mental health support. A lot of employees coming from less privileged backgrounds may not know the benefits of therapy. Therefore, making counseling and therapy services accessible to your team could be a game-changer. Depending on the industry sector, therapists could be available directly on-site or via appointments. Some companies choose to introduce mental health support in their health insurance package, providing financial assistance to employees. Through preferential partnerships with local experts or via an online therapy offer, cost-effective services can also make it easy for people to reach out to a professional at any time. 

Mental health support should be made more accessible within the workplace. The office exposes individuals to high stress and heavy workload. It can be tricky to seek support outside of working hours. Making businesses a significant part of the mental health solution can help reduce dramatic workplace triggers. Ask yourself, what is your company doing to support mental health?