Portugal is among the three European countries with the highest prevalence of depression. The truth is that without mental health, the potential of its employees is limited and the company will see its development in jeopardy. With this in mind, Workwell shares the strategies HR departments should adopt to improve the mental health of their employees.
What can the human resources department do for employee mental health?
The first thing the HR department must do to ensure the mental health of employees is to end the culture of silence that surrounds mental health in the company.
It is essential to facilitate conversations about mental health and stress in the workplace and through empathy and understanding, and to prevent and anticipate potential problems.
Concern about work issues such as layoffs or career promotions can be a catalyst for encouraging the emergence of mental illness.
Corporate HR must show empathy and complicity with those facing a mental health issue, and approach that issue with the necessary sensitivity.
These are some of the strategies you should implement in your company:
- setting limits between working and personal hours;
- Promote periods of rest and active rest;
- providing psychological or psychological support;
- Ensuring a pleasant and safe working environment;
- normalization of mental health care;
- Promote healthy lifestyle habits.
