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In our last article, we introduced each of the Surgeon General’s Five Essentials for Workplace Mental-Health & Well-Being and discussed ways organizations can implement them into their current physical workplace.
In this blog series surrounding the Surgeon General’s Framework, we will be breaking down each of the five essentials for workplace mental-health & well-being and ways you can implement the recommendations into your workplace.
What is the importance of the Surgeon General’s report?
Surgeon General’s Reports are comprehensive scientific documents prepared by experts. They are often landmark publications that identify and shape the science and culture of our public health. We have all heard from many sources that “mental health matters.” However, it is highly significant that a scientific institution is making the connection between this well-being and the workplace. Health and wellness are more than just physical well-being, and the Surgeon General has committed to taking a 360 degree look into what this means and how it can be done in the environment that most of us spend most of our time in – the workplace.
As quoted on page 6 of their report – “mental-health is a must have.” This term is no longer just a buzz word or a trend. Organizations must understand this and more importantly that there are both tangible and intangible ways that they can move this needle forward. And we are here to tell you that it won’t take a large amount of time or resources to do so.
So, what are we waiting for? Let’s dive into the first essential – Protection from Harm.
ESSENTIAL 1: PROTECTION FROM HARM
Safety is one of the fundamental needs of humans. There are many human needs, such as food, water, air and shelter that need to be met to ensure survival. While going into the office may not be considered a “life or death” situation for most of us, there are still needs that must be provided to protect employees of all levels.
The two most important needs in terms of a workplace are safety and security. Employees must feel safe from both physical and non-physical harm, as well as feel secure in their jobs (meaning financial security). If either of these workplace needs are not met, employees are just surviving, not thriving.
The Surgeon General’s Framework outlined 4 core components to make sure that your workplace protects your employees against harm. For each component, we will discuss both the tangible ideas that managers can implement (what employees can actually see), as well as the intangible ways (what employees will feel and not necessarily see).
Ways to Implement in Your Workplace – Essential 1 – Protect from Harm
Safety as a whole can be further broken down into physical safety and psychological safety. We all have heard of physical safety, especially in the workplace, as many organizations have set compliance standards for it. There are guards in place to help protect employees from running into unsafe situations, and then if they do – they have worker’s compensation to help support them if their injuries were caused by accidents on the job.
What is less talked about is psychological safety. As discussed in our last blog in the series, this can be described as safety endeavors in place to shield employees from bias, discrimination, emotional conflict, and discrimination. While this is arguably just as important as physical safety, many organizations currently do not have compliance set-up in this area.
A good place to start is creating a formal set of psychological safety guidelines that managers adhere to in supporting the success of employees. Discuss what it means to create psychological safety of everyone on your team. Adding this to an employee handbook will help embed this deep into your organization’s culture.
If you already have compliance in place, please pat yourself on the back. After that, make sure you take it up a notch by performing the following intangible actions that help foster the growth of psychological safety:
- Avoid mistaking silence for safety. When managers ask their employees “is everyone good with this?”, it is important to not jump to the conclusion that just because no one says anything, it means that everyone feels completely secure. The truth is that unfortunately, that’s not always the case.
- Provide a license to speak up. Make sure it is known that there are no consequences for sharing ideas and respectfully disagreeing – or speaking up when someone does not feel safe (see bullet #1 as to why this is important).
- Be role models for your team. Display the behavior you want to see.
If you only get 4 hours of sleep at night, you won’t perform as well as another employee who got full 8 hours and then some. The truth is that all of us show up to work every now and then when we are tired. But this component is about much more than physical rest – the feeling of burn out can also include a lack of psychological rest.
Just like how we can assume that 4 hours of sleep makes you feel more tired than if you got 8 hours, it is safe to assume that employees who are constantly working long hours are getting burned out (if they are not already). In situations where these employees do not feel fully safe psychologically, they may not want to speak up about how they are feeling drained.
Chances are, if you have ever felt burn out yourself, your employees have as well. So, let’s do something about it. Set up a time to connect with your team and perform an exercise of sharing what they spend their long hours on – what are the pain points? Strengths? Weaknesses? What is causing them the most stress?
Some of your team members may say essentially the same thing. It’s important to look for common denominators and opportunities that you, as their mentor, can share resources, streamline, and remove redundant efforts. And then communicate this with the team. Share what you are doing to assist them and remember to take baby steps.
Another tangible course is to create a policy focused on making sure employees that are on PTO (paid time off) do not check emails. Encourage employees to adopt a “no communication after 6:00pm” workflow. It’s okay to create a culture of mindful disconnection because at the end of the day, this fosters a time of active connection during the workday.
Granted, this won’t work for all organizations or industries, but something to that degree may be able to be implemented. At least give people permission to be realistic with their work timeframe – model that it’s okay to save something for tomorrow instead of working over 8 hours to knock it out in one day. Or if it’s 4:00pm on a Friday and someone is getting slightly checked out for the week, save the project for Monday. Something intangible that managers can do is say this, do it, and encourage it. If you choose to work longer hours than your team, that’s great – good for you! But do not expect the same from everyone else. I would guess that you will see better results from your team if you take this approach.
Mental health and well-being are important and it’s time that the workplace recognizes this. If your employees are not feeling mentally well, they are bringing that energy into work every day, reflecting in the work that they produce. It’s true that someone’s work is where they spend most of their time, so it needs to be a positive environment that facilitates overall well-being.
First start by looking at your benefits and services to employees. How much support are you showing for mental health? We suggest researching positive, impactful programs that make a difference. Trust us when we say that this is worth investing in. Utilize HR teams or partners to come up with suggestions, as there is always a long list of “wish list” benefits.
Consider allowing for a more flexible work schedule or host an annual/biannual internal mental health awareness day. Provide screenings and tools, invite speakers, or even give employees the confidence to share their stories in a safe place. While anxiety and depression are two major focal areas of mental health, they are not the only topics to discuss. Instead of surviving, encourage your team members to thrive – in all aspects of their life.
Even when you don’t have the time or staff to host a tangible event, at bare minimum make sure that your managers are checking in with employees and making time to ask them how they are doing. Build an environment of trust between managers and employees so that people feel comfortable going deeper than just “I’m okay”. And at the end of the day, treat this connection with as much respect as you would a project, budget or client meeting.
Most of us have probably heard of DEIA initiatives before, and it’s for a good reason. It is important to continuously strengthen and develop these programs for your organization. Customize them as much as you can, and reach out to peer organizations for ideas on policies that could work for your employees.
Create connections with associations that promote DEIA and leverage their resources, ideas, etc. Have them perform virtual training with your employees and make sure to share their expertise with everyone on the team.
When choosing vendors and suppliers, try to find ones that harness diversity. By working with and partnering with these kinds of organizations, you are showing a message of inclusion to all internal and external stakeholders.
Last, but not least, continue to check in with your employees. Some of them may come from under-represented groups and may have ideas for how to improve inclusion across the entire organization. Make them feel heard and supported and as always, be the mentor that you would like to have had.
→ Did you know KGO is a women-owned business and certified diverse supplier?
In Conclusion
At the end of the day, no one wants to see their employees or team suffer, whether that’s from burnout, mental illness, or not feeling included in day-to-day activities. Instead of simply protecting against harmful activities or mindsets, it’s important to take a proactive approach in preventing these situations from arising.
Each item discussed in this article is an example you can implement today, many of them require little to no additional resources. So, what are you waiting for? Take the first step in creating a more empowering workplace that not only promotes well-being but is designed for it.
Follow along in our next blog in the series, where we will tackle the second essential item on the Surgeon General’s list – Connection & Community.
Ready to get started?
Contact our Strategy and Consulting Team below!