Poor mental health is commonplace
Thankfully, talking about our mental health has become more commonplace in the last few years, particularly as people with high public profiles have openly shared their struggles with poor mental health or mental fitness.
Mental fitness is defined as our capacity to respond to life’s challenges with a positive rather than a negative mindset.
Impact on absenteeism
When employees’ mental fitness is weak, absenteeism rises by 63% (Gartner). In 2023, the CIPD and Simplyhealth found that UK employees were absent an overage of 7.8 days over the year, two whole days higher than the pre-pandemic rate of 5.8 days.
Not only does absenteeism cost the private sector an average of £568 per employee each year, 70.5% businesses agree that absenteeism has a direct effect on profitability and only 20% have a plan in place to reduce absence. Most of these measures include the flexibility to work from home, Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) or Occupational Health referrals with counselling services and support lines included, Mental Health First Aid training or policies and procedures to manage or discourage absenteeism.
Employee benefit schemes exclude mental fitness
Employee benefit schemes often encourage physical wellbeing with discounted gym memberships and exercise challenges that employees can participate in.
However, initiatives that proactively encourage strong mental fitness are rarely considered or implemented.
Investing in mental fitness offers an alternative approach. In as little as six weeks participants in a mental fitness programme see improvements in how they manage stress and how engaged they feel at work. Their work relationships improve, and their emotional intelligence strengthens.
Mental fitness as a life skill
These are life, leadership and management skills that employees can use in all areas of their lives. An employee that is present and engaged in their work will be more loyal and positively contribute to the workplace culture. Teams with strong mental fitness see sales improve and customer satisfaction levels increase. Innovation, strategic creativity and collaboration start to set teams and companies apart from their competition as they are motivated by their mission and collectively determined to succeed. Workplace conflict, egotistical behaviours and competitive actions are seen as unproductive barriers to success.
Just as runner trains for a marathon, by gradually building up their stamina and speed, mental fitness builds up over time as new neural form to create lasting change. As such investing in a mental fitness programme delivers a powerful return on investment.
Mental fitness is a solution for today and the future. With greater collaboration and productivity, the challenges of hybrid working, achieving the right work-life balance and developing careers that are both sustainable for the employees’ career advancement AND the employer’s objectives become the norm rather than the exception.
Curious about implementing mental fitness?
If you would like to know more about how your company and its employees can benefit from improved performance, resilience and better wellbeing then take a look here and book a call with Claire here.