The Need For Leaders To Implement Mental Health Policies

Founder of Cloudlead, a bootstrapped startup that focuses on transforming how salespeople prospect and sell. 

Last year, the fear and uncertainty surrounding work and life reached an all-time high. I personally had to field various concerns from my team and employees about issues like job certainty, working from home and the added stress it all brought.

So it’s not news that one of the most prominent issues that came into focus revolved around the prevalence of mental health challenges in the workforce. Specifically, how people dealt with — or are dealing with in many cases — the stress of working remotely and the feelings of isolation from the lack of social and workplace interaction.

Fast forward almost two years when many offices are finally opening up, and these issues are still at the forefront, with employees reporting high-stress levels, burn out and loss of productivity. And while employers and leaders are scrambling to come up with strategies that address the problem, like in-house counseling or mental health leaves, there’s still something missing from the equation.

Through my own experience in running a startup, I’ve come to realize that it’s high time for a paradigm shift in the overall work or company culture alongside long-term sustainable strategies.

This is exactly where founders and leaders have to play an important role. Effective leaders know that they need to focus on eradicating factors like excessive workload, inflexible work times, unrealistic expectations, etc. They also know it’s smart to study successful workplace policies and adapt them to suit the work environment they live in.

Learning From The Past And Others

Take, for example, Buffer, a remote-work social media management company, that introduced a four-day workweek as a response to the pandemic. During their trial, they found that reported stress dropped down considerably, and general work happiness actually increased. As a result, they have included this practice as an important part of their HR strategy.

But this same policy might not be suitable for a company that is just starting out and trying to build its team. I still remember when I first founded my company, and the sheer amount of collaboration and brainstorming required meant that it was crucial for everyone to be present and on the ground. We spent many days and sleepless nights thinking of ways to improve our services, find clients willing to gamble on a new product and incorporate feedback into our process.

What this meant was we could not afford to work from home, shorten our workweeks or take time out for mental health days. Unfortunately, this resulted in the loss of some key employees from stress and exhaustion.

The question here is, could I have actually grown my company faster if only I had slowed down a little and focused on how my team members were doing? And the answer seems to be a resounding yes. Take, for example, the study by the University of Warwick; they found that addressing issues related to mental health in the workplace can actually make people more productive by up to 12%.

Fast forward eight years, we now have holistic policies and processes in place that prioritize our employees’ mental health needs. These include concrete actions like open-door policies, access to licensed mental health professionals and a separate fund for mental health. We also introduced paid mental health days where employees can take a vacation whenever they want, no questions asked. All this has combined to not only increase productivity but also create a healthier and happier workforce that is eager to learn, adapt to changes and think creatively.

Components Of A Hybrid Model

Despite this, Covid-19 still brought about certain challenges that forced us to step up in a big way. Going fully remote seemed to work for some of our employees while others — like me — needed that social interaction to feel motivated. So taking lessons from companies like Buffer and Zapier, we created a hybrid model that has three distinct components that I encourage other businesses to look into.

• Shortened workdays: Done with work by 3 p.m.? You can leave the office.

• Shortened workweek: The choice to come into the office four days a week.

• The option to work from home: For two weeks out of every month, we can choose to work remotely.

Combined with the other policies, you can create an environment where employees feel that they’re heard and cared for. Of course, with Covid still very much present, it’s also important for leaders and managers to understand that employees cannot be fully productive.

Since this lag in efficiency can only be addressed with time, the best we can do is incorporate work-life balance in our lives and improve upon policies that empower employees. Besides the pandemic, there will be times when a company faces a crisis or challenging times, and only those with strong leadership survive in the long run. That is the importance of strong leadership — remember, a company is made of humans for humans.

Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?