One in five employees say their job hurts their mental health, and more than 40% report significant stress, according to Harvard Business Review. Poor mental health and stress lead to unhappy workers, which is not good for any company.
Harvard Business Review shares the following questions to help you reflect on factors that may be contributing to your employees’ unhappiness and determine the best way to start addressing the issue.
- What are the biggest frustrations my team faces, and what am I doing to remove them? Your team will believe you are invested in them if you try to remove obstacles that make their work unnecessarily difficult. Challenges can include a heavy workload with insufficient time, excessive meetings and clunky processes. Focus on establishing clear priorities so you can help protect employees’ time and energy.
- What decisions am I holding onto that my team could be making? It can be difficult for employees to get work done when you micromanage and require every decision to have your approval. Be clear about decisions they can make on their own and encourage them to make those decisions. It can be helpful to ask them for input regarding what could make their jobs easier.
- Where am I making people do things my way when I could be giving them flexibility? Evaluate the needs of all your employees and consider the flexibility you can offer them. That flexibility could include deciding when they can start their workdays or letting them work from home more often. Employees with greater autonomy are more productive and engaged.
- How can I create opportunities for genuine connection? Relationships at work help people feel valued, so work to cultivate strong relationships with your team members. Regularly meet with them one on one, and ensure you create genuine opportunities for your team members to connect with each other. Learn about their goals and challenges.
- What am I doing to support my team’s well-being? Gen Z especially values mental well-being in the workplace. Be sure your team is aware of available mental health and wellness resources, and encourage them to take advantage of that support. Healthier employees are happier employees.
- How am I making people feel valued and helping them see the meaning in their work? Be sure to regularly recognize your team’s efforts and show appreciation. Make connections between their work and company successes. This helps them believe what they do matters and makes them feel valued.
- Where could I be doing more to help people advance in their careers? People can feel trapped in an uncertain economy. It is crucial to create opportunities for people to learn and grow. And it does not have to be expensive; mentoring, stretch assignments and job shadowing can be great ways to help people grow.
- When was the last time I took a hard look at whether our pay is competitive? Employees often are asked to do more with less, and their paychecks do not go as far with rising costs. Talk openly with employees about how compensation decisions are made to emphasize the logic and fairness. Be sure employees understand their full compensation package, including benefits they might undervalue.
