If you decide to develop (and not just somehow keep afloat) your business, you cannot do without a motivated team. You can use any newfangled management system, but when your employees feel unhappy, you will not get loyalty and diligence in their work.
So how do you create a healthy atmosphere in your team that is charged to achieve success? Let us figure out in steps how to achieve mental health strategies.
Step 1: Assess The Current State
Increasingly, do you notice unusual employee behavior? Does it seem that the person is "as if replaced"? Or do you have a constant staff turnover? Perhaps the whole reason is in an unhealthy work environment. Observe the behavior of subordinates. And, if you notice signs of deteriorating mental health, it is time to take the situation seriously.
Step 2: Look At The Number Of Red Flags
It is obvious that, alas, it is impossible to "feel" the psyche. As well as to make independent diagnoses without medical education. But it is still possible to preliminarily assess the state of a person if you carefully observe their appearance and behavior.
Here are the “symptoms” that clearly signal that something is wrong:
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growing irritability - a person starts arguing more often;
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carelessness - in tasks that were previously performed without problems, now there are many errors and inaccuracies;
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increased sensitivity to criticism - any "second opinion" is perceived with hostility, even if it was expressed as correctly as possible;
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isolating oneself from the team - a person who used to love to communicate and participate in the social life of the company now avoids everyone;
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being late or, conversely, working late can be caused by personal problems of the employee. Or it may be a person's attempt to "hide" from the surrounding work environment;
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rapid fatigability and frequent illness - usually indicate either a person's unwillingness to be in this job (if sick leave is taken for no reason), or poor health (which could have fallen as a result of work stresses).
Step 3: Create An Action Plan With Clear Goals And Results
Have you decided to act? Here are some options to start with.
Recognize employee achievements
Recognition of success, like quick feedback, is a great incentive for further progress. If employees do not get it on a regular basis, they lose enthusiasm and feel less valuable.
When there is something to praise for, praise. You can talk about all the good things inside your department as well as about all the bad things, but do the latter as correctly as possible and only behind closed doors.
Maintain work-life balance
As a business founder, you are most likely passionate about what you are doing and do not consider overtime or tight deadlines to be catastrophic. Other people can, but should not, experience the same. Your task is to control so that there are as few burning tasks and unforeseen deadlines as possible. And, if they did happen, any overwork (as well as end-to-end work) should be fairly compensated.
Distribute tasks among employees competently
Even within the framework of one specialty, it is impossible to be equally good at everything. Each person does certain things better than others. The best solution is to be aware of this in advance and recruit a team with balanced strengths and weaknesses and assign tasks accordingly.
In addition, from time to time, department heads should honestly discuss with their team what tasks they like, in which area each employee would like to continue to develop and which one would like to learn from scratch.
Make your workplace as comfortable as possible
Lack of lighting, uncomfortable furniture, stuffiness, and noise have not made anyone either healthier or more productive.
Take care of your employees
This may seem like an overly expensive idea, but in reality, it is not - wellbeing programs organized for subordinates increase productivity and help avoid financial losses. This is not speculation - a report from the World Health Organization states that every $1 invested in employee wellness is returned to companies in the form of $4 and increased productivity in all types of manufacturing.
Step 4: Monitor The Results
It is not enough to simply “do something there”, it is important to monitor the effectiveness of each method, and, most importantly, to show personal interest. The importance of mental health is undeniable, but at the same time, many people are still shy about talking openly about mental issues. Only by seeing the sincere participation of their leader, your subordinates will be imbued with trust and begin to take an active part in initiatives.
It is best to monitor the results of innovations directly. Get in the habit of conducting regular surveys of employees (preferably anonymous) about whether they like their work, bonus activities, and current tasks. Ask what can be improved and what is worth giving up. In fact, almost any question will do - the main thing is to really be interested in your opinion and take it into account in your further decisions.
Another good way is to arrange regular meetings with a psychologist who will immediately notice the signs of professional burnout and will be able to track the effectiveness of the measures taken.
Conclusion
Introducing something new is never easy. This requires not only a financial investment but also the use of all possible wisdom of the leader. The main thing is not to change course if something goes wrong. After all, only those who do nothing are not mistaken.
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