Staff minds matter

Bosses are sweetening the deal for their best performers. Photo / Thinkstock

Employers are being told they must watch out for the mental well-being of their staff, as well as the physical.

Judi Clements, chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation, said a recent survey found that only 40 per cent of people were happy in their jobs. "Forty-five per cent were planning to look for another within the next year and only 33 per cent would recommend their employer."

She said unhappy people in a workplace could make a big difference to productivity.

"The possible impacts are a higher rate of staff turnover, higher rates of sick leave, increases in workplace injuries and accidents, increased expenses for counselling [in workplaces that have an employee-assistance programme] and less open communication between staff."

Clements said employers should set up a culture where people treated each other with respect and kindness and staff felt able to ask for help. "People don't leave their families and relationships behind when they come to work. Giving people permission to live a balanced life will ultimately result in greater productivity."

Dan Tohill's company, Inspire Group, is a finalist in the small-business category in this year's JRA Best Workplaces Awards, a survey which uses confidential feedback from employees to rate employers.

Tohill said it was the fifth time his business had been a finalist. "We focus on our people. We are clear about what we expect and provide a pretty cool environment."

He said there was flexibility for staff and lots of parties and social events. "We try to look out for people."

It was a win-win for employers when staff were happy. Because the company was a small business, he said it was important that the leadership team felt empowered to spread the workload among key people.

Clements said managers should spend time with staff so they understood what support each individual needed to flourish. "Through engaging with their staff, managers will be able to keep their team up to date with any relevant organisational issues and offer practical support, including flexible work hours, extra training and encourage staff to use support systems."

Employees in turn had an obligation to work with others to resolve ongoing issues, to set goals and make a commitment to them, to maintain a balance between personal needs, work and family obligations and to communicate openly with management about any concerns they had, she said.

"It's about developing strategies to effectively create and maintain a mentally healthy and more productive workplace, how to recognise stressors and find ways of coping with them, and a variety of ways employers can discuss mental-health issues."

Tohill said there was not enough focus on workers' mental well-being in most workplaces. But "if someone's head is in the right place, they will achieve".