Click’s Top 3 Ways To Improve Mental Wellbeing At Work

It’s Mental Health Awareness Week, so we thought we’d offer our thoughts on making sure everyone in your company isn’t suffering from any Mental Health problems because of their job.

It might sound ridiculous but a light breakfast and a morning coffee is a good start!

1.) Talk To People

Well if this isn’t the simplest suggestion ever, I don’t know what is. Nobody likes coming into work on a Monday without so much as a ‘Good Morning’ or ‘Have a nice weekend?’ Be friendly and encourage some conversation. Whilst primarily, you’re at work to do work, that doesn’t mean there isn’t time to talk with your colleagues or employees about more light-hearted matters, it can help to break up tasks and promote a more relaxed mindset.

There’s also the less informal version of talking – performance reviews. Now you may or may not do something like this, but these meetings don’t have to be about looking at stats and figures and targets etc. Use the time to talk to a fellow human being, ask them if they’re happy in their job, is anything preventing them from working properly, what would make them more comfortable? By building this kind of relationship you’re knocking down the wall that makes employees think everyone in management is an android sent from the future to inflict pain and misery.

2.) Optimise Your Working Environment

This one includes a variety of different elements that contribute to happy workers. Essentially, it’s about the comfort you have whilst sat at your desk. Firstly – personalise your desk. A family photo, a little toy mascot, and if you can, a little plant. Do not underestimate this suggestion. They take harmful chemicals out the air, not just carbon dioxide, and increase oxygen levels. This can increase your health, productivity, creativity and add a dash of colour to your desk – just don’t let it die. Try to make your workplace feel like home and have a sense that this is your personal space. This can help you to feel more attached to the environment you’re working in and more stable and therefore relaxed.

Next up – Music. If you play music in your office, then this has been scientifically proven to improve employee attitudes and productivity. If you don’t have a music system, use a radio or put in some headphones.

This last one is crucial for employee comfort – temperature. If you’re always freezing cold, you need to get some heaters in, if you’re always baking hot, get some Air Con or encourage more relaxed clothing. This one can end up costing you some money, but you’d be surprised how much of a negative effect it can have on staff members, especially over Winter if they’re frozen stiff.

3.) Rewards and Appreciation

People go to work for money. That’s simple and to some business owners a harsh truth. But that doesn’t mean they can’t grow to care about the company they work for. If an employee feels appreciated, chances are they’ll want to maintain that feeling by pushing the bar higher and higher. Everyone wants to feel needed.

Incentives or rewards for hard work can be a good way to make staff feel appreciated and keep them motivated. They care about what they do more because it benefits them to care. If a staff member works incredibly hard to impress their boss and receives little or no recognition, eventually they’ll come to work every day, not caring if they completely mess up and that initial effort level will drop. Financial bonuses aren’t even the best option in this situation. If an employee deserves a raise or promotion, then that is up to management to assess. But there are little things you can do to show that you’re grateful for their hard work.

• Go out for a staff meal
• Buy them a small gift or voucher
• Give them an award
• Tell them face to face how great they’re doing

Thanks for reading! Remember – It’s ok to not be ok. If you are struggling with any stress, depression or anxiety because of your job or something else, the first step is acknowledging it and recognising that it’s ok. We’d recommend speaking to your boss openly about anything that is making you particularly unhappy. You can also get advice by visiting the Mental Health Foundation’s website.

For information about how Click Dealer can help independent dealerships to increase efficiency and profitability, get in touch today via 01782 478220, marketing@clickdealer.co.uk or through our contact page.