Brain Awareness Week

Brain Awareness Week: 4 tips for companies

Brain Awareness Week is an annual campaign that aims to raise public awareness about the importance of brain research and physical and mental health. One of the key areas of focus during Brain Awareness Week is mental health and well-being at work. At ifeel, we believe companies play a critical role in fostering and improving employees’ well-being inside and outside the work environment. 

Brain Awareness Week: mental health

Companies are increasingly tackling psychological issues such as mental health. However, there is still a stigma around this topic which needs to be addressed by companies, and they should foster for promoting strategies for maintaining and improving mental health in the workplace. Many employees suffer from mental health-related issues such as stress, anxiety, and depression. These disorders can significantly impact a person’s quality of life, including their ability to function in the workplace. 

Brain Awareness Week

Consequences of mental health issues

The European Brain Council states:” Understanding the brain is not just to tackle a “burden”. It is also to allow people to thrive; to live healthily, to power our economies and to build for future generations. Investing in the brain and brain research is critical”. Investing in mental health care should be companies number one priority. A healthy workforce brings many advantages to employees and the company itself and tackles many issues that companies face nowadays. These are some common issues in the workplace:

1. Productivity

Employees who have poor mental health are unable to perform optimally at work. This includes a lack of motivation, a struggle with concentration, and an inability to forge healthy relationships with their colleagues. Issues that affect their well-being will inevitably affect their work and ultimately condition the company’s overall performance. 

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2. Absenteeism

Reducing absenteeism is a crucial component of any company’s global strategy. The goal is to minimize instances where employees fail to show up for work due to mental health reasons. The best way to address employee well-being before an issue emerges is by taking a preventative approach. However, if the problem is already occurring, HR managers must be well-equipped with appropriate tools to tackle the problem. 

3. Employee turnover 

Staff turnover is the ratio of employees joining the company to the number of employees leaving it. A high employee turnover rate clearly indicates that the company is not taking the necessary measures to prevent talent loss. In contrast, a low rate typically suggests that the company successfully attracts and retains employees.

Employees look beyond a good salary when staying in a job. They need more benefits that help them have stable mental health inside and outside work. 

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Companies’ role

Overall, Brain Awareness Week provides a significant opportunity to address how mental health issues affect employees in the long term. There are many strategies companies can implement to help employees who struggle with mental health issues. 

1. Work environment and healthy office habits 

When striving to cultivate a positive workplace environment, it’s essential to consider various factors. The nature of a company’s working environment is shaped by the individuals who comprise it, their responsibilities, the physical workspace, the leadership approach, and other external elements.

Encouraging healthy office habits can bring about several benefits. Firstly, since most of our day is spent in the office, taking care of our health at work is essential to ensure overall well-being. This includes eating well, taking proper breaks, and socializing with colleagues. Healthy habits can lead to increased productivity as healthy employees tend to perform better both physically and mentally, resulting in a more efficient and effective workforce.

2. Encourage work-life balance

To create a culture that fosters mental well-being, it’s crucial to ensure that employees have a healthy balance between their personal and professional lives. This can be achieved by offering flexible working hours, enabling employees to attend to their responsibilities while meeting their work obligations. 

Since different employees have varying needs, HR managers must consider individual circumstances when implementing this approach. For instance, an employee may have a sick family member or require frequent visits to the doctor, or they may need to leave early to pick up their children from school. Recognizing that employees have lives beyond the workplace is critical to implementing a successful well-being strategy.

3. Implement a well-being program 

A well-being program is a valuable tool that aligns with long-standing data indicating that prioritizing the psychological well-being of employees can enhance their overall performance. Implementing these programs can help companies meet legal requirements related to identifying and preventing psychosocial risk factors affecting team members. 

Organizations can tailor their well-being program to suit their employees’ needs and characteristics best. This involves utilizing tools and workshops to assess the work environment, identify and evaluate psychosocial risks, and gauge work motivation. Regular evaluation and adaptability are crucial to ensure the program remains effective throughout the company’s life cycle.

Brain Awareness Week

Fostering emotional well-being in organizations

Brain Awareness Week is a valuable platform to raise awareness for issues related to mental health. However, it is important to understand that the problems related to mental health that can be prevented in the first place should be addressed as early as possible with the help of professionals. Prevention is key, and tackling an issue before it has appeared and affected an individual is easier. 

At ifeel, we strive to ensure that you and your colleagues can benefit from our global emotional well-being program for companies, designed by our team of psychologists, experts in well-being at work. This collaboration allows managers in the People, Talent, and Human Resources area to receive personalized, data-based advice on the best care for the psychological well-being of the teams under their charge. 

Do you belong to your organization’s Human Resources department? Try our program now to see how it could help you.

In addition, our program offers all employees a complete mental health care service that includes emotional support and online therapy with one of our professionals. 

Moreover, in our Resources section, you can find different materials, such as Podcasts, HR Guides on various topics (e.g., employee experience or how to design a good HR strategy), or Interviews with leading HR managers. In addition, we have a Psychosocial Risk Factors Template, which you can use to comply with the requirements of the Labor Inspection.

We hope you found this post on Brain Awareness Week interesting. If you would like more information about our emotional well-being program for companies, all you have to do is request it, and we will contact your team as soon as possible.

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