Why Mental Health Benefits are Essential for Employers Combatting Burnout

Issues of work life balance have been around for awhile now. The Pandemic, however, emphasized and brought many of these issues into view for employees and employers in a way that changed the work landscape and it hasn’t quite settled yet. Employers are more aware than usual that preventing employee burnout is a vital investment for their business. Burnout, characterized by exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced professional efficiency and productivity, not only impacts the individual and their professional satisfaction but also the employer’s productivity and ultimate success. In the current landscape of competition, rapid technological change, and people not being afraid to change jobs for better opportunity and pay, businesses have many reasons and ample research to know prioritizing their employee’s mental health is part of a success strategy. At its core, burnout is a manifestation of chronic stress. According to the World Health Organization, burnout is now recognized as an “occupational phenomenon” resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been managed or addressed successfully. Left unaddressed, burnout can create anxiety and depression for the individual and loss of productivity and lost profit for the employer. This blog will explore the details of why it makes sense to provide mental health benefits for employees as part of successful business strategy.

Interconnected Benefits of Providing Mental Health Support

• Upholding employee health and work-life balance - Employers implementing strategies to prevent burnout signals company commitment to the welfare of their workforce. This environment will foster a culture of care and support which directly impacts employees who can seek support for life’s challenges in an appropriate environment that does not impact work hours. See the interconnectedness here; employees have support and employers create a healthy work environment and preserve productivity. Employees can get early intervention to burnout and prevent things like depression and anxiety from developing.
• Sustaining Organizational Performance - Burnout diminishes productivity, creativity, engagement, problem solving, and team work. Exhausted and disengaged employees are less likely to contribute innovative ideas. This is not just a matter of altruism, but a matter that directly affects the bottom line of any business. If businesses want to remain competitive and retain their talent, they have to begin to move into collaborative efforts to make the workplace supportive and provide the benefits to back up that mission of support.
• Mitigating Turnover and Retention Challenges – Probably one of the most expensive endeavors for business is hiring and retaining talent. The cost of recruitment, training, disrupted work flow, and loss of institutional knowledge is clearly evidence for preventing turnover. Organizations need to foster continuity, stability and cohesion in their workforce for success. Offering mental health benefits gives the employees a place to process emotions and events without it interfering with their work life. And contrary to old myths, people are so relieved to have a place to go for support, many times having the benefit alone is a comfort. In addition, having a workplace that supports people pursuing appropriate support for their issues, normalizes the process and creates the balance we need to be healthy and productive.
• Fostering a Culture of Engagement and Commitment – The essential pillars of organizational success are employee engagement and commitment. They drive customer satisfaction and sale of service and goods and innovation. Providing mental health support will be a clear directive to employees that they are valued fostering loyalty and dedication. In an environment of support, employees have higher levels of engagement.
• Enhancing Brand and Reputation – When Google first started office/culture development, they offered many benefits for their employees. During this time, Google became a highly sought after work environment and the business benefitted from this reputation. Obviously, people will be attracted to work environments that are progressive offering flexibility and benefits to support the work life balance. Google had the competitive edge attracting talent for some time before other employers began to catch on. But they also had really enhanced their brand because they had positioned themselves as an employer of choice within their industry. Everyone became familiar with the brand Google and this brand recognition impacted sales and profitability. Guess what? Doing the right thing promoted the bottom line!
• Compensation and Benefits – Compensation goes beyond the paycheck today. Due to the current healthcare system, employees and potential talent are looking for comprehensive benefits programs that cover their healthcare needs. These benefits, along with wellness programs and flexible work schedules are part of the workforce expectations business has to remain current with. Comprehensive healthcare plans will be in alignment with changing and increasing workforce expectations.
• Remote Work Challenges – The rise of remote work brings both opportunities and challenges for employers. Maintaining team cohesion, communication, and collaborative efforts between employees is different when you are not working in the same office together. Policies and practices that effectively support and engage remote employees are paramount to making this viable for both the employee and employer. Mental health benefits can provide a place for learning boundaries, guidelines, and realistic expectations for remaining productive in the home environment. Mental health benefits can also provide consultation regarding how to navigate this new relationship between employees and employers.
• Succession Planning – Engagement, commitment, and experience are all important qualities for promoting people to manage new responsibilities. Every business needs employees with the experience and loyalty to promote into new roles. If you have high turnover rates, your choices for succession planning will be limited and you won’t get ahead without talent in your leadership roles.

A Strategic Investment

The term “soft science” is now officially redefined. Preventing burnout with mental health benefits is a strategic investment that yields dividends in terms of organizational performance, employee retention, engagement, and brand reputation. This is not some fluff! Real benefits with real consequences and results speaks for the value of providing mental health benefits for all. This strategy lays a long-term foundation for resilience, problem solving and recovery in the work environment in an ever-evolving landscape of competition and rapid change.