Infographic: How Does Your Mental Health Influence Your Work Performance?

Public awareness of the importance of mental health is increasing, as is the moral, social and occupational case for improving it. Yet despite many of us engaging in more frequent and open public discussions on the topic, employers are still experiencing plenty of challenges when it comes to improving and supporting good mental health and wellbeing in the workplace.

With the relationship between work and mental health coming under closer examination in recent years, we are beginning to understand that workplaces possess the ability to either exacerbate underlying mental health issues or aid us in reaching our potential and a state of good mental wellbeing.

What Is Mental Health?

Mental health is defined by the World Health Organisation as a state of mental and psychological wellbeing in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to contribute to his or her community. Mental health can be influenced by a range of socioeconomic, biological and environmental factors.

Mental health issues can be hard to identify, and how those issues affect an individual can also differ greatly. Mental health issues often carry a social stigma, and some may feel reluctant to reveal that they are struggling for fear of compromising their employment or becoming subject to gossip or even ridicule.

This is one of a variety of obstacles that can hinder the process of disclosing mental health issues in the workplace and receiving the necessary support to tackle them.

Mental Health In The Workplace

Dealing with mental health issues can be a constant challenge in all aspects of our everyday lives, including at work. Studies show that poor mental health and wellbeing can have a detrimental influence on our performance at work, affecting motivation, productivity and sometimes contributing to long-term absence from work.

Promoting good mental health and wellbeing in the workplace is vital for employees, their employers, society and the economy. This is down to poor mental health impacting individuals’ overall health, their ability to work productively (if at all), their relationships with others, and the costs related to unemployment, poor workplace productivity and health and social care.

What Can Employers Do?

Addressing mental health issues is key to boosting productivity and overall employee wellbeing. Often the first step to addressing mental health at work is encouraging a working culture of openness, dialogue, and acceptance of difference. When an employee feels they can safely confide in colleagues and managers about their mental state, the sense of security this provides makes it easier to receive support, get back on track and begin reaching full potential again.

The infographic below from findcourses.co.uk offers a statistical overview of the relationship between mental health and the workplace, drawing upon some key studies and reports to help better understand the prevalence of mental health issues at work and in society more widely. It also offers guidance on supporting employees’ mental health at work, including spotting early signs of mental illness and understanding the effects mental health can have on work performance.

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