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Mental Fitness for the Small Business
Mental health issues affect us all. How we manage our daily stresses and anxieties have an impact on our relationships, how we perform in our job and the workplace environment, and our outlook on life. Becoming self-aware of what affects us, managing how we respond to triggers and using tools to help us work through them, are all part of our journey towards MENTAL FITNESS, which is how we should be positively defining it.
Considering that people spend roughly a third of their life in the workplace, businesses also have a duty of care for the mental health and emotional wellbeing of their staff to ensure productivity, successful recruitment, and the retention of talent. The success of your business starts with the health and wellbeing of your employees and will ultimately, indirectly, benefit the economy of Gibraltar.
Some of Gibraltar’s larger corporations are already culturally attuned to this way of thinking where their HR teams include a welfare officer or ‘people engagement’ person to provide support and access to mental health services. Their focus is recognising that staff feel satisfied, engaged, and able to cope with the demands and challenges of work. As employers, they play a crucial role promoting mental wellbeing by creating supportive and inclusive work cultures, offering resources for stress management, encouraging work-life balance, and addressing issues like burnout.
Small businesses should not be exempt from this. It is understandable that employee absenteeism, for mental health care, can have a huge impact on business. Positively, a smaller and more intimate work environment facilitates for support your business and employees need…
So how can a small business manage this? How do you create a culture that prioritises the mental fitness of your employees? What services and local schemes exist in Gibraltar to support you?
Here are some useful tips to help your business’ mental fitness strategy flourish:
- Flexible work arrangements: where possible, allow flexible schedules or remote work options to help employees manage their work-life balance, reducing stress
- Regular check-ins: hold regular one-on-one check-ins with employees to discuss their workload, challenges and provide a supportive environment
- Open communication channels: create an environment where employees feel comfortable discussing their mental health concerns and help them seek help when needed. GibSams have created a ‘Talking Toolkit’, which guides you how to have difficult conversations and importantly, how to listen
- Peer support: where possible, establish a peer-to-peer support network or buddy system to help employees connect and share their experiences
- Mental health time and/or days: allowing employees to take occasional mental health breaks or days off without stigma can help prevent burnout
- Mindfulness and meditation spaces: if you can, designate a quiet space for mindfulness and meditation to provide employees with a space to recharge
- Offer access to confidential counselling and support services: allow space and time for staff to engage with the GHA services or provide access via Gibraltar’s private healthcare sector, e.g., a public authority uses ‘Liberty Counselling Services’. For a more clinical approach, ‘Occupational Health Services Gibraltar’ enhances the productivity of your company and wellbeing of employees with health and safety measures
- Encourage the use of ‘wellness’ Apps: Mobile apps that provide mindfulness exercises, meditation sessions, stress management techniques and relaxation techniques can help employees manage their mental health, e.g., ‘Headspace’
- Mental health resources: providing access on and offline to resources like articles, videos and books on mental health topics can educate employees and help them take proactive steps, e.g. ‘The Holistic Psychologist’ account (on Instagram) provides invaluable information, helping increase self-awareness
- Mental health workshops and training: if possible, or by joining up with other businesses, organise/attend for training of staff &/or workshops on stress reduction, resilience building and mental health awareness; these will equip employees with coping strategies. E.g., Anne Marie Morello (found online), can both train your staff &/or provide these workshops.
- Stress-reduction activities: organising activities like yoga sessions, mindfulness, breathwork or team-building events can contribute to a positive work environment. E.g., Gibraltar’s ‘Integral Yoga Centre’ has many practitioners who can help
- Employee feedback: regularly seek employee feedback to help your business understand the specific needs related to mental health and what services can work/have worked best
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