Mental wellbeing in the workplace
A mentally healthy workplace is not only good for you and your business – it’s also a legal requirement. Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, you must:
- manage health and safety risks associated with stress
- grant sick leave to your employees to look after their mental health.
Build a positive work culture
Things that shape your work culture are:
- how you communicate
- your leadership style
- your approach to work-life balance
- your employee policies.
This can help you safeguard your team and have a positive impact on your business.
Treat your team fairly and with respect
A positive environment is based on trust, respect and civility.
Benefits of a positive work environment are:
- it builds a sense of belonging
- it enhances job satisfaction
- it reduces stress or anxiety.
Always maintain confidentiality in line with your employee’s wishes and any privacy requirements.
Talk with your team about uncertain times
When times are uncertain, talk to your employees about it. For example, if work gets stressful, get everyone involved in finding the best way to get the work done while relieving the pressure too.
Transcript
Video transcript: Mental wellbeing in the workplace
[Audio/ Visual: Gentle music starts playing with blue introduction screen with white business.govt.nz logo in the centre of the screen. The word “presents” in smaller, thinner lettering is beneath the logo. These words disappear and are replaced with white text “Mental Wellbeing in the Workplace”. This disappears. Music continues to play throughout the entire video.]
[Visual: The screen changes to a shot of the presenter, seated in a lounge. In the bottom right is the business.govt.nz logo which remains there until the end of the video.]
Taking care of your employees’ wellbeing is not only the right thing to do, but can also have a positive impact on the success of your business. Looking after your team's mental health is a win-win, you continue to grow your brand while also promoting a healthy and safe work environment. In this video, we'll cover how the wellbeing of your team can affect productivity, what a healthy work environment looks like, as well as a free tool to help you prioritise wellbeing in your workplace.
First, let's talk about the link between wellbeing and productivity.
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Businesses that support wellbeing in their workforce generally have a happier and more positive team of people. They experience lower absenteeism, fewer workplace injuries, and record higher productivity and customer satisfaction.
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The opposite is also true.
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If members of your team are going through a difficult time and it's affecting them mentally, they are less likely to work efficiently, don't collaborate as well with colleagues and may use their sick leave to deal with feeling burnt out and stressed.
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This makes sense.
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If you and your team are feeling good and functioning well. You're more likely to cope better with any challenges that pop up at work, interact with each other positively, and reach your goals.
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As an employer, you must look after your people as part of your health and safety obligations. This includes managing workloads and stress levels, and setting realistic clear expectations of your team.
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Remember, this doesn't mean that you are responsible for making sure everyone is happy. But it does mean you should cultivate a mentally healthy work environment. So, what makes a work environment a healthy one?
[Visual: As the presenter speaks, white text appears on the left side of screen with the words “Healthy work environment. Below this text, the word “Inclusive” appears. This is replaced by the words “Lead by example”. These are replaced by the words “Trust and respect”. These are replaced by the word “Balance”. This is replaced by the word “Check-in”. This is replaced by the words “Positive environment”.]
There are a few factors, including being inclusive and having zero tolerance to discrimination, leading by example, having a culture of trust and respect, promoting a healthy work life balance, regular individual check-ins, and promoting a positive work environment.
[Visual: The screen changes to show two people in an office, sitting side by side at a table and having a conversation in front of a laptop. The screen changes again to show two people sitting in front of each other in a lounge, having a conversation.]
To promote a positive work environment, you need to ensure zero tolerance to any form of bullying or discrimination. You must take immediate action if any concerns are raised with you, no matter who it involves.
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It helps if you have an anti-discrimination, anti-bullying workplace policy in place. You can create a supportive positive workplace by leading by example. This means building trust and collaboration into your teamwork culture by being honest, transparent, and supporting your people. Regular check-ins with team members is an important part of this.
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Switching off from work can be tough, but striking a work-life balance is important for you and your team. Experts suggest a routine to start and end your workday with some timeout, so your brain can take a break from thinking about work. So, try to make time to recharge your batteries and encourage your employees to do the same.
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It's important to ensure that mental health is treated the same as physical health. This means allowing sick leave for mental wellbeing as well as for physical injuries or illness.
[Visual: The words “business.govt.nz/wellbeing” appear in white in the bottom left corner of the screen.]
If you want to learn more ways to promote mental wellbeing in your business, head to the link on the screen. To help you build and maintain a positive and healthy workplace, why not try our Workplace Policy Builder?
[Visual: The screen changes to show a screencast of the Workplace Policy Builder, showing some of its functions and zooming in to the ‘More information’ section.]
It will guide you through each step to creating your own wellbeing policy, plus tips to help you decide what to put in and what to leave out.
[Visual: The screen changes to show a person holding a tablet where text scrolls, showing information about health and wellbeing policies and mental wellbeing.]
Having a workplace wellbeing policy in place will show your commitment to the health and wellbeing of your team.
[Visual: The screen changes to show the presenter again. The words “wpb.business.govt.nz” appear in white in the bottom left corner of the screen.]
To use it visit wpb.business.govt.nz and click “Health and wellbeing policy”.
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Remember, a thriving team starts with a healthy mindset. Embracing wellbeing might just be the key to your business's success.
[Visual: In the top left corner of the screen, the words “Up next” appear in white. Below them, the words “Preventing burn out” are also in white. Below the text, there’s a video preview showing a sped-up video of people commuting at a train station. The video preview changes to show a close-up of a person looking worried and concerned.]
In our other wellbeing video, we talk about burnout, its effects and how to avoid it to keep yourself and your employees healthy and happy.
[Visual: The words “business.govt.nz/burnout” appear in white in the bottom left corner of the screen.]
To watch, visit business.govt.nz/burnout.
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[Visual: Blue outro screen appears with the business.govt.nz logo in the centre of the screen. This logo disappears and the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment logo appears on the left side, and the Te Kāwanatanga o Aotearoa, New Zealand Government logo appears on the right side.]
[Video ends]
Hallmarks of a healthy workplace
There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to supporting mentally healthy work for businesses. Here are some characteristics of businesses that do – see if you can include some of these in yours:
- A workplace wellbeing policy – this sets the tone for your business and shows your team you take their mental health seriously.
- No discrimination – treat mental health issues the same as physical ones.
- No bullying – take immediate action if someone reports bullying.
- Leaders model respect – follow through on what you say, and immediately address rude or unacceptable behaviour.
- Actively manage workloads – prioritise tasks, provide clear instructions, and address uncertainty honestly.
- Encourage positive ways of working – like teamwork or open communication. Promote activities and exercises supporting these.
- Strength-based support for employees – recognise what employees can do in their work to build on their strengths.
- Acknowledge emotions in the workplace – be aware of how people are feeling and respond with empathy and support.
The Mental Health Foundation and WorkSafe have resources to help you create and sustain a culture that supports the wellbeing of your people.
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