5. The expanding role of Human Resource Management in well-being of mental health

5.  5. The expanding role of Human Resource Management in well-being of mental         health

 

The link between work productivity and mental health is indisputable. Mental health is defined as a state of prosperity in which an individual is aware of his or her capabilities, can endure the stresses of day-to-day life, can work efficiently and fruitfully and is capable of making positive impact on his or her community. (World Health Organization, 2004) According to WHO, a supportive work environment can boost the well-being, while poor working conditions can harm it. HR can play a vital role in addressing mental health risks and creating an environment where mental health is a key concern. This will help not only for human well-being, but also for job satisfaction, retention and high productivity.

So what are the key areas that HR needs to focus in promoting mental health?

1.   1. Fostering a supportive work environment:

Having a healthy working environment where employees feel valued and supportive is a key protective factor for mental health. This involves destigmatizing mental health issues and open communication. (Mhlongo, N.Z. et al, 2024). This can be done by,

• Developing mental health friendly policies
• Encouraging work life balance
• Providing facilities like Employee Assistance Programs for those who are suffering with  mental health issues.

2.   2. Addressing mental health risks in the workplace:

Mental health risks include poor working conditions, discrimination and lack of autonomy. These challenges need to address by HR through,

• ·     Improving working conditions by identifying areas where employees feel unsupported, over-worked or vulnerable.
• ·     Promoting autonomy and creating opportunities for career development.
• ·     Having more transparent promotion processes.

3.   3. Organizing mental health support programs:

Organizations need to have specialized programs catering to mental health needs as a proactive strategy to tackle with these issues.

• ·     EAP programs : EAP programs provide a confidential platform for employees to seek counselling and guidance when confronting mental health issue (McLellan et al., 2018). HR involvement in facilitating these programs is vital because this can be a lifeline for employee dealing with complex mental health issues (McLellan et al., 2018).

• ·     Establishing partnerships with healthcare providers to integrate mental health services into the organization's comprehensive health benefits package which will provide employees various mental health resources, such as counseling, therapy, and psychiatric services (Mattac. C, 2023).

4    4. Supporting workers to participate and thrive:

By providing facilities like flexible working hours, access to free spaces for breaks etc. and conducting regular surveys to ensure that mental health support is embedded in regular operations, HR can provide right support for employee well-being.

5.   5. Providing training sessions to managers to identify and address mental health issues:

Since the managers are the first line of contact on employee issues, managers need to have a proper understanding on mental health issues and its signs and need to encourage them to have good relationship with employees on their workloads, personal matters. So, HR needs to provide proper guidelines regarding proactive management.

6.   6. Breaking stigma and building a legacy:

As per WHO, stigma is one of the biggest barriers to address mental health issues where employees prevent from be open about their mental issues. So, HR needs to take initiatives to break the stigma through normalizing communication on mental health and policies.

So this way human resource management has a great responsibility in ensuring the mental health well-being within the organization same as physical health concerns.\

References:

1.   1. Mhlongo, N.Z, Elufioye, O.A, Asuzu, O.F, Ndubuisi, O.L, Olatoye, F. O, and Nifise, A. (2024), THE ROLE OF HR IN PROMOTING MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING IN HEALTHCARE SETTINGS: A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW, International Journal of Management & Entrepreneurship Research, 6(2), pp 380-391 [Online]. Available at https://www.researchgate.net/. Accessed on 05^th November, 2024.

2.   2. Mataac, C, (2023), The Role of HR in Promoting Employee Health, Well-being, and Workplace Culture [Online] Available at https://www.researchgate.net/. Accessed on 05^th November, 2024.

3.    McLellan, R.K. , Mackenzie, R.S, & Walker S.S (2018) Employee assistance programs and   workplace counseling: Exploring employees’ experiences. Human Resource Development Quarterly,   29(1).