The impact of emotional wellness on the workforce is significant.
Emotional wellness is the ability to manage stress and adapt to change, and it’s crucial in the workplace because it can impact employee engagement, productivity, and overall job satisfaction.
Employees with poor levels of emotional well-being tend to take more sick days and have higher rates of absenteeism and presenteeism, according to the American Psychological Association.
Being in a positive state of emotional well-being enables us to face challenging situations with a hopeful and proactive problem-solving attitude. On the other hand, when our emotional well-being is compromised, we may find it challenging to handle unexpected events, avoid addressing urgent problems, and make effective decisions.
A workplace where employees have high levels of emotional well-being can foster a positive and inspiring atmosphere, which enables them to tackle challenging problems in a productive manner. Although improving emotional wellness is a personal responsibility, it is a critical commodity, especially when working in high-risk environments that can impact vulnerable populations, such as substance abuse counseling.
Regardless of the type of work being performed, employers and managers can support their staff by finding ways to incorporate the following into their work culture:
- Boost resiliency — Employees with healthy coping skills and those who approach things with a positive mindset bounce back quicker from adverse events.
- Encourage mindfulness — Allow staff to acknowledge their negative emotions and practice positive coping skills to reduce the stress and anxiety they may feel.
- Promote resources — Remind employees about community resources that promote emotional wellness (physical activity, yoga, and meditation groups) and employee assistance programs for their mental health.
- Reinforce healthy support systems — Whether it’s sharing local opportunities to join a book club or activity group, encouraging time off to vacation with family, or starting social groups at work, promoting staff to build healthy support systems is an excellent way to reach emotional wellness.
Small actions to create a culture of emotional wellness can be inexpensive to implement but can make a big difference in lifting morale and creating a productive, engaged workforce.
Pam Sahota, MA, t- CADC, LPC, NCC, is an addictions counselor at Rosecrance, serving the Quad Cities. For more information, email rosecrancenews@rosecrance.org.
