Understanding Safety’s Relationship to Mental Health and Wellness
The idea of radically separating our personal lives from our work lives might make for entertaining television—after all, a streaming series on this topic has gained popularity and won awards. But regardless of this sci-fi concept, in the real world, we all recognize that our home and work lives are inextricably connected. And who would want it any other way?
We applaud the idea of highlighting Wellbeing as a theme of National Safety Month this year. Research has drawn clear connections between mental wellbeing and safety, and we’ve certainly witnessed, anecdotally, the positive impact health and wellness have on every aspect of workplace performance and satisfaction, particularly on safety.
At UG2, we embrace the whole person at work. It’s what makes our company excel at attracting and retaining the very best talent. And it’s part of what makes us a preferred employer, where employees often opt in for the long term.
Making Space for Mental Health and Wellness at Work
Along with offering outside resources to employees looking for support, UG2 strives to create a culture that prioritizes wellbeing and promotes understanding of mental health and wellness. We do so by introducing employees to wellness practices like mindfulness, yoga, and gratitude practices, and by promoting a relationship-based workplace that emphasizes mutual care and respect.
We understand that prioritizing self-care is critical in an environment where commitment to our teammates and customers can put us at risk of ignoring our own needs. For that reason, we train managers and supervisors to incorporate regular check-ins along with informal opportunities to connect and communicate. Knowing that it is essential that we treat wellness as a topic that is never taboo goes a long way, we take care to acknowledge the importance of mental health and wellbeing in conversations about workplace safety.
Digging into the Data
Research confirms that stress has a significant impact on decision making, and the CDC reports that stress and poor mental health can impact employees across many aspects of their work: job performance and productivity, engagement with tasks, communication with coworkers, physical capability, and daily functioning.
We believe it’s the employers’ and supervisors’ responsibility to deliver resources, solutions, and activities designed to improve mental health and wellbeing, and OSHA agrees. Effective programs are a win-win, as data shows that for every $1 spent on common mental health concerns, employers see a $4 return in productivity gains.
Safety & Health Magazine recommends that employers begin by educating themselves on workplace mental health and building awareness around mental health issues and the importance of self-care. Experts add that senior leadership must continuously foster a company culture that values mental health, beginning with senior leadership.
These insights validate UG2’s longstanding focus on our employees’ wellbeing. We are proud to be part of a company that embraces the whole person, and as we move forward in developing the next generation of talent, we are also committed to integrating an understanding of mental health and wellness into our practices, benefits, programs and policy development.