In this digital landscape, every workplace is fast-paced, because every organization is trying to be the best in their respective industries. This requires hard work, innovation, great decision-making, and most importantly fast decision-making. In today’s world, time is precious and sometimes that can cost us our mental health too.
However, this is not something that gets talked about in every organization, even though mental health and the mental well-being of employees are essential factors for an organization's success. If you are leading a team, looking after the mental health of your team members is not just good for their productivity, it is also your responsibility. So let’s figure out what the best activities for the team are to promote mental well-being at work:
1. Outdoor Meetings
An average office worker spends around 6 hours and 58 minutes in front of a screen. Not only this is bad for their backs, and eyesight, but can also worsen. This involves team meetings as they also happen indoors, probably when it is time to give a presentation. What you can do is arrange outdoor meetings. Invite your entire team to a nearby park or a cozy cafe and have a meeting there. This way you can get your team to get close to nature, and boost their serotonin which can alarmingly increase your team members’ happiness and decrease their mental stress. Even if you cannot make the meeting happen in the literal nature, just the outing from the usual office space can do wonders.
2. Volunteering as a Team
Organizations that understand the importance of the mental well-being of their employees always include activities where the entire team can volunteer. This affects professionals. As they participate in initiatives that are focused on giving, it increases their level of satisfaction. While the reward section gets activated in the brain, employees see a decrease in their mental stress, anxiety, and depression. At the end of the day, these activities are centered on being nice to each other, and the entire organization needs to stay that way.
3. Massage Day
Massages are one of the best ways a person can relax. It has many other benefits like reducing mental stress, lowering heart rate, and releasing endorphins by promoting relaxation. At the same time, having a good massage affects lowering cortisol, the stress hormone, and the number one enemy of our mental health. This is why organizations who want to promote mental well-being among employees should enforce getting massages as a coping mechanism whenever the employees struggling. You can purchase massage chairs and tell the team members to take breaks regularly to enjoy them. You can also hire massage therapists for people who really are stressed and need some relaxation.
4. Prioritizing Physical Fitness
As mentioned earlier, a person spends maximum of their time in the office sitting in a chair in front of a screen. This not only causes trouble to their mental health, but also their physical health. This is why corporations always encourage their employees to stay physically active and they can do this in a fun way by introducing some challenges. You can challenge your team members to complete as many steps by walking or miles by cycling. As a reward, you can also include a bonus or a gift at the end of every challenge, pushing the physical boundaries of your employees. Additionally, you can include a 30-minute class for yoga, or deep breathing, and hire a professional for stretching. These will energize their bodies and help them to concentrate better.
According to research, around 15% of working professionals live with mental stress and diagnosed disorders. As an organization, it is your responsibility to look after your employees, including their mental health.
