Healing The Workplace After Taking A Leave Of Absence For Addiction Treatment

Workers of every kind of profession are exhausted, suffering from burnout, stress, and loneliness. Chances are high that at bare minimum, one person in your company is also struggling, whether from addiction, alcoholism, or mental health. If you, as an employer or high level executive, or other employee, felt suppressed in your ability to openly discuss your struggles, someone else is certainly feeling the same. The answer is simple: create a company culture that promotes mental health. You want to make sure that your workplace is not one more place of stress, or the ultimate place of stress, for your employees. There are a few ways to promote better mental health as part of company culture.

Open the floor for honest communication

Not everyone will want to openly discuss their feelings or life experiences at work. You don’t have to set up weekly group therapy by any means. You can however, let your employees know that the workplace is a safe place. You, your fellow executives, other employees, and your human resources department are safe places to discuss difficulties. Feeling misunderstood or unable to be understood is a major source of stress for all people. Honest communication which is met with empathy and compassion can be a game changer in the company environment.

Encourage mental health days

An email conversation between an employee and her employer went viral when she asked for a mental health day and was met with a warm, encouraging response from her boss. Mental health days can often be frowned upon as excuses, weakness, or failures. However, they exist for a reason. Mental health days are meant to be days of rest and rejuvenation. Exhausted, burned out employees simply don’t perform the same way. Productivity greatly increases for employees who take time for themselves. Publicly display the company policy for mental health days and periodically remind employees of what time available they have.

Make the workplace more fun

Startup culture gets it right by offering in office perks for having more fun. You may not want to have a kegerator in office, but having an outdoor space, games, and any kind of culture which transcends the cubicle isolation of the common workplace. Have company outings, bring in catering, and have the office kick back together every once in a while.

Support work-life balance

For the companies who can support out of office work, many offices are now supporting remote work. Employees who work mostly on computer based systems or internet based systems don’t really have a need to be in the office at all. Many employees are happy working at home, traveling, and having the freedom to go where they please in order to work.

Support employees chasing their other dreams

Not every employee in every occupation is a lifelong fit. Some employees are meant to be transitional and are chasing other dreams on the side. The best employers encourage a balance between focus on their primary job and their side jobs. When an employee decides to move on to another pursuit, they should be met with congratulations and encouragement.

Let the O’Connor Professional Group take the guesswork out of putting a treatment plan together. Our combined personal and professional experience empowers us to empower you with a private consultation and customized plan of action for getting the help you need. Call us today for information: 617 910-3940