How are you feeling? If you answer that question with – ‘I’m fine’ or ‘I’m okay’, are you really? And when was the last time you checked in with a friend or colleague?

If it was a while ago, it may be worth sending a quick message to check in with them.

1 in 6 people suffer with poor mental health at work, so a simple note or call could make their day. Today is Time to Talk Day, so why not set aside 10 minutes to reach out?

Mental health in a post pandemic environment

84% of workers state that hybrid working is their preferred method of working, since the pandemic.

The benefits include greater flexibility, more autonomy, cost saving from less commuting, as well as others.

But for other members of the workforce, feelings of isolation and loneliness have increased due to working from home. 67% of workers between 18 and 34 report feeling lonely working under the new hybrid model. This is especially true for the newer generation of workers. Many haven’t had time to develop meaningful connections with their colleagues and, with a reduction in the number of face-to-face company events, they've had limited opportunities to do so too.

Alongside a cost of living crisis, soaring energy prices, the increasing need to take care of our aging population, as well as the impact of other complex healthcare needs as a result of the pandemic, mental health has taken a huge hit. So how can we support our colleagues through these times?

Recognising the signs that people are struggling is the first step. These can include: not participating in meetings, acting defensively, being late, finding reasons to have conflict with people, and not switching on their camera on calls.

Fragmentation of our workplaces

We are social creatures. We thrive in environments where we cooperate and build connections, and hybrid working has made this harder to achieve.

Fewer opportunities for face-to-face interactions mean our chances of holding meaningful connections with colleagues decreases.

In a recent study by Gartner, employees who feel fragmented are:

• 57% less likely to be a high performer

• 83% less likely to be on a highly collaborative team

• 68% less likely to stay at an organisation

When you take into account the increased sickness absences, loss of productivity, and increased staff turnover, poor mental health is estimated to cost the UK in the region of £56 billion per year.

We need to create a culture within our organisations that encourages a sense of community and support for all colleagues.

Ways to create a sense of community in the workforce

Promote a culture where people can talk about mental health, and support this with a formal wellbeing policy

Less than 10% of employees feel comfortable talking to their manager about their mental health

In another study, 13% of employees who hadn’t shared their feelings of loneliness with a colleague or manager said they hadn’t because they believed it could damage their career.

A culture where people are encouraged to be open about mental health will have a huge impact on these statistics.

Here are our suggestions on how to achieve this:

• Set up an Employee Assistance Programme, and make sure everybody knows how to access it.

• Implement Mental Health First Aiders who can direct team members to the right help and resources. Launch a campaign around this to make sure everyone’s aware of the support available to them from colleagues who care.

• Don’t forget that leaders need to be encouraged to share their authentic stories too. 32% of senior managers have reported feeling lonely often, and being open about these feelings provides both a sense of psychological safety for their teams, as well as an opportunity to receive support themselves.

Leaders need to provide psychological safety for their teams

Employees need to know they won’t be penalised for speaking up. Leaders who are more empathetic are more likely to have loyal teams who are engaged at work. With high levels of engagement having a direct link to reduced turnover, higher retention rates, fewer absences, and increased productivity, it’s essential that leaders understand what psychological safety is, know what their role is in creating it, and that they’re well-equipped to support their teams.

Create speaking opportunities

With hybrid working making it much harder to catch your colleagues on a coffee or lunch break, it’s important to set up opportunities for team members to speak to each other.

Through 121s, scheduling voluntary coffee meets, or starting each meeting with a 10-minute catch up with your colleagues, offering people a chance to discuss what’s going on in their lives will help build that sense of community.

Organise spaces where team members can physically meet

A study by RedCross found that while face-to-face contact with colleagues is not enough to prevent loneliness on its own, it does have significant impact; 84% of onsite workers agree they feel close to their colleagues, versus only 44% of remote workers.

Set up spaces for employees to connect with each other, no matter where they are. Start a forum for employees that live close to each other – even if they work remotely – and promote local cafes, libraries, or, if budget allows, hire a co-working space for them to meet up and work together.

Hold celebratory seasonal events where everyone, organisation-wide, is invited to come and celebrate the achievements of each other. They’ll have the opportunity to learn more about each other and start to build those meaningful connections.

If someone seems ‘off’, ask and ask again

Most of us will have experienced this situation; someone asks us if we’re okay, and we say, ‘yes, fine,’ and we go on hiding how we actually feel in an attempt to save face.

Being afraid of how you’ll be perceived by others once you admit what’s troubling you blocks many of us from being honest. It’s saddening that 78% of people in the UK admit to saying they’re fine when they’re struggling with mental health problems.

That’s why we think it’s important to follow Roman Kemp’s advice – ask twice.

Asking twice reassures people that you care and want to hear what they have to say.

Supporting your colleagues with their mental health needs is not only the right thing to do for the individual, but also creates a more human organisation, which has huge, positive effects for your business.

Fostering a culture that promotes the discussion of mental health helps employees feel a greater sense of community. They’re 58% more likely to thrive, be 55% more engaged, and 66% more likely to stay in your organisation.

At Enthuse, we place people at the heart of what we do. We want people to enjoy coming into work every day, so we can work with you to audit your culture, help elevate it, and make it stick.

If you need some help to create a greater sense of community in your workforce or change your culture in some other way for the better, get in touch with us on 07812 343310 or email hello@enthuse-comms.co.uk.