Happy Employees. Productive Employees
What is emotional well-being?

Emotional well being as defined by the Mental Wellbeing Foundation is “A positive sense of wellbeing which enables an individual to be able to function in society and meet the demands of everyday life” Positive mental wellbeing allows people to realize their full potential, cope with the stresses of life, work productively, and make meaningful contributions to their communities.

Simply put, emotional health means that one can bounce back from setbacks and thrive despite problems!

Why does emotional well being matter at workplace?

When employees are happy first, they tend to work harder and be more productive. At the same time, the companies then tend to see less turnover, higher revenue, and smoother operations overall.

Research shows a happy state of mind makes people.

  • Lower stress levels
  • Brings about more engagement
  • Brings about more creativity
  • Better problem solvers
  • More productive
  • Protection of a company’s greatest asset – the employee
  • Decreases the company’s turnover, as employees are less likely to quit their jobs
  • Increases revenues
  • Fewer sick days
  • Lower insurance premiums
  • Greater community synergy, greater company synergy
  • Improves the financial and operational performance of the company
  • Healthier, more productive working employees
  • Increased energy and vitality in the workplace
  • A more optimistic, positive attitude
  • A greater eagerness to succeed and lead, along with the energy to do so
  • Higher self-esteem and a greater team-building mentality
How can you contribute to the emotional & mental well-being of your employees?

Research shows that positive emotions broaden the scopes of attention and cognition, and by consequence, initiate upward spirals toward increasing emotional well-being. As an employer you can contribute to the emotional well-being of your employees in the following ways:

  • Show variety in the assigned tasks
  • Allow them to work independently from management
  • Share and Consult
  • Strategize together
  • Work-life balance
  • Initiate workshops & talks with mental wellbeing professionals
  • Provide education, outreach, and training to address mental wellbeing
  • Implement organizational changes to reduce employee stress
  • Ensure that mental wellbeing services are included as benefits of health plans and encourage employees to use these services as needed
  • Encourage openness
  • Give recognition
  • Invest in your employees
  • Assign meaningful work
Effects of poor mental wellbeing at work place

To begin with, decreased emotional well-being is usually related to mental wellbeing concerns such as stress, depression, and anxiety. These in turn can lead to:

Loss of productive
Absenteeism
General lack of energy
Increase in medical and pharmacy cost
Low self esteem
No meaningful contribution
Pessimism
Loss of concentration
Poor decision making
Increased errors

Work-related stress could ultimately manifest as heart disease, back pain, headaches, gastrointestinal disturbances or various minor illnesses; as well as psychological effects.

What triggers mental stress and illness at workplace?

The mental well-being of an employee at work can be triggered by various factors, such as:

  • Relationship problems with superiors
  • Bureaucratic constraints
  • Work family conflict
  • Relationship problems with colleagues
  • Performance pressure
  • Organisation culture
  • Poor job prospects
  • Prolonged work hours
  • Heavy work load
  • Job insecurity
  • Insensitive, humiliating, or abusive treatment by superiors
Signs and symptoms to look out for
Physical symptoms include
  • Fatigue
  • Muscular tension
  • Headaches
  • Heart palpitations
  • Sleeping difficulties, such as insomnia
  • Gastrointestinal upsets, such as diarrhoea or constipation
  • Dermatological disorders
Psychological symptoms include
  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Discouragement
  • Irritability
  • Pessimism
  • Feelings of being overwhelmed and unable to cope
  • Cognitive difficulties, such as a reduced ability to concentrate or make decisions.
Behavioural symptoms include
  • An increase in sick days or absenteeism.
  • Aggression
  • Diminished creativity and initiative
  • A drop in work performance
  • Problems with interpersonal relationships
  • Mood swings and irritability
  • Lower tolerance of frustration and impatience
  • Disinterest
  • Isolation
As demonstrated in the above list, stress can have wide ranging effects on emotions, mood and behavior. Equally important but often less appreciated are effects on various systems, organs and tissues all over the body, as illustrated by the following diagram

Here are ways in which some key body systems react.

MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM

Under stress, muscles tense up. The contraction of muscles for extended periods can trigger tension headaches, migraines and various musculoskeletal conditions.

RESPIRATORY SYSTEM

Stress can make you breathe harder and cause rapid breathing — or hyperventilation — which can bring on panic attacks in some people

CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM

Acute stress — stress that is momentary, such as being stuck in traffic — causes an increase in heart rate and stronger contractions of the heart muscle. Blood vessels that direct blood to the large muscles and to the heart dilate, increasing the amount of blood pumped to these parts of the body. Repeated episodes of acute stress can cause inflammation in the coronary arteries, thought to lead to heart attack.

GASTROINTESTINAL SYSTEM

Esophagus
Stress may prompt you to eat much more or much less than you usually do. If you eat more or different foods or increase your use of tobacco or alcohol, you may experience heartburn, or acid reflux.

Stomach
Your stomach can react with "butterflies" or even nausea or pain. You may vomit if the stress is severe enough.

Bowels
Stress can affect digestion and which nutrients your intestines absorb. It can also affect how quickly food moves through your body. You may find that you have either diarrhea or constipation.

NERVOUS SYSTEM

When stressed — physically or psychologically — the body suddenly shifts its energy resources to fighting off the perceived threat. In what is known as the “fight or flight" response, the sympathetic nervous system signals the adrenal glands to release adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones make the heart beat faster, raise blood pressure, change the digestive process and boost glucose levels in the bloodstream. Once the crisis passes, body systems usually return to normal.

ENDOCRINE SYSTEM

Adrenal glands
When the body is stressed, the brain sends signals from the hypothalamus, causing the adrenal cortex to produce cortisol and the adrenal medulla to produce epinephrine —sometimes called the "stress hormones."

Liver
When cortisol and epinephrine are released, the liver produces more glucose, a blood sugar that would give you the energy for "fight or flight" in an emergency.

REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM

In men,excess amounts of cortisol, produced under stress, can affect the normal functioning of the reproductive system. Chronic stress can impair testosterone and sperm production and cause impotence.

In women stress can cause absent or irregular menstrual cycles or more-painful periods. It can also reduce sexual desire.

Reach out to Juno.clinic for help today.

If your employees are experiencing any of the symptoms of stress, depression or anxiety caused by various factors in or out of the workplace, do not hesitate to seek help. Reach out to Juno clinic today.

Juno clinic is the first of its kind integrated emotional well-being clinic that helps the employees of corporate organisations such as yours, deal with issues like depression, anxiety, stress etc. Our team of professional psychologists and psychiatrists, with significant experience and specialisation, are well trained to help you.

Juno has an exhaustive list of workshops that are tailor made for content and duration based on YOUR company’s needs.

It is important to remember that there are always people around, to help & support you. Sometimes simple changes made to your everyday life can help you achieve a good work-life balance and help lead a stress-free life.

At the end of the day, it is important for employers to recognise work related stress as a significant health and safety issue. A company should take steps to ensure that employees are not subjected to unnecessary stress.

Initiatives taken by some Fortune 500 companies to reduce stress at workplace:
It offers specific classes to employees with Zen-centric names like Meditation 101, Search Inside Yourself, and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction. The company also has created a both virtual and in-person community called gPause to help support and encourage meditation practice, including features like daily in-person meditation sits at more than 35 offices, what the company calls “mindful eating meals,” and day meditation retreats at a handful of location.
For $7-10 a paycheck employees can use the Walmart fitness center, which has a track, exercise equipment, a swimming pool, classes, etc.
The company allows employees of the tech giant to take 30 minutes each day to meditate at work, providing classes on meditation and yoga on-site, and offering the use of a meditation room.
GE partners with their employees and their families around the world to help them live and work healthier, to reduce health-related work absences and to limit the growing cost of employee healthcare.
It offers a range of health benefits and wellness programs to their nearly 250,000 employees worldwide. These include access to free health screenings, assessments and other health services.
Why should you invest in corporate wellness programs?

A Harvard study shows that for every $1 invested on wellness programs absenteeism costs fall by $2.73 (Savings to cost ratio $2.73 : $1). How are these costs realized? Absenteeism produces overtime related costs for hourly employees, and training costs in situations where absenteeism results in termination. The same research shows that for every $1 invested on wellness programs medical costs fall be $3.27 (Savings to cost $3.27 : $1).

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