3 Steps Leaders Can Take to Build a More Resilient, Emotionally Healthy Team

Our mental health is how we as people cope with being human. It includes everything that affects how we think, feel, and behave. It encompasses our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. Our mental health directly impacts our communication, decision-making, and coping skills.

As a business consultant and licensed clinical social worker, I have helped Fortune 500 companies and local nonprofit organizations improve workplace communication. What I’ve noticed time and time again is that improved mental health and employee well-being are natural byproducts of healthy workplace communication.

According to “The Surgeon General’s Framework for Workplace Mental Health and Well-Being,” “We can build workplaces that are engines of well-being, showing workers that they matter, that their work matters, and that they have the workplace resources and support necessary to flourish.”

When your employees flourish, your business flourishes. Healthy communication is inextricably intertwined with employee well-being. When you improve one, you improve both and create a workplace culture built on trust and belonging. That supports your team’s well-being and increases employee engagement, reduces absenteeism, improves productivity, and decreases the frequency and intensity of conflicts. And a stronger team translates into a stronger bottom line.

Communicate a commitment to supporting employees’ mental health.

Your organization’s commitment to supporting employee mental health doesn’t mean much if you and other leaders don’t talk about and actively support emotional health, self-awareness, coping strategies, and healthy workplace communication. Here are four steps to make a commitment that makes a difference:

1. Make the commitment. You must have a conversation about employee mental health with the leadership team. As a team, you must agree that every person in the company matters, including their mental health and well-being.
2. Understand that you and your team leaders are on the frontlines. You set the tone and direction for the organization. Therefore, you must demonstrate your commitment to your mental health, as well as that of your employees. Your team leaders must stay connected to their teams and practice open and compassionate communication, especially when an employee is struggling.
3. Communicate the commitment. Talk about your commitment to your employees’ emotional well-being. Use the word commitment when speaking about the topic during in-person and virtual meetings, town halls, and staff meetings, and in written communication.
4. Walk the talk. Help leadership and employees feel more comfortable discussing mental health by providing training to the entire organization. Leaders should receive specialized training so they can support their teams. Encourage employees to speak to their team leaders if they need more support.