Since the pandemic, there are growing concerns for staff regarding employment and income security in line with increased workload and tasks because of staff shortages.
As an employer, prioritising your employees’ health is important – including their mental health just as much as their physical health. There’s a correlation between poor mental health and low productivity at work, so making sure that your employees are in a good place can only mean positive benefits for your staff and your business as a whole.
Health and Safety Regulations
Australia has been imposing new health and safety regulations related to employers’ responsibilities for their employees’ mental health. Taking responsibility for mental health includes managing psychosocial hazards like:
- Work design
- Systems of work
- Management of work
- Carrying out work
- Personal/work-related interactions
If issues surrounding these topics crop up in the workplace, they might cause an employee to have a negative psychosocial response, which is a risk to their mental health.
Some examples of issues include:
- Sexual harassment
- Aggression
- Violence
- Exposure to traumatic events
- Too high/too low job demands
- Low job control
- Poor support
- Lack of job clarity
- Poor environmental conditions
- Remote/isolated work
- Poor change management
- Lack of reward/recognition
- Poor working relationships
Prioritising Mental Health
Whether you’re dealing with an individual case of poor mental health or an organisation-wide problem, you, as the employer, are responsible for intervening. That begins with starting the discussion about mental health at your workplace.
Ask your employees what they think the biggest mental health risks are at your service station – if you don’t know what the problems are, you can’t take the steps towards fixing them.
You can start this discussion in a myriad of ways, whether you facilitate a group discussion, individual discussions, or conduct anonymous surveys. Providing various channels for employees to give feedback is the best way to get the most input.
Giving this voice to your employees also shows them that you care about their well-being and are willing to take necessary action to create the best environment possible.
Looking After Each Other
While it’s important to spearhead the movement of prioritising employees’ mental health, it’s also crucial to encourage employees to look out for each other. By promoting a close and positive culture, employees will feel the opposite of isolated – they’ll feel supported. And that plays a huge role in mental health at the workplace and the success of your service station.
If you need further help and guidance regarding mental health issues at your petrol station, contact us.