Maintaining Team Mental Health to Stay Productive

It is undeniable that the work environment has its own pressures for its employees. Completing tasks, racing against deadlines, setting work agendas, to dealing with minor conflicts among co-workers may have become things that we often encounter during work.

Not to mention the limitations that arise due to the pandemic, it is not uncommon for workers to experience stress to burn out. Burn out describes a state of mental, physical, and emotional exhaustion caused by prolonged stress.

Based on these conditions, the higher human awareness of mental health. The topic of mental health seems to be the main topic in various discussions.

Mental health is closely related to a person's psychological condition. The mental condition of a person who has a disorder will be prone to experiencing anxiety, depression, to frustration.

If this condition is left alone, it will certainly affect a person's performance at work. In other words, it can be concluded that it is important to maintain mental health as important as preventing the transmission of the virus during a pandemic.

For both coworkers and companies, of course you don't want your work productivity to decrease due to neglect of mental health. Here are steps you can take to maintain Mental Health in a team.

1. Help the team reduce stress

Stress can occur due to an unequal division of labor. Therefore, teamwork is something we need to pay attention to so that everyone gets the right portion of work. As a boss, you must be able to recognize the capabilities of your employees. Giving work beyond one's ability, of course, will put its own pressure.

A comfortable office atmosphere can more or less contribute to making employees more relaxed. Providing some tea and coffee bags in the pantry or providing simple entertainment facilities in the office can be a solution to relieve fatigue for employees.

2. Expand communication

Being a boss does not mean you have to be rigid and closed to coworkers. Convey any changes or new information related to work to your team properly.

Good communication will also avoid the risk of misunderstanding or stumbling on important information. This will make each team member understand their responsibilities, targets, and the provisions that apply to work.

3. Do a review

Be the boss who knows the best about everyone on the team. Do not hesitate to open communication with subordinates. You may not be able to just know the various difficulties that may be experienced by employees.

Being open will give team members the opportunity to raise their concerns or issues. This way, it will be easier for you to provide suggestions or input.

Brainstorming can be used as a way to find out the views of your subordinates. Perhaps one of the team members has a brilliant and innovative idea that could improve your program. Avoid feeling prestige if you get feedback from employees.

You can play the role of a facilitator in an interactive discussion to accommodate employee aspirations. In this way, your employees will feel more valued and more motivated to contribute to the progress of the company.

4. Be empathetic

Cultivating a sense of empathy for employees will further strengthen your connection with fellow coworkers. Having simple conversations outside the context of work, such as asking how your family is doing, talking about things you like, or just saying hello can pave the way for good communication for you and your team members.

Do not hesitate to give appreciation when one of your colleagues scored an achievement. This will give you confidence and also motivate your co-workers to improve their performance.

However, when a team member has a problem, be an open co-worker and listen to the problems he or she is facing. Avoid jumping to conclusions or making judgments about your colleagues. Apart from empathizing with other people's circumstances, it's important to keep a good working atmosphere in a business. For this reason, employee development can not only be done from hard skills, but soft skills which are also important for career balance.