Mental and emotional health, at work, matters a lot whether you think it does or not. They are vital factors that affect you individually, collectively, as well as your job performance. We all know that work can sometimes be really tough. And in this post-COVID version of our workspaces, life can be busy, fast-paced, distracting, and just all over the place… But remember that through all of this, the health of your mental state is important too.

When you are mentally well and stable, your work performance can positively reflect that. When you feel better overall, and your work productivity can improve drastically. But when you are mentally or emotionally unstable, problems can arise without us even noticing them. Mental instability at work can look like rumination. Repeatedly thinking through a conflict or difficult conversation you had with a co-worker. When we fixate on how we could have done or said something differently, we become distracted on the tasks at hand making it more difficult to stay focused on the work itself. Emotional instability can feel like an unwavering mood of frustration or irritability. Once we reach this point, stress and burnout can also creep in before you know it. When we are in a space of stress and burnout, our creativity and innovation can certainly be stifled.

Mental and emotional wellness is an important topic worthy of further discussion. The mental health of the individual at work, as we know, is something that has an effect on each and every one of us, not just the person afflicted. Employers and co-workers must begin exercising an understanding of this and prioritizing this through a grace, compassion, and support to start. Doing this can create a healthier work environment as well as a more nurturing, positive space to thrive and be productive. Let’s take a closer look at the seven ways our mental state can impact us (and those around us) in the workplace:

1.    Your Productivity at Work

No matter what, mental wellness at work directly connects to employee productivity. Keeping this in mind, we can all use this information to our advantage. It’s important to be in a workspace that prioritizes mental health and values the overall wellness of its employees. Conditions such as stress, anxiety, and depression may seriously affect a person’s capacity to focus on a daily basis, make decisions, and finish critical tasks while at work. And outside of work, these conditions can be treated clinically, by a licensed professional. But working in a high stress environment could ultimately lead to missed deadlines, poor work performance, and just poor outcomes that will affect everyone around.

2.    Absenteeism and Presenteeism

Let’s take a look at what these two actually are in a workspace. Absenteeism is what happens when a person regularly keeps from going into to work, for no good reason. Essentially, this person has lost motivation for the job and simply doesn’t want to be there anymore, so they stop going or call in often. Presenteeism is when the person shows up to work despite their illness. This person may know that they have a terribly “bad attitude” about work or a co-worker and maybe even know that they probably shouldn’t go to work under those conditions, but will still show up for work because… “At least I’m here…” Presenteeism can more easily be recognized when a person complains of a migraine, but still shows up to work, but when I’m depressed, irritable, and still mad at my boss, then show up to work to stew in it, it’s a bit harder to spot. This will certainly have a negative impact on the productivity of the day for that person and likely anyone else around them. Both, absenteeism and presenteeism create some significant challenges at work. Both can create more work for the other people who are productive and present. In the end, this problem can cost companies a lot of money, so proactively promoting health mental states and behaviors can be better for everyone over time.

3.    Employee Engagement and Job Satisfaction

Mental health at work, as we know, is critical and it directly impacts job satisfaction for a lot of people. A recent study on this topic found that 23% of people wake up unhappy at the thought of having to go to work and only 30% of people were satisfied by their job. Seventy percent is a lot of dissatisfied people at work. We can only then assume that people are pretty upset about the very things that are making them dissatisfied. When we are at work and feel mentally well and stable (as in overall joyful or happy), we tend to like our jobs more and put in our best efforts. This can help to keep us motivated and happy throughout the workday.

Conversely, negative outcomes can happen when our mental stability is disturbed. A sense of disconnection from one’s work (or purpose) can arise, which can lower enthusiasm and lead to more people quitting their jobs. This is certainly a problem!

4.    Workplace Relationships

Each and every one of our individual mental states can significantly impact the workplace relationships that we’ve formed with other people. Employees experiencing mental illness can find it challenging to work together with certain coworkers, manage the conflicts between them, or communicate (verbally and in writing) effectively. This can cause some problems in workplace relationships, increased stress at work, and decreased teamwork.

5.    Organizational Culture and Reputation

Employee mental wellbeing is vital to the company’s atmosphere. Companies that support and care for their employees’ mental health typically reflect friendliness, care, and compassion toward their teammates. If a company does not care about its employees’ mental health, this can create a hostile and stressful work environment all around. Every workplace culture can influence people’s perceptions of the organization (which creates their reputation – good and bad) as well as the people’s willingness to work at the establishment.

6.    Financial Costs

Mental health in the workplace has some financial consequences for the actual companies. Mental illness can lead to higher healthcare bills, disability claims, and legal obligations. The indirect costs, such as decreased productivity and increased staff turnover, can have a huge financial impact as well. Companies that invest in mental health initiatives and staff support programs may be able to alleviate some of these rising cost challenges.

7.    Long-Term Health

There are quite a few lasting effects for employees’ whose long-term health can be harmed as a result of mental health neglect. If employees are dealing with continuous stress and untreated mental health difficulties, they are more vulnerable to some serious physical health problems. Conditions like obesity, heart disease, and a compromised immune system are just a few of the common ones. This issue goes beyond improving a person’s work performance and addressing their emotional wellbeing while at work. It’s also about safeguarding your long-term mental and physical health to work as long and as productively as you’d want.

Author Byline

Tracie Stewart is a psychotherapist and mental health provider in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She currently works in a private practice as a licensed professional counselor (LPC), where she provides treatment for people who experience mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, mood disorders, and relationship distress. With a passion for all things psychology and mental health advocacy, Tracie loves reading about and sharing information/tips on mental wellness and how to grow through some of life’s hardships. She also thoroughly enjoys traveling to new places in her spare time. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) @paramntcounsel.