Steps to Mental Wellness in Recruitment
Every person has mental health, and everybody struggles from time to time, with mental health issues. Though the past decade has seen a shift in attitude towards the importance of good mental health, it can still be difficult to understand what support is required in a workplace to create a culture of support.
It’s no secret that recruiters have stressful jobs, but often the impact of this stress can go unspoken between colleagues. Agency recruiters need to contend with leaderboards, targets (which if not hit can compromise the security of their job), and an environment of intense competition with members of their teams, and with themselves. In-house recruiters don’t get off lightly either, with difficult KPI’s of their own, a company culture which can sometimes feel alienating, and anxiety around job security in a role which is often deemed dispensable.
Mental health and recruitment
No matter the role, recruiters will be forward-facing go-getters who are expected to smash targets regularly and who will encounter countless stresses, big and small, throughout the working day. These stresses don’t include the additional workplace anxieties which can come with being a woman in a predominately male office, a minority in a majority white space, a disabled recruiter in a workspace which is difficult to manoeuvre, and living as a person with mental illness in a neurotypical environment.
In order to manage the myriad ways that mental health issues can impact the working lives of a recruiter, it is essential that managers, leadership, team members, and recruiters themselves understand the importance of a proactive approach to mental health.
Sanctus
Every workplace is different, but the shift in attitudes about mental health is more prevalent in the corporate world now than ever, and many companies are implementing strategies to deal with issues when they may come up. In the UK, the brilliant organisation Sanctus are making it their mission to remove the stigma around discussing mental health struggles, and bring mental health conversations to the mainstream.
This, importantly, applies to the workplace. Most of us spend over a third of our time at work, so it is no longer feasible to separate our career from who we are in the rest of our lives. If mental health issues are prevalent in a person’s life, then they are there at work too. Sanctus ask companies and organisations to pledge their support for their workers, to allow mental health days for employees when they are feeling unwell, and to create and maintain a culture of openness around discussing mental health.
Peptalk
Incorporating positive mental health strategies in a companies HR policy is vital, and can take many forms. Offering support in the form of external support, as well as building this into the company benefits. A lot of companies offer health insurance to their employees, and it is possible to include access to counselling and therapy in these packages. Workplace wellbeing is also encouraged by companies like Peptalk, whose platform offers manageable strategies for promoting wellness at work.
Their platform incorporates content about activity, mindset, nutrition, mindfulness, and financial wellbeing. Their goal is to improve retention by creating a positive working atmosphere for employees in order to ensure that they work to their best potential.
Earlier this year, Peptalk teamed up with SocialTalent to bring learners exclusive content on the topics of fitness, mindset, and nutrition. This content features tips and advice from experts such as Fiona Oppermann (ex-international sprinter who has worked with us with the Dublin Gaelic Athletic Association team and the Scottish rugby team), Cathal Sheridan (mindset and mental skills coach, ex-professional rugby player), and Kate McDaid (expert nutritionist, international basketball player).
If you’d like to find out how this content can work in tandem with your SocialTalent training to create an atmosphere of inclusion and wellbeing, click the link below!
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