When it comes to growing a successful managed services provider (MSP) business, it isn’t all just about the latest and greatest technology or growing sales. It’s also important as a business owner to take the extra step to ensure employees are happy and healthy.
While there are many aspects to consider when promoting employee wellbeing, one rising in importance is mental health. According to a study by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the number of adults struggling with anxiety or depression increased significantly between August 2020 and February 2021 to more than 41 percent. It also said those with unmet mental health care needs also increased.
Business owners, who spend 40 hours a week or more with their employees, can play a critical role in making sure that their needs are met both inside and outside of the office. Yet, according to the Total Brain Study, only 50 percent of respondents said they feel their employer has done enough to address the mental health challenges of the pandemic and other challenges over the past year.
Some may ask: Do employees want their bosses to address mental health with them? The answer, according to a recent study, is overwhelmingly yes. According to the same study, 86 percent of workers in the U.S. want a corporate culture that embraces an open dialogue about mental health. Yet, only half of employees in a separate survey said they found their mental health was a priority at their company and supported by leadership.
There are several things an MSP business leader can do to increase the efforts across their organization to support employee mental health. First, they can simply start by talking about it. Taking away the stigma of mental health by addressing it openly — especially when it comes from leadership — helps show employees that mental health is something that is supported and welcome to talk about in the office. This may help them feel more comfortable bringing up challenges, or at least not feel so alone if they are struggling.
It’s also important to provide training for managers and human resources members on how to talk about mental health and provide them with the resources they need. It can also help to have mental health resources available to employees, such as providing assessments or services that employees can leverage to support their mental health for personal or work-related challenges.
Other things that an MSP business can do is to create fun activities at work to boost morale and encourage employee bonding, encourage work-life balance (and model it through leadership actions), developing workplace policies around mental health, launch employee wellness programs or holding mental health days (either for a day off or for on-site discussions about mental health).
With each of these efforts, it’s important to note that the discussion with mental health is not one that happens on a single meeting or day. It’s one that needs to happen over time with consistency to continue building trust with employees that the issue is supported inside the company.
While employees may not be ready to discuss their mental health challenges with their bosses or colleagues, it’s important to have these resources available to them as an option. The result can be employees that feel more supported by management and in turn increase their productivity and have more loyalty to the company if another job opportunity were to arise.
That said, for MSP business owners that truly care about their family of employees, their increased health and happiness alone is the best reward.
MSP Corp acquires and partners with high performing Managed Service Providers in Canada and the United States to provide resources, technology, and business support to empower exceptional MSP relationships with busy clients. Contact us to learn more.