Around a billion individuals worldwide suffer from mental illness, and millions more are diagnosed every. The conversations around mental well-being and mental health are just recently starting to gain traction, despite significant attempts to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health or the absence of it. You'll learn how your business can go beyond making declarative statements regarding mental health in this post, as well as how recognition may enhance workplace well-being.

Employee appreciation has long been valued highly by effective and compassionate management. However, as the battle for talent intensifies, it is now more crucial than ever for businesses to demonstrate their appreciation for their staff.

Developing a recognition program is a fantastic place to start if you don't already have one, you make take Corporate Wellness Program by TalktoAngel. The best EAP programs in India help an organization in the promotion of an ethical culture of appreciation.

Great businesses go above and beyond by routinely reassessing the methods they reward their workforce. This becomes a greater difficulty as businesses expand, and executives must reconsider how they enhance the employee appreciation process.

All the ways an organization expresses gratitude for the contributions of its personnel are referred to as employee recognition. It may or may not entail monetary compensation and can take many different forms. Employers praise personnel for things like

• Achievement
• Displaying the intended behavior
• Exceeding and exceeding expectations
• Landmarks like tenure

The business argument for supporting employee mental health is indisputable. Employees that are happy and in good health are more engaged and productive. However, in addition to the current epidemic and the numerous difficulties it brought, the state of employees' overall well-being is threatened by the deteriorating access to mental health care, which many refer to as the second pandemic.

We yearn for approval from our parents, teachers, and friends from a very young age. Our yearning for positive affirmation is so intense, especially during formative phases, that we can even interpret a neutral response as negative.

As we enter the workplace, this remains the case. Employee appreciation facilitates:

• Keep your finest talent.
• Boost participation among employees
• Boost excellence in performance

Unlocking the doors to happier, healthier workplaces requires having the appropriate tools and knowing how to utilize them. Developing the knowledge necessary to make the greatest use of the instruments is the trick. Tools for rewards and recognition provide businesses with unanticipated advantages for addressing the problem of employee illness.

Cost savings are the benefit that most leaders will immediately consider. The World Health Organization calculates that productivity losses due to depression and anxiety cost the world economy around $1 trillion per year.

Tools for rewards and recognition have a good effect on employee engagement, as we are aware. Employee motivation is increased by a robust system of rewards and recognition. Oxytocin, known as the "happy hormone," is released in response to recognition and is a key factor in motivation.

Even though engagement is essential, it is not the only outcome of an effective R&R strategy. Just a few more are as follows:

1. Better relationships at work and home

Peer-to-peer recognition strengthens relationships in the workplace by acting as a glue to hold people together and create strong teams that collaborate rather than compete.

2. Enhanced employee pride, resilience, and self-esteem

Resilience, which is the emotional flexibility or capacity to recover from difficulties that are a normal part of life and work, can be developed like a muscle.

Years of research have shown that one of the most effective methods to develop resilience is through a robust social support network. Enhancing self-esteem and resiliency can be accomplished by publicly praising employees and recognizing them for their efforts.

There will always be hiccups in the route, but content employees do not fear them. Employees' self-esteem develops, their social welfare improves, and as a result, resilience improves if you encourage and emphasize their positive traits.

3. Enhanced loyalty and trust

People feel recognized and valued when they are acknowledged. We all have deep-seated needs that have a negative impact on our well-being, needs like the need for respect and status. Building trust among coworkers as well as between employees and employers begins with making employees feel seen. To make the employees feel heard and seen, however, recognition must be as specific as possible. Generic acknowledgments are less effective.

4. Increased empathy and creativity among employees

Employees who are worn out and unmotivated lack the motivation to be imaginative or compassionate. According to Psychology Today, developing empathy is necessary to increase creativity. An increased sense of belonging is consequently facilitated by improved empathy. That accomplishes numerous goals at once.

Conclusion

The distinction between private and personal areas is becoming increasingly hazy as remote and hybrid work models proliferate. It becomes clear that separating work from other aspects of life is impossible and that a person's health has an impact on their success at work.

We have a once-in-a-generation chance to influence the nature of work in the future. Businesses should capitalize on the present enthusiasm and implement reforms that benefit both employers and employees.

Businesses are beginning to realize how important employee happiness is to their success. They make investments to reduce workplace stress and roll out numerous perks and advantages pertaining to mental wellness.

The concept that work not only exhausts us but also inspires and awes us is the key to promoting employee wellness. In order to carry out their plans successfully, leaders must take charge of creating chances for their team members to feel good. Encouragement of incentives and recognition is one of the most reliable approaches to do this.

A crucial social validation method that successfully increases the levels of oxytocin in the recipients is timely, regular, precise, and transparent recognition. Employees who feel acknowledged by their colleagues consequently feel more at ease at work.

Therefore, acknowledgment has a positive impact on employee engagement, morale, creativity, empathy, and working relationships. Employers who use a recognition approach see improvements in worker performance and productivity as well as lower attrition and HR expenses.

For a professional assistance for Best, EAP providers connect with TalktoAngel, Asia's leading mental health and well-being platform and take Online Counselling from the Best Psychologist in India. 

Contributed by: Dr (Prof) R K Suri & Aditi Bhardwaj