Consider that one out of every eight people worldwide is dealing with some sort of mental illness.  Add to that the many stressors at work (and in life) that could worsen mental health.  This means that as a team leader, you will have to manage mental health challenges in the workplace.  And when you help address your team’s mental well-being, you foster improved job performance and productivity.

Lucas Miller, writing in Entrepreneur.com, suggests five actions you can take to support your team’s mental health:

• Promote mental health awareness. Provide resources and information about mental health, including where to go to get help. Offer training to managers on how to recognize mental health issues such as depression and anxiety.
• Provide breaks to relieve stress. Stress abounds in the workplace, and you can lessen it by providing stress-busting activities such as on-site yoga classes or by encouraging employees to take a walk outdoors.
• Demonstrate genuine interest in your team’s personal life. When you show interest in your employees’ life outside of work it helps to make them feel valued, which in turn, helps lessen workplace stress.
• Eliminate stigma. Lead by example to show your team that we all deal with mental health issues. Foster openness and honesty about mental health challenges.
• Communicate better. Have open conversations with your employees to understand how they are faring, and how much workload they can handle.

Read more at 5 Simple Ways to Do More for Your Employees' Mental Health This Week.