People often ask me why, as a mental health trainer, I am so passionate about productivity and what is the connection between the two.

There are a number of different reasons, but the easiest to explain is the link between productivity in the workplace and positive mental health.

The link between Stress and Mental Illness is an over simplistic analogy, but it makes a very clear point. The more stressed we are, the more likely it is for us to experience signs and symptoms of mental illness, anxiety and depression being the most common.

I am often asked, ‘Is there a difference between Stress and Pressure?’

If you view pressure as the force that is used to get the job done, then this should be an experience that has an ending, for example a looming project deadline. I don’t know if you are the kind of person that works up to the deadline, even if it means working till 1, 2, even 3 o’clock in the morning, or whether you are a forward planner and finish the work a day or two ahead of schedule, but without a deadline we would routinely spend more time on a project than it really needs.

Importantly, if there is no let up between deadlines then the pressure becomes a sustained pressure that turns into long term chronic stress, and it is this long term stress that can create the symptoms of mental illness.

One of the other issues with Stress at work is that because it is often low lying and constant, we can struggle to identify what it is that is making us stressed and rather than focus on understanding the core root of the problem, we focus on the symptom it is generating. Another issue with Stress at work is that we notice the symptoms we’re experiencing for a short term, but then we get used to them which means we can begin to stop listening to our body as it tries to highlight our stress. In such instances, we keep pushing ourselves to the point of burn out with potentially serious mental health consequences.

Mental Illness costs the UK economy approximately £1500 per employee per year. If we can begin to raise the awareness of mental health, reduce the stigmas and encourage our staff to seek help early, we can not only reduce the financial, personal, and socio-economic costs metal illness causes, but we can also create a healthier workforce.

So where does LMI fit in?

As a people development company, we help each member of your teams become more productive in how they see their work priorities, how to best accomplish the workloads set in front of them, and how to best achieve their own personal and business goals. This makes them more productive and better team players. This goal directed action then begins a new journey for each employee, allowing them to achieve a more day-by-day, week-by-week which in turn reduces their own personal stress at work.

Therefore, if we can increase your teams’ productivity by teaching them life-long habits, we will also reduce the stress at work, which will not only reduce your company’s mental health costs, but also increase your revenue, create a healthier working environment and begin to change the culture of the workplace for the good of everyone.

If you would like to know more about the different productivity courses provided by LMI-UK or about a Mental Health First Aid course within your company, please email: [email protected] or call 0800 116 4749