CREDITS
By BetterUp
Consider the connection between your own mental health and your performance.
When you feel good mentally and emotionally, you approach your job with good mental health. You’re adaptable, flexible, and resilient. You are able to handle challenges. Your contributions to your team are meaningful, and you thrive in your personal and professional life.
But when you’re struggling with poor mental health at work, even if it isn’t extreme, it negatively affects your job in many ways.
The same is true for employees at all levels. And the consequences can be dire for organizations.
Here are five negative effects of poor mental health in the workplace:
Lack of engagement with one’s work. Poor mental health leads to demotivation and lack of focus. When we have workplace mental health issues, our minds wander or fixate on our problems, making it difficult to regulate our thoughts and emotions.
Productivity and job performance suffers. High performance is mental strength in motion. Poor mental health can reduce job performance since it makes accessing the behavioral skills that foster creativity and resilience all the more challenging. Without these skills, we don’t have the psychological resources to perform well at our jobs.
Reduced physical capability and daily functioning. From social anxiety to a reduction in cognitive performance and working memory, poor mental health takes a major toll on your daily living and physical capability.
Misaligned communication. It’s difficult to communicate well when we’re emotionally not feeling well. Poor mental health may lead to misinterpreting or over-reacting to colleagues. It may come across as speaking with a passive-aggressive tone, being a poor listener, or having a negative attitude.
Poor decision-making. Poor mental health can lead to a lack of impulse control, unhealthy thoughts, and poor decision-making. Poor decision-making may lead to missed meetings, showing up late, dropping commitments, or not adhering to company policies.