Work related stress and mental health problems are on the minds of job seekers in all industries. Understandably, the COVID-19 pandemic brought many extra pressures, including worries about health and uncertainty about employment and financial stability, however, there are many sources that can affect employee mental health, including heavy workloads, low wages and toxic workplace cultures.

Make Mental Health a Key Part of Your Recruitment Pitch

So where does employee mental health fit into your recruitment strategy? Simply put, understanding the sources of mental and emotional distress at work can go a long way towards hiring the right people and helping employees maintain a high level of job satisfaction. 

Candidates seeking opportunities in construction, data centres, mechanical, electrical and other industries are looking for more than just money. Whilst money is certainly an important reason for candidates seeking new jobs, there are many non-monetary factors that help to promote a better quality of life, including:

• Improved flexibility at work – for example, flexibility over working hours and lifestyle.
• Improved work benefits – benefits such as holiday and healthcare can be key in attracting candidates.
• Internal and external systems of support in place for mental health and wellbeing.

Promoting your work culture and leading by example

Making mental health and wellbeing a key feature of your recruitment strategy and addressing the key concerns of potential candidates can be an extremely effective factor in ensuring you stand out from other employers. Whilst the health and wellness of employees may not seem like the highest priority when pitching work culture to candidates, it is certainly a priority to many candidates. 

Whether you are communicating a job opportunity via your website or social media, or pitching directly to candidates, highlighting your company’s efforts towards mental health and wellness can say a lot about your culture. Show prospective employees how much you care about them at the earliest opportunity. Be open to discussion about the policies that you have in place to promote a healthy workplace, from using meditation or mindfulness apps, through to offering professional mental health support.

As an employer, it’s important that as well as promoting employee wellness and a healthy, judgment free culture with regards to mental health, you must also lead by example. Think about how adopting workplace practices and cultures can help you to be a better employer.

Making simple changes

Oftentimes, creating a healthy workplace culture is about making a few simple, well-focused changes. What can you do to make employees feel more valued, more relaxed and more productive? Small changes such as encouraging staff to take regular breaks, investing in good lighting and allowing for flexible working can make a big difference to your employees, and being able to demonstrate the changes you have made can be extremely important in attracting new talent.

Improving your Recruitment Strategy

For support in improving your recruitment strategy and finding the perfect candidates, you can turn to On-Site Group. 

As specialists in recruitment for the Construction, M&E and Data Centre sectors, we have the expertise to help our clients attract the best talent in each sector. For your recruitment needs, call us today on 0845 070 3883.