The Wellbeing Of Employees Is Vital

Julie Starr • November 5, 2021



The psyche is an important part of overall health and is therefore also strongly related to the performance of the employees. In order to maintain the mental health of their employees, companies can take various measures. After all, employee health is vital.

Recognize mental threats

The mental health of workers is always at risk when there are no counterbalancing factors. Situations in which professional tension dominates can be:

  • Everyday working life is tightly timed, the employees are under time stress
  • Unbridgeable differences of opinion
  • Strokes of fate in the private sphere
  • Professional achievements are not recognized and rewarded
  • Unclear task description, under-, and overstrained situation
  • Lack of job security
  • Disrespect among colleagues
  • Oppressive working atmosphere
  • The job cuts into private life
  • Biological and genetic factors (example: predisposition and/or hormonal changes)
  • The initial psychological situation. (Previous illnesses, low self-esteem, lack of frustration tolerance, tendency to perfection)

Employees may signal the existence of one of these scenarios by changing their personality. Or by reducing their work performance. You appear nervous, irritable, and restless. 

Why mental health is worth protecting

If the workforce is mentally impaired, general satisfaction and work motivation suffer. The processing time increases continuously, the quality of the individual work processes decreases. In the long term, it can lead to psychosomatic symptoms. Already now, psychological causes land in third place among the illnesses in the workplace. It is a large problem that shows no signs of slowing. The legislature has reacted to this development. The employer is responsible for analyzing the level of psychological risk in their own company. In addition to the legal obligation, from the management’s point of view, provision is also a question of turnover and fluctuation. 

Definitive basis

The overarching concept of health: The World Health Organization describes health as a state of well-being. Both in the physical, mental and social dimensions. In addition, health is characterized by the absence of health impairments.

Mental health: Mental health is a complex construct of different factors. Such as emotional, psychological, and social integrity. Job satisfaction is another aspect of the expanded understanding of mental health and every business should look into this.

Active health promotion

Mental health promotion is multifaceted and individual in many respects. In this way, health management in the professional context can be oriented towards maintaining mental health.

Prevention work

The idea of ​​mental health protection begins preventively. The working environment should be strategically valuable and health-promoting. This is achieved through an upstream risk assessment and the implementation of measures based on it. The stress factors can be hidden in work organization, workplace design, or current conflict management. Another sub-area is the early detection of work-related illnesses and the positive influence on them. As well as the successful reintegration of employees who have been absent for a longer period of time. 

Knowledge in theory

In many cases, it already helps to sensitize the workforce to the topic of mental health and its connections. This gives them the opportunity to recognize negative developments at an early stage and to understand the processes. For example, anyone who knows the classic bullying structures or the symptoms of burnout can influence them in good time.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a scientifically researched stress management concept. Mindfulness practice can be used in a medical or meditative setting, but also in the form of separate everyday exercises. The advantage of this method is the quick learning and use of the relaxation strategy. If the employee uses mindfulness techniques in stressful phases, they can relax for a short time and reduce their stress. Conscious breathing, mindfulness-based autogenic training or progressive muscle relaxation processes. These can be linked to one another and support this effect. All of these mechanisms focus on present sensations and create a comfortable problem distance. This increases cognitive performance and the reserves of strength are replenished.

Team-building measures

Team building helps maintain the mental health of the workforce by enhancing wellbeing and self-esteem. The focus is on solution-oriented cooperation . Each employee contributes to finding a solution with his or her professional competence. This creates functional cohesion and a sense of social belonging. There is a sense of commitment because the group can only achieve its goal as a team. This bond extends to both the company and the emotional area of ​​perception. For the continued existence of the company, team building is one of the primary resources. This is because it reduces the employees’ willingness to terminate and the associated additional work and costs.

Expert support offer

Auxiliary persons such as coaches and mediators are specially trained to maintain mental health. On request, they support the company seeking advice in terms of risk analysis. And conflict resolution and supervision. They submit suggestions for improving the corporate culture at a suitable point. And have valuable tips ready for the HR department, but also involve employees in the evaluation work. The funding offer can consist of, among other things, active workshops. As well as team-building measures, team leader and/or employee coaching, mindfulness seminars, and verbal advice.

IT support saves time and stress for staff

IT service staff should provide employees with advice and assistance. However, in order to be able to actually implement home office solutions in a meaningful way, it doesn’t necessarily take much. If you, as an employer, do not have the opportunity to equip all employees with laptops, desktop computers and much more in a timely manner. Remote access solutions ensure that your employees can access the company desktop via their private end devices. And use the corresponding programs easily without having to have the corresponding software. And/or hardware at home. However, it is important to have reliable remote support solutions, i.e. IT specialists . These are available to your employees in such cases and who help you set up your workplace at home. In the best case, qualified IT specialists should be available every day, in order to guarantee a smooth workflow. The relevant IT specialists can directly access the employees’ end devices. So problems are resolved in this way before actual damage can occur. 

5 Everyday Items That Can Quietly Boost Your Brand

By Julie Starr • July 17, 2025
The best branding doesn’t always come from big campaigns or expensive graphics. Sometimes it’s the smaller stuff that leaves the biggest impression. Things people actually use, touch, or carry with them. That’s where your brand can quietly make its mark without needing to shout about it. If you’re only focusing on social media and business cards, you’re leaving a lot on the table. Here are five overlooked ways to get your name out there that feel natural, useful, and more personal. Thank-you slips If you’re already sending out orders, there’s no reason not to include a short thank-you slip. You can easily get these made through any decent online print shop , and they’re usually pretty cheap to run off in small batches. Just a simple note that says thanks, maybe with a reminder to follow you online or a cheeky discount code for next time. It’s quick, thoughtful, and makes the whole order feel more finished. Customers notice that kind of detail, especially when everything else they buy online comes with zero personality. You don’t need a complicated design either. Just something clean with your logo, a message that sounds like you, and maybe a social handle. The point is to give them a reason to come back or remember your name without it feeling forced. Branded zip pouches If you sell physical products, offer services, or run events, small zip pouches are surprisingly effective. Think of the kind you’d use for stationery, receipts, or travel bits. You can get your brand printed on the side and hand them out with purchases or include them in welcome packs. People keep them because they’re actually useful. They get tossed in handbags, school bags, or glove boxes and your logo just keeps turning up. Cleaning cloths for glasses or screens This one works brilliantly if you’re in tech, health, beauty, or anything involving screens or eyewear. A simple microfibre cloth with your branding on it can go a long way. Everyone needs one. Whether they use it for glasses, a phone screen, or their laptop, it’s something they hang onto. It’s not the kind of thing people throw away, and that means your name sticks around too. Receipt envelopes You might already use little envelopes to hand over receipts or business cards. Branding those envelopes is a small change that makes a big difference. Instead of someone getting a scruffy bit of paper in a plain sleeve, they’re handed something that feels a bit more finished. You can even add a message inside. Doesn’t need to be anything dramatic. A simple “thanks for visiting” or “see you next time” is enough to add a personal touch. Wet wipes or mini hand gels If your business is in hospitality, food, or anything hands-on, branded wet wipes or pocket-sized hand gels are surprisingly popular. People actually use them, especially at festivals, food stalls, pop-ups, or kids’ events. They end up in handbags or cars and stick around longer than you think. They don’t scream “marketing” either. They’re practical, and when done right, they make your business feel thoughtful. That’s what good branding does, it shows you’ve thought ahead.

How Student-Led ‘Energy Audits’ Are Cutting School Costs (and Lighting the Way Forward)

By Julie Starr • July 14, 2025
What happens when students stop waiting for adults to fix things and start conducting their own energy audits? Money gets saved. The lights get switched off. Data gets analyzed. And a quiet revolution in sustainability begins—inside schools that once overlooked their own inefficiencies. Across the globe, student-led energy audits are proving that change doesn't always need to come from a policy shift or a major capital budget. Sometimes, it begins with a clipboard, a spreadsheet, and a group of curious minds asking: Why are the hallway lights on at noon when sunlight floods the building? The Energy Detectives These audits aren’t science fair projects. They’re rigorous investigations, often done in collaboration with facilities staff, local environmental nonprofits, or even engineering mentors. Students go from classroom to classroom measuring electricity usage, checking for phantom loads , and identifying where heat is escaping in winter or air conditioning is leaking in summer. One high school in Ontario saved over $12,000 a year after its Grade 11 physics students ran an energy audit and suggested simple changes—LED upgrades, motion sensors in bathrooms, and smarter heating schedules. They didn’t just propose ideas. They pitched them with spreadsheets, thermal images, and payback timelines. It worked. Learning That Pays Off—Literally Unlike textbook learning, these audits blend real-world math, environmental science, economics, and persuasive communication. Students aren’t just learning about sustainability. They’re doing it. And the savings add up. From dimming overlit hallways to reprogramming HVAC systems that run all weekend for empty buildings, students are surfacing blind spots that administrators often overlook. In some districts, their findings are influencing energy policy. Elsewhere, the audits have inspired school boards to hire sustainability coordinators—often alumni of the student programs themselves. There’s something poetic about a school funding new books or laptops from money saved by students who found out the vending machines didn’t need to be plugged in 24/7. Why This Matters More Than Ever With education budgets tightening and utility costs rising, every dollar saved is a dollar that can go back into classrooms. And here’s where it gets interesting from a family finance perspective, too. If you’re a parent setting aside money for post-secondary savings, every bit of school efficiency helps. Fewer energy costs might mean more programming, better STEM facilities, or even bursaries. That raises a broader point: when families save for their children’s future, they often look into RESPs (Registered Education Savings Plans). And many wonder—is a RESP deduction available on my taxes? While contributions themselves aren’t deductible, the gains grow tax-free, and students often pay little to no tax when they withdraw the funds during school. A Movement Worth Replicating These audits aren’t just an exercise in environmentalism. They’re leadership labs. Students learn how to spot inefficiencies, speak up in board meetings, and make a business case for change. They don’t just flip switches—they shift mindsets. And they carry these habits into adulthood. The result? A generation growing up not only with climate anxiety, but also with tools to tackle it.