As we are well into the New Year now, I would like to take a few moments to address a crucial aspect of our professional lives that often goes underprioritized in the engineering world but plays a pivotal role in our overall organizational well-being and success: psychological health. In particular, I want to shed light on the importance of fostering a mentally healthy workplace, especially for our faithfully dedicated engineers working on challenging government contracts in IT and mechanical engineering.

The nature of our industry demands a commitment to excellence and often requires our talented engineers to put in long hours to meet project deadlines and deliver exceptional results. While we sometimes are able to have “comp days” or reduced workforce schedules after long sprints or high tempo project delivery weeks, multiple days of full steam ahead work catches up with us all.

Let’s talk for a moment about the importance of thepsychological well-being of our team members. A healthy mind not only enhancesproductivity but also promotes innovation, creativity, and sustainable success.Here are a five key reasons why psychological health should be a top priorityin our workplace, as we ramp up our delivery and production programs for 2024:

First, taking care of our peace of mind returns Enhanced Productivity and Quality of Work:

Studies consistently show that employees who feel mentally well are more focused, engaged, and productive. By creating a supportive environment that values mental health, we can expect our engineers to perform at their best, leading to higher-quality work and increased efficiency in project completion.

Second, when an organization prioritizes mental health, all stakeholders benefit from Retention and Attraction of Top Talent:

In a competitive industry like ours, attracting and retaining the best minds is critical. A workplace that prioritizes psychological health with programs such as access to telehealth appointments wherever employees can take the time to access them, scheduled breaks to walkaround even during busy sprint weeks, and encouraging wellness participation with incentives, gets the attention of high dollar high value engineers. Companies and contracts in government that accommodate wellness during the workday becomes an attractive value-add for top talent. By demonstrating our commitment to the well-being of our employees, we not only retain our current team but also become a magnet for skilled professionals seeking a healthy and supportive work environment.

Third, when employees are supported to avoid burnout, Innovation Thrives:

Engineering, whether in IT or mechanical, requires acreative and innovative approach. A stressed and exhausted mind hinderscreativity and problem-solving abilities. By fostering a workplace culture thatpromotes psychological well-being through the incorporation of check-ins withpeers and supervisors as a regular and expected practice, the team can adjustand help each other during the day. Greater peace of mind empowers ourengineers to think outside the box, leading to greater prefrontal cortexthinking. This leads to a greater propensity for groundbreaking solutions andadvancements in our projects.

Avoiding scheduling high tempo projects back-to-back returns Long-Term Sustainable Success:

While achieving short-term goals is essential, our focus should also extend to long-term success. A mentally healthy workplace contributes to employee satisfaction, reducing burnout and turnover. This, in turn, leads to a more stable and resilient workforce that can tackle challenges with a collective and positive mindset, ensuring the sustained success of our company.

Fifth, when we provide space for mental peace for our engineers, we help them fulfill their professional Ethical Responsibility:

Engineers have an ethical responsibility to ensure the well-being of public safety, particularly when we are faithfully dedicated to serving our country in the work that we do. When we ask our engineers to take on more than what they are trained and experienced in, it goes against professional ethics of most engineering trades and also exposes the contract or work to risk. The engineer also can feel pressured to perform tasks that they are not comfortable doing, and while stretching oneself is commendable, those exercises should be practiced and trained outside of the contract work at hand due to risks that result. Engineers may not visibly appear to feel stressed or pressured beyond their comfort zone, so it is our ethical responsibility as employers to check in with them and lend an ear and a problem-solving approach when they raise a concern. This will ensure greater peace in their work center, and greater performance and innovation overall, as I mentioned earlier.

So as we embark on the challenges and opportunities that 2024 holds for us, let us not forget that our most valuable asset is our people. Their psychological health is the bedrock upon which our success is built. Together, let's cultivate work environments that not only meets the demands of our industry but also nurtures the mental well-being of our incredible engineers.

Here's to a prosperous and mentally healthy year for us all!

Contact Jason Manning directly at jmanning@asistaff.comto learn how we can work for you.

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