Understand the Connection Between Physical and Mental Health at Work

How we feel physically and manage our emotions significantly impacts our work output and quality and relationships with coworkers. The connection between physical and mental health goes hand in hand in helping us perform at our best to handle daily events, meet challenges and work towards important goals.  

Fortunately, physical and emotional well-being are skills that anyone can learn. According to neuroscientists at the Center forHealthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin Madison, well-being can be learned to cultivate healthier habits of body and mind. 

Investing in training that teaches the skills to manage physical and emotional wellness helps employers improve their workforce’s ability to handle stress and adapt to change to prevent burnout, a primary reason why employees leave and seek work elsewhere. 

What Is Physical Wellness?

Physical wellness is about getting the physical activity you need, eating a nutritious diet, getting plenty of sleep and maintaining a healthy weight. When employees are healthy and feel great, they are more likely to perform their best and be less absent from work.

Whether employees work on a sales floor, warehouse or office, there are health risks inherent to the work they do. Prolonged sitting, poor desk posture, working on a keyboard all day and a demanding work schedule can lead to physical ailments and impede employees’ ability to get exercise, sleep or make regular doctor’s appointments, increasing their odds of illness. 

Examples of how organizations can improve employee physical wellness include: 

• Taking regular breaks throughout the workday 
• Encouraging employees to stretch during long meetings and scheduling walking meetings 
• Make standing desks an option 
• Avoiding a culture of workaholism that pressures employees to work long days 
• Encouraging employees to take vacation, sick days and schedule doctor’s appointments   
• Investing in employee exercise, yoga and aerobic classes before and after work   
• Encouraging employees to take the stairs instead of the elevator and to bring healthy snacks and lunch to the office

What Is Emotional Wellness?

According to the American Psychological Association, emotional wellness helps us control our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, keep problems in perspective, bounce back from setbacks and cope with challenges to keep us more engaged and motivated at work.

When employees are stressed at work, it can interfere with their ability to perform their jobs. Emotionally compromised individuals lose sleep, come in late to work, underperform on job tasks, experience greater conflict with their peers and are less receptive to criticism.  

Examples of how organizations can improve employee emotional wellness include:   

• Raising awareness of emotional health benefits and resources that are available such as mental health counseling, addiction counseling, and encouraging their use 
• Allowing employees to take “mental health days” in the same way that they might take time off for physical illness or family emergencies 
• Confronting biases and microaggressions that may send subtle messages of discouragement to workers with depression or anxiety 
• Practicing deep breathing, yoga and meditation during the workday to help you relax, relieve stress and be more mindful 
• Encouraging employees to stop multitasking, which can significantly increase stress, frustration, effort and pressure and leave employees with less energy to be attentive, productive and manage their emotions

Risk Factors That Impact Physical and Mental Health At Work

In addition to taking steps to improve emotional wellness in the workplace, reducing risk factors that influence day-to-day experiences can strengthen mental and physical health. 

Lack of Work-Life Balance

Stress can quickly rise in workplaces that don’t prioritize work-life balance. When work consistently slips into employees’ personal hours, they end up with limited time for rest, family or hobbies, which eventually affects both physical and emotional health. 

Teams, and the organization as a whole, benefit when employers respect personal time by setting clear boundaries, creating predictable workloads and offering supportive communication. 

Unsafe Physical Conditions

Disruptive noise, poor lighting, outdated equipment, lack of training and other environmental issues place pressure on both the body and the mind. Over time, these conditions can increase fatigue and lead to preventable accidents. This can affect energy levels and the sense of safety employees feel at work, both of which are necessary to maintain a healthy physical and mental health connection. 

The good news is that simple upgrades can go a long way. Improvements like better lighting, updated equipment and periodic hands-on training help employees perform their tasks more effectively and with fewer physical and emotional strains. When the environment feels safer and more supportive, it creates a happier and healthier workplace. 

Bullying, Discrimination and Harassment

A hostile environment at work is a risk factor that can severely affect mental health and make it harder for employees to feel secure in their daily activities. Employees who experience bullying, harassment, discrimination or violent behaviors often struggle with anxiety and loss of confidence. They may avoid shared spaces or team communication to protect themselves. 

Addressing this requires immediate action and clear policies that are actively enforced. Employees need accessible reporting channels, follow-up that happens quickly and leaders who take responsibility for creating and maintaining a safe culture. Regular training that names what harmful behavior looks like and prepares teams to intervene also strengthens the organization’s ability to protect its people. 

Excessive Workload

Productivity matters, but when that productivity comes at the expense of an employee’s capacity to rest and recharge, pressure builds up in ways that affect both physical and mental health. Unnecessarily heavy workloads often create a constant sense of urgency and leave people feeling like they’re always in survival mode. 

Addressing this calls for open conversations about limits and realistic timelines, as well as establishing realistic priorities and making regular adjustments to task distribution. Creating space for focused work and brief pauses supports the connection between physical and mental health and improves quality of life.

Underuse of Skills

Not using the skills that someone was hired to apply often leads to frustration and the feeling that their potential is being overlooked. Over time, this chips away at the employee’s motivation and makes daily tasks feel repetitive or disconnected from their long-term goals, lowering morale and negatively impacting mental wellbeing. 

Workers feel more valued and motivated when there are regular opportunities to use their strengths in meaningful ways, such as projects that match their capabilities, training that expands their skills and pathways for growth within the organization.  

Unclear Roles or Expectations

Unclear expectations create confusion and constant mental tension, ultimately making workers spend their energy interpreting what’s said instead of focusing on purposeful work. And, eventually, this mismatch creates frustration and can lead to disengagement and second-guessing.

Defining roles clearly, checking-in with workers on a regular basis, and communicating shared company goals supports teamwork and helps employees feel more confident in their work.

Toxic Work Environment

A toxic work environment is one where harmful behaviors become routine and employees no longer feel emotionally safe. Things like gossip, exclusion and chronic negativity can take a toll on physical and emotional health, contributing to stress and keeping people on edge throughout the day. 

Improving workplace culture starts with building structures that make it easy for employees to speak up and receive timely support. Fair accountability and leadership that models respectful behavior help shift daily interactions toward stability and create a setting where people feel protected, heard and able to participate freely.

What Is The Relationship Between Physical And Mental Health?

A person’s physical health can influence their emotional state and vice versa.  

Making positive dietary changes, exercising and avoiding substance abuse can help raise physical wellbeing to boost levels of good cholesterol, improve circulation and immunity and reduce illnesses. Employees who don’t practice healthy physical activities are at greater risk of major depression, which affects about 1 in 10 adults (16 million people), according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).  

Conversely, a person’s emotional health can influence their physical being. Symptoms of emotional distress can appear as stomach pain, muscle spasms or headaches. However, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that poor mental health can also significantly increase the risk of chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and stroke. 

Employers that help employees find the optimal balance of physical and emotional well-being realize the most from their workforce, which is better equipped to manage change, respond to challenges