The Effect of Mental Health on the Innovative Behaviour of Bank Employees: Evidence from the Ghanaian Banking Sector

Abstract

Employee health and well-being are central to HR practices; thus, they are a core component of organisations’ strategy. The mental health of employees has a significant impact on both individual and organisational outcomes. Research shows that poor mental health among employees leads to impoverished performance in areas such as innovation – which is an indispensable factor in promoting organisational success in today’s business environment plagued with constant and rapid changes. This study seeks to establish the relationship between mental health and innovative behaviour among Ghanaian bank employees. It further examines the effect of age on the mental health of the respondents. The study was quantitative and used a cross-sectional survey. Stratified random sampling was done to recruit a sample of 310 bank employees from five commercial banks that featured on the 2018 Ghana Club 100 list. A standardised questionnaire was used to gather the data from the sample. The respondents had a relatively high level of mental health and there was a positive significant correlation between mental health and innovative behaviour. Moreover, age had a significant impact on the mental health of the respondents with older employees having higher levels of mental health as compared to their younger counterparts. Employers should attempt to create and maintain an environment that promotes employee mental health so that they can benefit from the possible increase in employees’ innovative behaviour. The study provides empirical support for the direct relationship between mental health and innovative behaviour among bank employees and lays the foundation for more rigorous studies of the subject.