5 ways to make sure your employees are okay
Here are five ideas on how to read between the lines and offer support to employees who may be struggling.
The pandemic has been hard on all of us. In the U.S., hundreds of thousands have lost family members. Millions have been infected with the virus. Tens of millions who are lucky enough to have a job found themselves isolated while working from home, juggling children’s online schooling, taking care of vulnerable loved ones and doing all of this while trying to remain productive at work.
Related: Employee burnout affecting more than just productivity
With all of these stressors, it’s no surprise that U.S. workers are experiencing higher than normal levels of mental health issues month after month during the pandemic. HR and employee relations teams want to step in and help, but less face-to-face contact makes it more difficult to identify exactly who needs assistance. Here are five ideas on how to read between the lines and offer support to employees who may be struggling.
1. Set up frequent touchpoints
Opportunities come up naturally at the office to see how employees are doing, but if your team is working remotely, you’ll need to be more intentional about creating touchpoints. Connect frequently with employees both in team meetings and one-on-one. This will give you a chance to assess how people are doing.
Employees might not speak up, so be proactive by asking questions and offering support. Some individuals may require more frequent contact than others — weekly check-ins or daily contact might be appropriate, depending on the situation. Let employees know they can always come to you if they want to discuss any issues they’re having, and tell them how they can reach out.
2. Use analytics to read between the lines
Sometimes employees can be suspicious about people analytics, particularly if they think it’s used in a “Big Brother” sense as a surveillance tool. But it all depends on how you use the data. Analytics are a great way to spot signs of trouble and provide resources to employees when they need help the most.
Look for anomalies like significant reductions or massive increases in productivity, either of which could be a signal that employees are struggling. Be on the lookout for lower employee engagement, a spike in absences or fewer than normal vacation days used. Any of these statistics can signal employee distress, giving you clues on who might need help.
3. Understand that women may face more hurdles
Research from CARE indicates COVID-19 is having a disproportionate impact on women. The study says women are nearly three times as likely as men to report that they are struggling with mental health issues like anxiety, sleeplessness and difficulty completing everyday tasks.
McKinsey’s latest Women in the Workplace study warns that recent gender diversity gains across corporate America could be wiped out by the pandemic, with one in four women thinking about leaving the workforce or putting their careers on the backburner. Mothers, senior-level women and Black women are especially at risk, so they need extra attention. If you’re able to offer a flexible work schedule or help employees address childcare issues through the EAP, you can keep valuable workers on board.
4. Make sure employees are aware of the resources you offer
Employees who are having a difficult time may not know about the mental health benefits included in their health care coverage or the EAP services the company offers, so be proactive and remind them if you offer these benefits. Many companies have taken the extra step of expanding mental health benefits and extending them to furloughed employees, so get the word out about that too.
Online health platforms like SpringHealth can also help employees find a counseling service that works for them. As an HR or employee relations professional, you aren’t a therapist, but you can connect employees with the help they need. With regular communication about benefits and resources like a dedicated portal, you can help employees weather the crisis.
5. Share personal experiences to destigmatize mental health issues
Employees may avoid asking for help because of the stigma that still remains about mental health issues. Some may be extra motivated to pretend everything is okay because of the economic uncertainty surrounding the pandemic — they might think asking for help could jeopardize their job.
But the truth is, almost everyone has struggled with anxiety, sleeplessness and other stress-related symptoms at one time or another. One of the best ways to remove the stigma from asking for help is to invite a C-level executive to share their experiences with employees to let people who are struggling know they’re not alone.
No one knows for sure when “normal” business operations will resume. Some experts, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, don’t expect life to return to “some degree of normality” until late 2021. And even people who are able to avoid the coronavirus may be at risk in a “second wave” of rising mental health and substance abuse issues triggered by the pandemic.
Your people are your best asset, so now is the time to do what you can to help. Staying in touch with employees and using analytics to identify potential problems can provide valuable insight and help leaders read between the lines. It’s been a tough time for everyone, so don’t forget to take care of yourself too.
Deb Muller is founder & CEO of HR Acuity.
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