Employee wellbeing is a necessity, not a luxury
Here are three ways organizations can support mental wellbeing for their employees.
Between the stress of the pandemic, social distancing from colleagues and friends, and forgoing daily, dependable routines, employees are feeling everything from untethered to overwhelmed. In fact, in a survey conducted by the National Institute for Health Care Management, a startling 51% of people reported worse mental health at work since COVID-19 started, creating an urgency for improved and expanded employee wellbeing initiatives.
To maintain the health and performance of their workers, employers need to rethink how they perceive and promote wellbeing across the organization. Whereas benefits like corporate-sponsored gym memberships and healthy lunches have been a draw in the past, companies also now need to invest in tools, practices, and programs that support their colleagues’ health and wellbeing. Especially as many organizations consider continuing remote work to varying degrees in the long term, implementing practices and programs that promote employee wellbeing no matter where individuals are located is no longer a nice-to-have, but a necessity for the modern workplace.
Related: 5 communication strategies to drive mental health benefit usage
Here’s how organizations can support mental wellbeing for their employees:
Foster an environment that encourages employees to address their mental health needs
Mental health initiatives need to be ongoing to make an impact. Unfortunately, discussing mental health in professional settings has long been regarded as taboo. Consequently, individuals may feel afraid to speak up about their challenges or needs and instead burn themselves out on the job, which poses a risk to overall productivity and retention.
To overcome the stigma around discussing mental health in the workplace, executives need to commit to being vocal about it themselves. To this end, executives should regularly affirm their support to employees as well as remind them of mental health resources their company provides to staff. Further, members of the leadership team should proactively reach out to employees to check in on their workloads and to see if there is anything they as leaders can do to help them manage. By advocating for mental health, leaders create a workplace environment in which employees feel comfortable reaching out for help as they need it, instead of bottling up stress and reaching a breaking point.
Invest in tools and resources that alleviate stress
As mental health remains a foremost priority for organizations, more tools and resources are becoming available to support it. Purchasing corporate accounts to mobile apps like Headspace and Talkspace is increasingly popular, as these enable employees to easily access mental health resources on their own terms. By making these tools readily available—versus only recommending them and leaving employees to subscribe themselves—employers increase the likelihood that employees will utilize them.
Organizations can take their commitment a step further by also investing in technology that alleviates stressors present in employees’ day-to-day routines. For example, employees can leverage automation software to help complete the more tedious aspects of their roles—such as data entry or managing busy calendars—so that they have more availability to focus on the sort of creative activities that keep them engaged in their roles. Automation support also frees employees up from back-office activities to socialize and collaborate with colleagues (even if only by Zoom) so that they regain the sense of connection that can be lost when working remotely.
Complement resources with educational opportunities
While access to resources and tools will suffice for some employees, others may enjoy more formalized wellbeing trainings on how to take care of their mental health. For these individuals, companies can hold regular presentations on a variety of topics geared toward improving their wellbeing, such as how to balance professional and personal time while working from home. Because not every member of the leadership team is expected to be well versed in advocating for mental health, these presentations serve as opportunities to invite external speakers to share new ideas with staff. Hosting these meetings during business hours gives employees a scheduled opportunity to disconnect from their workloads and a chance to connect with colleagues on a topic that isn’t explicitly work-related.
Organizations are often focused on what they can do to improve their customers’ experience, but what if they turned that curiosity inward? The pandemic has uncovered new awareness for the need for corporate mental wellbeing initiatives. Organizations prosper in the long term by attracting and retaining the top talent—they are best equipped when they support their employees with sustained mental health initiatives. By expanding the mental wellbeing resources available to employees, organizations can foster a work environment in which individuals feel a greater sense of satisfaction in their roles, leading them to work more productively and strategically and strengthen the entire organization.
Dan Anastas is vice president of total rewards and HR operations at UiPath.
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