Employees have endured one of the hardest years of their professions. Work forces are fatigued, the gaps between the majority and the minority has increased as a direct result of the pandemic and mental health has taken a real toll.
With that in mind, we want to kick start the year by being part of the solution and offer up some practical advice in helping leaders, help their staff. We have spoken with Hannah Dakin, an expert in the Psychology of Mental Health, who kindly shared her suggestions below for supporting employees with their mental health needs:
It is more important than ever to support your employees who are working remotely and who will all have been impacted in a multitude of ways. Inclusivity and equality are no longer buzz words, but must be rooted in company values and practice. There lies large social inequalities in our healthcare system, but as a business, you can help to close this gap by supporting your employees mental wellbeing:-
- Lead by example, with openness, honestly and recognition of the challenges that we collectively face
- Encourage your team to commit to the contracted hours but allow them to do so in a flexible way that works for them and agreed by you
- Challenge those who work through their lunch break / after hours - taking a walk and time away from the task at hand can often encourage a more productive team
- Provide all-staff briefings or newsletters so that employees are updated regularly
- Offer regular virtual check-ins, whether that be personal or as a team, and ensure this time is protected for employees
- Ensure that specific groups such as women and those recognised as Covid-19 risk groups are supported, as they may be more susceptible to increased psychological morbidity as a result of the pandemic (1)
- Happy employees are 31% more productive; with 37% growth sales success (2)
- Whatever support you provide as a company, ensure that employees are reminded of how to (anonymously) utilise this:
- Offer a membership to a supportive healthcare app such as headspace and encourage employees to utilise and learn self-care skills and practices
- Elect a wellness committee in charge of facilitating groups, spaces, and activities that can be done from home, and in the future together
- Offer a contribution towards or free counselling - mental health struggles left untreated resulting in periods of time off work due to burn out may be more costly than preventative intervention
Whilst we’re all hoping for a better 2021, we’re not out of the pandemic and the restrictions on our lives just yet. Even when society is in a safer place, it is doubtful that we will return fully to traditional working practices, resulting in more physically disparate teams. Building a D&I strategy into your business plan will help your organisation to not only cope with the practicality of a new working norm but actually drive success.
1.Jia R, Ayling K, Chalder T, et al, Mental health in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic: cross-sectional analyses from a community cohort study, BMJ Open 2020;10:e040620. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-040620
2.The Happiness Advantage, 2010. Shawn Achor.
Hannah Dakin MSc Psychology of Mental Health https://www.hannahdakin.com/
