Healing Mental Health Problems of Employees in COVID
There have been many articles written in the past few months regarding mental health care from medical perspective.
Since the onset of the pandemic which has now swept the remotest corner of the world and seems to be still going strong, millions have struggled with livelihood.
As the world settled into the new normal, the subject of Mental Health especially for remote workers and also for employees working in the front line, has become extremely important .
The Pandemic has left millions of employees psychologically stressed about their job security, their personal health and health of their families as well as loved ones due to risk of exposure. Above all increased work load has added further to the stress.
Many well established organizations openly came out in support of employees to take care of their mental well-being and helped them with coping strategies.
In these unprecedented times how can we help our teams to get back on their feet and also look after their mental well-being?
I believe the following 5 practices would greatly help in maintaining good mental health of employees.
1. Adequate Training on how to prevent spread of virus
One of the surest ways to help relieve the stress of employees in the COVID-19 era is to equip them with relevant training. This education would help the employees in learning new behaviors to prevent the spread of virus and would also give them confidence to work better at workplace. Training about safety procedures, disinfection processes to be followed, modes of transmission of the Virus and how it can be prevented is an essential input which employees require. This needs to be given as a refresher training also to the employees on regular intervals because to stay safe from novel coronavirus requires a compete change in behavioral attitude.
2. Transparent Communication Channels
To keep the morale high during these trying times organizations must keep their communication channels open and transparent. Give employees regular updates regarding the Pandemic and its impact on business and the world.
Build robust two way communication process to enable employees for expressing their needs and concerns. Address those concerns on time, and adopt an empathetic demeanor towards their needs. This would reassure the employees, ease anxieties and improve Mental Health.
3. Create a Supportive Work Environment
Assure the employees in a manner that builds high perceptions of organizational support. This would impact their mental well-being positively. Reach out to them through online surveys and virtual discussions to assess their mental health.
Have a suitable contingency plan for any tell tale signs of extreme anxiety or depression and address those immediately. Check on the well-being of their families and loved ones from time to time to make them feel cared for. Launch suitable employee assistance programs that would give them counseling. Develop online material to help them look after their psychological needs.
4. Life v/s Livelihood
Multiple industries are fighting for survival as the Pandemic is raging on. In such times there is immense pressure to achieve set financial goals and generate revenues to ensure financial sustainability. Industries are struggling to innovate to design new products and services so that customers can be brought back in the new normal.
However, organizations also have a responsibility towards their employees to look after their well-being, both physical as well mental. Too much pressure on driving revenues can trigger mental health issues for employees in an already stressful environment.
Despite the financial pressures, take out time for employees and give them adequate breaks to charge their batteries. The organizations must be careful when to push their teams to drive revenues and when to pull back and give them breathing space. Balance Life and Livelihood.
5. Encourage Conversations
Be open with regular everyday conversations about their well-being and anxieties. Have proactive approach in discussing about mental health problems. This would encourage them to come out and speak about their fears and insecurities.
Assign suitable buddies and mentors with whom they are comfortable to talk to. Such people can be a wonderful support on a daily basis and can help them to regain the lost confidence of employees who are dealing with anxieties.
Engage employees in healthy conversations about practicing self-care, be it about taking healthy diet or whether about taking regular breaks and taking a walk outside during daylight light hours whenever possible.
As the World is still battling the Pandemic, it is imperative to explore, and understand, it’s impact on the mental health of the employees. Through understanding the risk factors, and engaging in open dialogues about how this can be prevented, organizations can help the employees in fighting with their anxieties better, so that they can adapt to the new way of working at their workplace without any fear or insecurity.