Focusing on Mental Health
Focusing on mental health is now more important than ever. During normal times, many workers are often “stressed” for a number of reasons - balancing work and personal life is usually at the top of the list. Today we find ourselves facing a new threat - a pandemic which has turned our lives upside down. There is a great deal of uncertainty - how long will this go on? Will there be therapies before a vaccine? Will my family stay well? When can we go back to work? Will my company or business survive and if so, how will it look? Will I be able to take care of my family? Will we be able to live as we did before? The list goes on and on.
As leaders, we sometimes struggle with the need to get into our employees’ personal lives; however, this is the time to have those discussions with your employees and to listen. We are not suggesting that you become a therapist, but you do need to ask questions to find out how your employees are coping with all of the uncertainty and to point them in the right direction. Some of the signs of a problem could be not participating on zoom calls, lack of enthusiasm, mistakes, frustration, and work not getting done. Also understand that a certain level of trust must exist between you and your employees. It does not happen overnight. It takes time and your employees must feel safe to discuss how they really feel.
In a recent Gallup poll taken during the week of April 6 - 12, Americans state that COVID-19 is hurting their mental health the most.
Here is the link: https://news.gallup.com/poll/308420/americans-say-covid-hurting-mental-health.aspx
So, as leaders, how can we help? Here are a few suggestions:
Conduct regular wellness check-ins with each employee
Make sure that employees understand what is expected of them
Show your appreciation and encourage others to do the same (practicing gratitude allows us to help others and it feels good)
Communicate about how this pandemic is impacting the company and the plans for moving forward
Encourage employees to take care of themselves (exercise, sleep, nutrition, mindfulness)
If you do not have an Employee Assistance Program, find resources in your community for mental health and make that available to employees
Encourage employees to talk to each other and share their ideas for coping
Resources
https://www.gallup.com/workplace/288722/keep-remote-worker-wellbeing-high.aspx