The COVID-19 pandemic has redefined our traditional workplace model. Many people are concerned about the disease’s direct and indirect effects on their jobs, income, and other aspects of their lives. Furthermore, social distancing techniques have left many feeling alienated, causing tension and anxiety.
As an employer, you must discover ways to assist your employees in dealing with stress in a healthy manner in order to ensure their well-being.
You must comprehend the various types of consequences the pandemic may have on your personnel.
Fear of health (own and that of loved ones), loss of financial stability, loss of support services, changes in sleep or eating patterns, worsening of chronic health problems, worsening of mental health conditions, and increased use of tobacco/alcohol/substances are all direct effects of stress, according to the CDC, especially during a serious outbreak like the COVID-19 pandemic.
Understanding the variations between the various sorts of effects can assist you in providing support to your staff as an employer.
It’s important to address the various types of work-related stressors that may be present during this pandemic, such as fear of being exposed at work, taking care of family needs while working, managing workload, the guilt of not contributing enough, uncertainty about employment, learning/using new digital technologies, and adjusting to a new workplace and schedule.
These are some of the considerations that should be explored while developing a mental health strategy. Workplace surveys are a wonderful method to find out what variables are affecting your staff individually. You may effectively enhance workplace resiliency by polling your employees and home in on the unique difficulties that your employees may be experiencing at your specific firm.
It’s important to show your staff that you’re aware of their issues. You can recognize your employee’s needs and problems by maintaining an open channel of communication with them.
Once they’ve been identified, it’s critical to provide materials that are both relevant for their condition and easily available. Allow employees to identify and provide ideas that may better match their needs for demands that go beyond resources.
Above all, remember to be adaptable! We are all experiencing a period of uncertainty, and by giving flexibility with schedules and returning to work, you are demonstrating empathy for your employees’ concerns and providing them with options that may reduce their stress levels. It’s also important to establish a company-wide mechanism that allows employees to check in on one another. It may be as basic as managers spending time with their direct reports and having a conversation about the significance of mental health, or it could be as complex as having professional in-house therapists with whom employees can speak.
It’s necessary to boost employee engagement across the board. Many office professionals who work remotely feel incredibly alone because they are unable to engage with their coworkers on a daily basis.
Close the gap by putting in place structures that allow for connection outside of the job, such as game evenings, group fitness, and so on. These extracurricular activities provide opportunities for employees to interact with one another outside of the workplace.
This is a fantastic method to form relationships and create a support system for people who may not have one at home for new employees who may have joined the company after covid and have never met their coworkers.
When developing any strategy or change, the most crucial aspect to examine is how it will affect communication and what can be done to optimize communication flow throughout the organization.
Employees who feel heard in the workplace are significantly more likely to feel protected, respected, and steady. Clear communication assists your employees to get over these difficult periods as quickly as possible.
Dropthought can help you to optimize your Employee Experience programs. Using a lightweight UI, interactive dashboards, and advanced analytics, we integrate into your employee journey, allowing you to harness the insights you need to build strong employee-employer relationships.
Interested in learning more? To schedule a demo, please click here.