Since the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health concerns are on the rise and have impacts on organizations, large and small. A recent Gallup poll showed that fewer than 1 in 4 employees in the United States feel that their organizations care about their wellbeing. This has huge implications, as those who strongly agreed that their organization cares about their well-being were:
- 69% less likely to actively search for a new job.
- 71% less likely to report experiencing burnout.
- 5 times more likely to trust the leadership of the organization and strongly advocate for the company as a place of employment.
Additionally, Gallup’s research found that team members who felt strongly that their organizations cared about their overall wellbeing achieved higher profitability and productivity and had much lower turnover.
Clearly, finding ways to support the emotional health of teams and individual employees is more critical than ever to an organization’s success. Below, we have outlined six concrete ways to demonstrate that you (and the organization) care about employees’ wellbeing.
- Free, Online Mental Health Counseling
As companies are becoming more aware of the benefits of physically AND emotionally healthy employees, several have begun offering access to free, online mental health counseling that employees can access at their own discretion. Through services with licensed therapists (like BetterHelp and First Stop Health), employees can receive mental health support 24 hours a day from virtually anywhere.
2. Dedicated Mental Health Days
Employees are often afraid to use their paid time off to tackle mental health challenges. In addition, a poll conducted by OnePoll found that 62% of the 2,000 American workers surveyed said they believed their employer would judge them if they requested time off for mental health care. The survey also found that 54% felt mental health struggles are an insufficient reason to call out.
A few companies have addressed this specific concern by mandating that employees take one mental health day each month, separate from their dedicated paid time off. On these mental health days, employees are not allowed to respond to work emails or texts. Other companies are exploring similar options to support mental health days for their employees and reduce the stigma attached to asking for time off for these reasons.
3. Meeting-Free Days
In polling their own teams, several companies discovered during the pandemic that employees were skipping lunch and/or neglecting to take breaks in order to stay on top of their assigned tasks. In exploring this issue further, mandatory meetings were a common factor that was taking up employees’ time and adding stress to their days. As a result, organizations have begun to create “Wellness Fridays” and other similar policies, where no client or internal meetings are scheduled on those days.
4. Wellness Retreats
Burnout is affecting workers in all industries, leading to increased attrition and lower morale. As one way of combating this issue, organizations have established wellness retreats for their teams. Retreats with the highest success rates (and viewed most favorably by employees) included grounding and relaxation activities as well as opportunities for team members to reflect on the experience and share how they plan to use the tools they learned in their everyday lives.
5. Mental Health & Meditation Apps
Mindfulness practices, including meditation and guided breathing, have repeatedly been shown to alleviate stress. As a result, many companies have offered their employees free access to popular meditation apps (like HeadSpace). This option has clear benefits for every employee who chooses to use it, at a minimal overall cost to the company.
Here at Innolect, Inc., we are well aware of the benefits of relaxation and meditation and offer a digital guided meditation that can be purchased here:
Listen to Relax: Guided Meditation, narrated by Larry L. Barker, Ph.D.
6. Personalized Benefit Packages
Mental health and wellbeing looks different for each and every employee, and their needs are just as varied. Some may benefit from gym memberships to alleviate stress, while others may look forward to massages or chiropractic visits. As a result, organizations are also exploring ways to allow employees to personalize their benefit packages to cover the cost of activities that best support their emotional and physical wellbeing.
How Can Innolect Help?
We help build the foundation for you to bring everyone’s best self to work; we thrive on building high-integrity workplaces. The bottom line? We are committed to helping leaders develop and grow their teams and support everyone’s mental health and wellbeing. Learn more about our approaches HERE.
To set up a consultation or training, contact us today. Additionally, our products and assessments help leaders develop the skills and capabilities needed to grow. Read our latest book: Ignite Your Imagination: 21 Ways to Learn.
Contact us to schedule a consultation:
https://innolectinc.com/contact-us/
(803) 396-8500
innolect@innolectinc.com