There may never be a more critical time to promote mental wellness in the workplace than right now. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, 35% of Canadian employers said they were concerned about their employees’ mental health, and 27% said employees were less productive than before the pandemic, according to a recent survey by Morneau Shepell. The good news is, with the right resources, you can help employees stay mentally healthy.
If you’re looking for ways to help care for your staff, we’ve got a few tips and wellness giveaways to help employees take care of their mental health needs.
Take the lead in wellness
When it comes to promoting mental wellness in the workplace, walking the walk can be a much bigger influence on your staff than just talking the talk. Managers can encourage employees to care for their mental health by sharing that they’re:
- Taking a day off or staycation for their mental health—and not answering their phone or email.
- Blocking out time for a brain break or a therapy appointment.
- Going for a daily walk.
Connect them with your Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
While you may have informed your staff about your EAP during onboarding, they may not recall that these free or discounted services are available to them.
A wellness giveaway, like a brain-shaped hot-and-cold pack or stress reliever featuring the phone number of your EAP, can be a great way to remind them that services are there when they need them.
Allow flexibility
With rapidly shifting obligations and work needs, letting people choose their hours can help alleviate the stress that comes with handling doctor appointments, childcare obligations and more. Reach out to staff members to discuss how they can best balance work and life obligations. Ideas could include:
- Temporarily reducing employees’ hours without reducing their pay.
- Changing to shift work that allows staff to place their workday in a second shift slot so they can take care of other obligations during the day.
- Creating a flexible schedule where staff work hours available to them.
- Discussing how to best let team members know when they need to make schedule shifts in both the long- and short-term.
Create opportunities for self-care
If work and home are the same place, it can be a challenge to separate the two—resulting in workdays that seem to last longer. In fact, one study showed that staff are working an average of an extra 4.6 hours per week.
Consider putting together a self-care package with wellness giveaways to remind them to take advantage of downtime:
- Offer them a subscription to online exercise classes, along with an exercise band or fitness mat.
- Encourage them to get creative with a colouring book and pencils.
- Help them get better rest with a sleep mask.
Create wellness wins
Encouraging your associates to take care of their mental health helps them be better coworkers and employees. Today, promoting mental wellness in the workplace is more important than it’s ever been. With these tips, you’ll help make sure your team is ready to take on whatever the day brings.
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