How to Better Prioritize Mental Health for Your Employees

Everybody’s mental health has suffered in varying degrees during the COVID-19 pandemic. The uncertainty of the situation, the panic that came with the lack of information, and having to adapt to a completely new work routine was the perfect mix for an increase in anxiety, financial insecurity, and worry for loved ones among most workers. 

Now, after a very efficient and successful vaccine distribution, more and more companies are requiring workers to come back to the office and back to things as they were before the pandemic hit. 

To some this is fantastic news, others have seen this as another threat to their mental and physical health. After all, the pandemic is not fully over yet, and the fears that came with it are still very present in most peoples’ minds. 

Add to that the fact that in a little over a year and a half, people started to feel like they had some sort of control over their routines when working remotely. Not to mention the huge change that going from being completely alone or around very few people all day to going straight into crowded public transportation and huge crowds will feel like for most. 

So making mental health in the workplace should be a priority for most companies, especially during this transition period. 

Here is a quick guide to help you better prioritize mental health in the workplace:

Stay flexible

Making it mandatory for every employee to come into the office does not help promote mental health. Instead, you might want to keep the option of working remotely open for those who don’t prefer to head back to the office. 

Even if your goal is to have everybody back in the office at a certain date, it is better if you let your employees ease into the idea of going back in person by providing them with the option of working from home or in a safe coworking space, even if it’s only part-time or temporary. Coworking spaces are proven to increase productivity and benefit mental health.

Promote emotional well-being

Help your employees to keep track of their emotional well-being by providing them the tools and resources they need for that purpose. There are many apps that help people track their pulse, mood, and engagement every day. Also giving them the option of taking a decompression day to focus on their mental health can be a great way of helping people not feel overwhelmed. 

Pay attention to warning signs

Learning to identify early warning signs can help you provide assistance to your employees before their mental health hits a low point they can’t bounce back from easily. 

Some common signs are struggling to meet deadlines, resistance when given feedback or having strong reactions to minor incidents. If you notice any of these, you might want to reach out to these employees privately. 

When the time comes to look at flexible remote working options for you and your employees, let Shift Workspaces guide the way and show you a better way of working.

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