Since the second Covid-19 crisis has started, the world has changed even more. Depression and mental problems in general, have increased all over the world. More particularly, employees are feeling more and more anxious, stressed and isolated. Also, they feel emotionally tired and overwhelmed by this whole situation. Work from home is a great benefit for numerous reasons, but it has also tired a lot of employees who are thirsty for a return back to normality and to their daily routine in the office.
As a company leader, you can support your employees’ mental health. It has been shown that people can deal with change and adapt to new circumstances easily, but they don’t get along with uncertainty. With Covid-19, uncertainty has entered every aspect of our lives – work, money and mostly health. Knowing all these facts, you can help your employees, following the steps below.
Be there for them
Based on research, a significant percentage of employees have admitted that their company hasn’t even asked them about their mental health, since the beginning of the pandemic. So how do you plan to help them, if, first of all, you haven’t asked them how they are doing? Maybe you want to be discrete and respect their privacy, but studies have shown that employees feel comfortable sharing their feelings with their managers. Therefore, open the communication door to them and wait for them to respond. Also, it’s very important that you do the job by yourself and you don’t outsource it to the HR department.
Be a devoted and focused listener
When an employee chooses to open up about his feelings regarding his mental health, you need to listen carefully. Don’t try to help them solve their problems at once. Instead, just listen, understand what they are saying and show that you pay attention to them with your body language. Moreover, don’t be afraid to tell them about your mental health at the moment and how you are dealing with the situation yourself. Show them that they are not alone in all these and other people are handling difficulties too.
Consistency is the key
The issue of mental health is not done after just one conversation. A solution to uncertainty that the employees are facing is to give them consistency in your communication. It would be really beneficial to arrange a weekly communication on the matter. Studies have also shown, that when it comes to mental health, employees prefer a direct call from their manager. Furthermore, employees that have a manager with poor communication skills, are more likely to feel unsupported and experience a mental breakdown.
Reveal your “secret” resources
Let it be known regarding what mental health resources you are using are where can any employee find them. You need to be proactive and not just wait for your employees to start asking in order to spread the word. Communicate the message, so that anyone who wants to take advantage of these resources, is given the opportunity to do so. Others may not want to use this advantage, but they will feel safer and less stressed just by knowing they are there, if they need them.
Covid-19 has had an impact on everyone’s mental health and as a company, it’s your moral obligation to ease the pain and the anxiety of your employees, as much as possible.
