When the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, it hit the workplace hard. Many people were contracting the virus, getting sick, and passing away. In order to stop the spread of COVID-19, many businesses temporarily closed leaving people out of work. Although some employers permitted their employees to work from home, many people faced challenges completing their job responsibilities and navigating virtual teaching their school aged children. The COVID-19 pandemic brought several unpredictable changes, and many people felt overwhelmed, stressed, anxious and depressed. Employers can assist their workers with their emotional state by implementing mental health-based employee wellness programs.
An employee wellness program consists of events and activities that support, maintain and improve the employee’s well-being. In the context of mental health, an employee wellness plan promotes initiatives to help reduce stress or other psychological conditions. Employee wellness programs are needed when an employee feels isolated because of working from home and not engaging with co-workers. Also, they are a good resource when an individual has a sense of hopelessness that the pandemic will never end.
Not only are employee wellness programs beneficial to workers, but they are advantageous to employers as well. They increase work productivity, employee engagement, morale, retention, and decrease stress and depression.
For employers who do not have employee wellness programs, it is never too late to start! They can develop them by surveying their workforce to determine the types of events and activities that workers would like to have. Next, they can take the information from the studies to create programs and goals. Then, the employers can implement the events and activities. Last, they can determine if their goals were met, and collect feedback from the participating employees.
For employers who have no clue about employee wellness programs and want to learn more about them, please contact me! I can get you started; I have implemented many of them. Some of the resources that I have seen in the workplace that promote and support mental health well-being are on site yoga classes and meditation breaks. If an employer has a mostly remote workforce, it can schedule virtual activities to encourage mental health wellness. Thus, there are many events and activities that employers can develop to help their employees!
