With over 240 million vaccine doses administered, the pandemic may end soon. Despite this, some people are still wary about leaving their homes until they are fully vaccinated. Even though they felt safe in their homes, they may still feel stressed because of the entire situation. The stress they feel may end up affecting their productivity while working from home.
With this, companies may want to monitor the mental and emotional health of their employees. Monitoring their health allows companies to implement measures to improve their mental health, which will translate to better productivity.
Express Gratitude
Having a positive work environment is a good first step for a company to help improve the mental health of its employees. This situation does not only apply to employees working on-site since it also works with work-from-home employees. Companies can encourage this positivity by showing gratitude for the hard work the employee puts in at work.
Sometimes a virtual pat on the back makes the employee feel valued at work. And when employees see that their employers recognize their efforts despite their situation, they tend to embrace their employer’s goals and have a sense of purpose. The company should show gratitude or recognize the employee right after he performed well in his job. This has a bigger effect compared to a regular quarterly or annual recognition ceremony of the company.
Encourage Breaks
The company should also encourage their employees to take their regular breaks. While working at home makes them feel comfortable, the employees should still follow their scheduled breaks to allow them to rest for a while. Taking regular breaks allows the bran to rest for a while and allow it to tackle difficult tasks later on. Taking a break during the workday allows a person to increase his productivity throughout the day.
Taking a break also enhances the mental well-being of employees and allows them to feel refreshed every day. Aside from the scheduled breaks during the workday, the company can also encourage their employees to go on a vacation. While they may not be keen on traveling, they can spend their vacation spending quality time with their family or go on a camping trip in parks that are not crowded.
Taking these breaks can reduce the risk of burnout. An employee experiencing burnout will affect his productivity and hurt the bottom line of the company. Due to this, the employee should take a break every so often, and the company should encourage it.
Provide Mental Health Care Resources
The company should also provide its employees access to mental health resources. These resources can include positive news about the pandemic, such as the increasing number of fully vaccinated people. It can also provide specific services that the employees can use, such as counseling or assistance.
Additionally, the company should have a network of mental health professionals or at least a mental health co-responder who can help if an employee needs professional help. Keeping employees happy encourages productivity and engagement among employees. To do this, companies should be attentive to the needs of their employees. This is particularly important during a pandemic when employees may feel demotivated at work. Due to this, the company should be attentive to the needs of its employees.
The current pandemic may also increase the need for a happiness program that the company can integrate into its wellness initiative. These programs can help improve the mental health of its employees and increase their productivity.
Check Employees Regularly
Since the employees are working from home, it’s challenging for the company to monitor their mental well-being. This makes it difficult for the company to know if an employee is struggling or not. Therefore, it is important for the company to check its employees regularly.
The pandemic and current work-from-home arrangement of many employees are taking a toll on their mental health. Many employees may be struggling yet some companies may not be checking on them. Companies should take this into account, especially when it comes to employees who are living alone. These employees may miss the socialization they did when they were still working at the office.
Besides asking the employees how they are doing, companies should also inquire about the type of support that can help them. The company should also listen to the employees and encourage them to share their concerns. This may thread a thin line between micromanaging and showing sincere concern for the employee’s welfare. But the company needs to check on its employees to ensure they are mentally healthy.
Companies should make sure to take care of the mental health of their employees since it will translate to better productivity on the part of the employee.