5 Ultimate Tips for Employee Wellbeing and Mental Wellness

A smart strategy to build a strong business is to focus on employee wellbeing. Employee wellbeing is directly linked to employee engagement and productivity. Hence, focusing on your employees’ emotional and mental wellbeing makes an organization stronger across the board. Mental health is one of the most critical factors in upholding employee wellbeing.

A study conducted in 2015 by the World Health Organization (WHO) showed that one in five Indians suffer from some sort of depression in their lifetime; this number equals to 200 million people. It is a prevalent issue among many people that remain unaddressed most of the time.

Mental health problems not only affect a person’s personal and social relationship but also puts a strain on his/her work performance. The COVID pandemic has put additional stress on the mental health and emotional wellbeing of the workforce. According to a recent report by the Economic Times, there has been a 35-40% increase in professionals seeking counselling to deal with mental stress due to isolation as a result of the COVID-19 induced lockdown.

It is here that companies should start playing a more proactive role, addressing the issue of employee wellness. They need to create a more conducive work environment for their employees that make them productive as well as content and happy.

Here are some tips that can help employers manage employee wellbeing regarding emotional and mental wellness.

Enhance the Office Culture

The work environment impacts an employee’s mood, drive for work, mental health and performance. If employees dread to go to work, they won’t have job satisfaction which in turn will harm their productivity. Therefore, creating a positive work environment that focuses on employee wellbeing is a critical factor to the success of any business. 

Creating a transparent office culture means the company is open about its plans to its employees and the employees in turn also become honest with one another, and they become trustful of the company and its policies. When employees open up about their problems, it helps companies understand their employees and their problems better.

Companies need to be mindful of various emotional triggers while communicating with employees and try to be as supportive and transparent in their interactions. When talking about issues related to performance, highlight their strengths first and help them develop their own solutions in areas where they need improvement. This emotional mindfulness can improve mental health of employees, and subsequently, become essential for employee wellness.

Show You Care

Companies can bring in mental health counselors to help their employees deal with stress-related issues. Many Indian companies like Tata Steel and Mahindra & Mahindra have started hiring mental health professionals to help their employees deal with stress. Another Indian firm, Lupin, has roped in mental health professionals to deal with isolation and other mental triggers that has become a challenge across industries. It can immensely help employees deal with their psychological disturbances, especially when they are working from home during this pandemic.

To boost employee wellness and reduce their stress level, companies can put technology to good use. The employers can use technology in providing different mental health programs like meditation platforms, licensed counsellors on call and virtual sessions for employees to understand and adopt stress management techniques and related coping practice.

Apart from inviting mental health professionals, senior team members should play a guiding role and advice the younger and junior employees on how to cope with stress. Seniors can model their own behavior and coping mechanism so that the junior folks observe and learn from them. They should listen to the younger team members, encourage them to ask questions or concerns, and preserve the boundaries they need. 

Discover Areas of Improvement

To help those employees who find it difficult to manage stress, companies can help them by making adjustments in their working conditions. Providing them with flexible work schedules and balanced workload will give them the space and time to develop their own coping mechanism.

Companies should also reduce the stigma surrounding mental health so that employees are not viewed negatively because of a particular condition such as anxiety or depression. Make it clear that everyone struggles to cope with stress sometimes. Such emotional support can improve employee wellness, because people will find the courage to speak about their troubles.

Businesses should make wellness a priority by encouraging their staff to exercise, form healthy eating habits and participate in leisure activities. All these factors play a positive role in the mental wellbeing of an individual, especially for employees working remotely.

Encourage taking personal time off 

Even when working from home during this pandemic, employees can experience virtual fatigue. Since offices are within their homes, it is not easy to create a boundary. Employees know that they can be summoned at any time to solve exigencies at work. To boost employee wellness, companies should encourage its staff to use their leaves even if they do not go anywhere. They can use this time to unplug and recharge within the confines of their homes with their family.

Personal time off reduces stress and fatigue, increases creativity and productivity, allows for cross-training among team members, creates an opportunity for the management to model employee behavior, and gives employees the ability to balance life and work. During a leave or personal time off, a person may choose to read a book which he or she may find difficult after office hours. He or she can listen to music, indulge in cooking, binge watch movies, or do anything they like in order to unwind.

Large companies like Hindustan Unilever, L’Oréal India, Nestle India, Godrej Group and others are giving employees “wellness day-offs” or encouraging them to take leaves to ensure that employees take a much-needed break from work. 

A Happy Employee is an Asset

Employee wellness – both physical and emotional – plays a crucial role in their productivity. When employees are healthy and emotionally happy, they are more productive and satisfied at work. Companies should offer the much-needed support to their employees to overcome their personal crisis. This is not only the ethical and moral thing to do but it is an excellent business investment when you have happy employees who look forward to each day at work with a positive attitude.

The mental health of employees seems to have deteriorated because of the global pandemic, causing a deep dent in employee wellbeing. Some may argue, but many people find the traditional office-going culture more appealing compared to remote working. The traditional office culture involved face-to-face communication. People talked about their professional issues and addressed crises. Often, colleagues became friends who spoke about their personal troubles. However, in a remote working scenario, it is not possible, and sometimes, there is a gap between colleagues. This results in alienation, mainly in people who are isolated in cities away from home.

As a result of constant mental pressure and loneliness, many people lose interest in their jobs and decide to quit. Some stay afloat to pay their bills, but the enjoyment of work loses its intensity. To help these employees, companies can take up measures. All the above-mentioned employee wellness tips can help the employees take care of their mental health and also stay physically fit.

Employee Wellbeing FAQ's

1) How to promote employee wellbeing in the workplace?

Companies can promote employee wellbeing in many ways –

• They can help the employee in attaining a work-life balance
• They can organize interactive sessions where employees can connect with others (in case everyone is working from home)
• Companies can encourage employees to adopt a healthy lifestyle, e.g., working out and eating healthy
• Encourage the employees to take up breaks and leaves to unwind, even if they don’t go anywhere
• Hire psychologists to help the employees deal with emotional stress and anxiety

2) What is the difference between wellness and wellbeing?

Wellness and wellbeing have distanced meanings. Wellness means, living an overall healthy lifestyle without any serious health problem or an acute disease. Whereas, wellbeing has a broader spectrum that encompasses mental, as well as physical health.

3) Why should employers invest in employee wellbeing?

A healthy employee, physically and mentally, can be more productive, and creative in workplace. Since employees are the assets of any organization that do not have any depreciation, employee wellbeing becomes crucial in retaining that undiminishing value.

4) What are the best ways to increase employee wellbeing?

The best ways to increase employee wellness and employee wellbeing are –

• Create a relaxed, interactive, and comfortable work environment for everyone
• Helping employees attain work-life integration (especially if they are working from home)
• Allow them leave when they need it
• Encourage employees to use their available leaves so that they can unwind in their favorite way

5) What are the benefits of employee wellness program?

Employee wellness programs are essential to keep your employees stress-free and relaxed. It can –

• Boost productivity
• Reduce attrition rate
• Encourage creativity and innovation in workplace
• Boost employee morale, etc.,