Why mental health is important of employee?

The corona pandemic may have put some speed breakers on your journey, but now that things look better…you are ready to roll up your sleeves and get back to work. And as the manager or business owner, you are aware that your company’s bounce back to growth depends totally upon your team. This is because the success of every company depends upon the employee force which ideates, plans, operates and implements its strategies, regardless of the size or the type of operations. As a manager, you are proud of your employee-centric outlook. You want to make sure that your team has the best possible work environment so that productivity and creativity both are at the zenith. One important aspect that you should factor in is mental health…this is especially true now when the pandemic has clouded the future with uncertainty and uncertainty breeds anxiety. The pandemic situation had unprecedented repercussions. The long lockdowns with restricted social interaction brought several mental issues to the surface. The ‘Work from home’ scenario intensified depression in many people due to the imposed isolation.

• The constant bombardment of media news flashes increased the prevalence of anxiety and panic disorders.
• The fear of falling ill or the dread of death affected a multitude of people because we were navigating unchartered waters with this unknown virus that took the world by storm and left thousands of dead in every wave. Many people suffered from paranoia due to the deadly nature of the virus.
• The economic aftermath of the pandemic was also devastating as many businesses suffered losses and had to shut down. The economy went on a downslide.  Remunerations were cut and promotions and increments were put on hold. A multitude of people suffered from anxiety because they worried about the wave of recession, shutdown of companies and subsequent job loss.

The pandemic thus both caused and exacerbated mental and emotional problems among people. While you try to navigate through changes in your work paradigms, you should also understand that your workforce may be grappling with issues like anxiety, depressions, burnout, stress, paranoia, sleep disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder. As a responsible and proactive manager or entrepreneur, it is your duty to understand this spate of mental issues in your workforce and try to help them stay afloat. So as a leader, what will be your way forward?

Create awareness : Mental health issues are not only challenging to the sufferer, they can pull down productivity and reduce performance. As a manager or employer, it is a must for you to create awareness in your team about these issues so that the triggers are absolved, stressors are minimized and issues are addressed before they become big problems. You have to play an active role in debunking myths and curtailing the unjustified stigma associated with mental health issues.

Communicate : Be sure to convey to your employees that you not only appreciate their performance but also treasure their physical and mental well-being. Talk to them about prioritizing their health and self-care. Reassure them about the covid-related precautions and protocol that your company will follow so as to put their minds at ease while returning to work. Also give them reassurance about their job security.

Be supportive : There has always been a stigma shrouding mental health problems in India. Employees are hesitant to speak openly about their emotional problems like anxiety, depression, stress and seek professional help for them. As a manager, be sure to cultivate trust and create an environment where your employees feel comfortable to share their emotional issues so that they can be nipped in the bud with professional help.

Offer flexibility : The covid situation brought forward challenges in childcare and elderly care. Be sure to address these issues as work life balance is essential to enhance productivity. Try to reduce stressors at work so as to promote a harmonious work environment.

Organize professional help : Be sure to invest in a professional team of healthcare givers who can support your team’s mental health requirements. Depending upon the size of your business, you can either have this facility in-house or else outsource these services to other professionals. Make your workforce aware of these resources and encourage them to use them.

As an employer or manager, you should incorporate the following pandemic-specific strategies in your return-to-work plan to boost the mental well-being of your workforce

• Convey that you are taking care of Covid protocol namely repeated disinfection, improved air filtration, access to testing, validation of vaccination certificates etc. to reduce fear of getting infected.
• Support flexible remote work options to ensure social distancing when a smaller number of people are in the workplace.
• Organize on-site mental health assessments and counselling services if feasible. Arrange for employee assistance programmes which can include family insurance, hospitalization financial aid etc.

Benefits of nurturing your team’s mental health

• Enhances employee well-being.
• Improves job satisfaction.
• Reduces absenteeism.
• Boosts productivity.
• Reduces attrition.

To summarize, the pandemic has not only dealt a massive blow to physical health, it has cascaded in a devastating mental health crisis too. You can say that along with the viral pandemic, a psychological pandemic has struck people worldwide. As an employer or manager, you must be compassionate to these problems and proactively prioritize helping your workforce deal with them. If you have your own Occupational Healthcare set-up, it will be easy for you to initiate mental health support systems. If an in-house OHC facility is not available, you can rely on Oshmedics, which has more than two decades of experience and expertise in the sphere of Occupational Health and Safety practices in Hospertz.

Dr. Vishal Jadhav

oshmedic2017@gmail.com

+91 9820833149 / 9867712705