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.png "Mental Health in the Workplace, Continuing to Support Mental Health")
Mary Barefoot
August 09, 2022
Newsletter ArticleAs the workplace continues to normalize, employers should continue to keep employees’ mental health and wellness top of mind. Workflow and schedules appear to be rebounding with uncertain consistency, but employers cannot allow mental and physical health support to fall to the wayside.
Now more than ever, employees are beginning to recognize the need for and utilization of health services and programs. In some ways, the pandemic and all the challenges presented through isolation, social distancing and disconnectedness has helped normalize the mental health and wellness conversation. A safer space was created as COVID-19 leveled the workplace across employee classifications and categories. Freedom to admit unashamedly the struggles of everyday life occurring within the stressful environment of the pandemic suddenly became acceptable.
While employers may be tempted to ease away from proactive policies like mental health days or extra vacation, these programs will continue to be vital to the strength of the workforce. Employees will look for opportunities to unwind and destress to maintain their engagement and productivity levels, whether at home, in the office or hybrid.
The taboo associated with mental health may have been greatly reduced in an era where burnout, anxiety, and breakdowns are commonplace. However, stressors have not been removed, they have only evolved. Now threats of recession, inflation, war, unrest and new COVID strains plague the stability of our lives.
The wellbeing of our employees is priority, but they are not the only ones impacted by these stressors. Everyone in the family unit is subject to external stressors and those occurring internally within the family. Employees need benefits that will support their families. Adequate coverage for health and mental services, as well as flexibility to be physically present to care for members of one’s family, are essential.
Today, employees are more aware of their mental and wellbeing needs and those of their family. While the world of work begins to return to former norms, returning to all pre-pandemic norms would not be positive. Specially reducing benefits, flexibility or acceptance of mental health and wellness challenges are surely counterproductive. As employers, we have seen the negative toll neglecting our mental and physical health can have on employees. Continuing to support employees for the utmost holistic health is a something both sides of the equations can benefit from.
