Leaders need practical insights to guide their mental health strategy and help their population persevere after the prolonged pandemic. eM Life, a Wondr Health Company, regularly surveys participants to stay connected to their evolving needs. eM Life uses these insights from thousands of individuals across the globe to develop custom resources and programming to address needs in real-time.
What follows are the latest insights that leaders can use to help their population emerge healthier, happier, and more resilient.
1. Help Your Workforce Connect to Their Values to Improve Health and Productivity
Leaders can help individuals reconnect to their values and cultivate habits that positively impact their well-being. In a recent survey of participants, more than half of the responses indicated that participants valued family, friends, health, and well-being. Being intentional about cultivating an environment where work-life balance and time to dedicate to relationships and health are encouraged will have a positive ripple effect on the well-being and productivity of your workforce.
2. Address Decision Fatigue Through Stress Reduction and Self-Care
With the prolonged pandemic has come ongoing uncertainty, the weight of making decisions with impactful consequences, and often the need to make many of the same decisions over and over again, all leading to mental overload and depletion of energy and willpower.
In a recent survey, 45% of participants said they experienced decision fatigue. Of those, nearly one-third pointed to uncertainty as a challenging factor associated with making decisions. Encouraging your population to take mindfulness breaks to gain clarity on what is most important and providing them with resources to manage stress and engage in self-care will help to curb decision fatigue.
3. Curb Stress Through Recognition
With the increased stress and anxiety, isolation, and current financial distress, employees are in need of benefits that directly address these pain points. A recent survey found that time off, instant positive feedback and spot bonuses are needed to cope with mental health concerns, a desire for connection, and the financial stability our workforce is craving over nice-to-have perks and gifts. Consider using these insights to evolve your employee recognition program to retain top talent through the pandemic and beyond.
4. Use Gratitude As an Antidote to Burnout
Encouraging your population to allocate time and resources for a regular gratitude practice can help curb the effects of burnout and improve the overall health of your organization.
5. Inquire About Mood and Sleep to Assess the Mental Health of Your Workforce
The wellbeing industry has struggled to standardize a measurement for mental health. When we asked our participants how they measure it for themselves, nearly 75% reported that they gauge mental wellness through their mood and sleep. This suggests that you can ask your staff specific questions about their mood and how they are sleeping to invite a conversation on mental health and gain a better understanding of how they are doing and what support they need.
6. Give Your Employees Choice and Flexibility To Bring Out the Best in Them
The workforce is continuing to juggle work and home life amid ongoing uncertainty, disruption, and change. Having a choice in when and how often individuals work from home or the office and having the ability to work the hours they need to manage personal responsibilities were top priorities employees reported in a recent survey.
Employers can place their value in their people and offer flexible hours and work-from-home policies with an emphasis on productivity and connection versus hours spent working. Cultivating an environment that fosters flexibility while clearly communicating expectations and creating opportunities for colleagues to connect will help your population thrive.
7. Address the Whole Person While Building Relationships at Work
When we asked our participants what has helped them manage their mental and emotional health over the last year, we found that activities that were within an individual’s control ranked higher, indicating that starting or restarting an exercise routine, practicing self-care, and engaging in a consistent mindfulness practice were valuable.
Activities that required help from others ranked lower. Being intentional about helping your population build relationships at work and focusing on the health of the whole person is more important than ever. To advance your mental health strategy and gain access to timely insights and resources, learn more about eM Life.
