There is a whole new challenge for companies in the age of
working from home during the coronavirus pandemic. Because every employee
is isolated and may even be home alone, the mental health ramifications are
quite profound. There are adjustments to be made when it comes to being at home
each and every day, doing that over a long-term basis, but then also adjusting
to normal life once we are all free to go back to the corporate office.
They might see medical personnel right outside of their apartment window; they
might be reading reports of hospitals reaching maximum occupancy. This creates
a whole new level of anxiety, even for those who might wonder what to do if
they need to go to the doctor to fix a sprained arm or check a rash. The
low-level stress from the pandemic they feel is escalated when there is a work
conflict, they miss the mark on a project or they feel isolated.
Fortunately, there are some best practices companies can encourage and
implement that will help employees stay connected. Some of these tips might
seem over-the-top or unusual, or even unnecessary during normal times, but this
is a difficult situation.
Employees at a company may be experiencing serious dread and fear depending on
where they live. By offering a more intentional approach to helping with mental
help, you’ll find there is at least some relief.
These tips are designed to assist employees right away and include an extra
note about how to implement the idea effectively in a way that will actually
help with mental health.
1. Daily check-in meetings
This might seem obvious but meeting daily as a check-in was not a common
occurrence before the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of us are too busy to do a
meeting every day at 8am or for lunch. In the current climate, it is 100%
necessary for mental health. Doing a daily meeting can help employees from
feeling so isolated. Depending on the company size, you can meet with everyone
or hold check-ins by department or team in smaller groups.
How to implement effectively:
It’s important to pick a standard video chat app such as Zoom and to
set some guidelines for these check-ins, such as asking every employee to leave
their microphone on at all times and to show their video feed. The reason is
that you can then see and hear the employee and know how they are feeling and
note their body language. It’s too easy to sneak into a Zoom chat with the
video disabled and mike muted, but then your team won’t know who is struggling
or having mental health issues that day.
2. Flexible time before and after meetings
Technology has become a major enabler during this crisis, especially since many
home-bound workers have fast broadband. It means employees can check-in by
video chat with a click on their smartphone or laptop. However, one of the
practices that has lingered from before the crisis is to get right down to
business. We schedule a meeting, expect people to arrive on time, and then dive
right in. During the pandemic, it’s important to allow more flexibility. Just
because every employee is a click away from a meeting doesn’t mean they are
mentally ready. Allow for casual conversation before a meeting starts and after
to encourage more connection time.
How to implement effectively:
for this to work, managers need to be understanding and patient about the
challenges during the pandemic and also much more intentional. The old habit of
jumping into the details needs to be adjusted. Instead, schedule in the casual
chat time for every meeting and let the conversation flow freely. Make sure
every employee has a voice and has the time to “shoot the breeze” over Zoom as
a way to alleviate stress.
3. Encourage work time exercise
Again, this might seem like an odd step to take. Normally, an employer is not
responsible for the physical health of employees, although that has changed in
recent years as some companies have encouraged daily walks or yoga in the
office. It’s even more important now.
Exercise is one of the more important methods of relieving stress and helping
employees feel less isolated. You could even create an exercise program for all
employees and create a reward system for completing objectives such as miles
walked outside or reps for an indoor workout.
How to implement effectively:
One suggestion here is to “mandate” (in a casual way) that everyone
participates in a daily walk or workout routine. You can even hold this on Zoom
or Skype with everyone using a smartphone and chatting as they do the
workout. To make this more effective, you could hold the exercise meet-up at
the same time every day.
4. Focused mental health chats
All of the tips so far are related to normal meetings, flexible time and
exercise. These tips help employees who are dealing with the crisis the best
way they can. However, it might not be enough as the pandemic lingers and we
stay in lockdown at home. Other mental health issues might arise including
feelings of isolation, loneliness, and depression, which may affect
productivity. You could argue that daily check-ins and exercise are more
preventative steps and help employees do their work. A more focused discussion
about mental health – using your EAP Assist counsellor to help your employees
— may also be necessary.
How to implement effectively:
In normal times, you’d encourage employees to seek help on their own. However,
a slight push to use of your EAP Assist counsellor may be currently warranted
help address workplace issues, conflicts, loss of productivity and help that
employee find actual solutions related to their remote work situation.
