Aakanksha Tangri, Founder of Re:Set, offers few easy steps to help boost productivity in the workplace while being mindful of employees mental health.
With the roll out of the vaccine and people heading back to the physical workspace, it can be a jarring experience to navigate a very different world and readjust to social interactions and everyday life after being indoors for over a year. It can trigger feelings of anxiety and concern for our well-being and those of our loved ones. Employers need to be cognizant of that and ensure considerations are in place for their team in order to make the transition back to the workplace smoother. If your team member isn’t feeling mentally great, it will have an impact on their productivity and eventually trickle down and impact the business. It’s imperative that steps are taken to better support team well-being. Think about the bottom line: an involved team is “more profitable” and “teams who score in the top 20% in engagement realize a 41% reduction in absenteeism, and 59% less turnover.” Here are a few easy steps to help boost productivity in the workplace whilst being mindful of employees mental health:
Telecommuting
Look into letting your team rotate schedules and work from home two days a week to ease them back into the workplace. Allowing them to do a gradual transition will help assuage their anxiety about reentering the world. It will also help in practising social distancing measures in the workplace and give you time to figure out what’s working and what doesn’t. Now is the time to embrace flexibility.
Consideration for parents
If you have parents working on your team, look at how you can better support them. This summer will be difficult for them as their children remain primarily indoors. Whether it’s letting them work remotely or being considerate of their family life with appointments, accommodating their needs will help improve their well-being and reduce stress levels. By reducing the challenges of juggling family with work during this time, it will boost their overall well-being and employees will be more productive as a result.
Continue WFH
If you can, look at whether your team has the option to continue working from home for the next few months. Allow employees to decide for themselves if they prefer to come into the office or continue to self-isolate, especially for those who are immunocompromised or just feel more comfortable in a controlled environment. By giving employees a choice in making a decision about their well-being, it will help curb any uneasy thoughts they may have about returning to work.
Social distancing and hygiene measures
One of the most effective ways to support employee well-being is to have adequate social distancing and hygiene measures in place in accordance with government guidelines. Ask the employees what measures would make them feel more comfortable: whether it’s more hand sanitizers, making face masks and gloves available, regular testing, temperature checks or reshuffling the office layout to practice social distancing. Knowing their concerns are being taken into account and steps made to address them will contribute towards their workplace well-being.
Employee wellness program
Look at implementing a workplace wellness program to help in normalizing conversations around mental health at work and aid employees in their well-being journey. The benefits of an employee wellness program are plenty including increased morale, better mental health, staff retention and company growth and culture. Mental health challenges have become amplified under COVID-19 and now is the time to address them collectively. Of course, there are also many online resources that are there to support and offer solutions, education and words of encouragement via community conversations which you can direct your employees to for further support.
