July 22, 2020|Corporate Mental Health, Mental Health
Businesses Must Prioritize Employee Safety and Support to Succeed in 2020 and Beyond
COVID-19 has left us all feeling uncertain. We’re all doing our best to find a balance between earning an income and protecting our health (as well as the health of others). This has been particularly challenging for employers, who are faced with a tough reality: re-open and remain afloat or shut down and risk closing permanently.
If you’re an employer, you have likely felt guilt asking your team members to return to the workplace. You don’t want to put anyone at risk. But you also don’t want to lose a business you’ve invested your time, energy, and hard-earned money in.
Simply stated? You’re between a rock and a hard place.
This is why, today, I want to emphasize two very important points:
- It’s okay to admit as an employer that you don’t have all the answers when it comes to returning to work.
- There are clear, actionable steps you can follow while supporting employees during COVID-19.
These steps can serve as a great foundation for business owners who are doing their best to navigate the “new norm”.
How to Support Your Team as They Return to Work
Step 1 – Prioritize Mental Health
The coronavirus pandemic has affected us all in different ways. Your employees may be facing difficult circumstances as a result of COVID-19, like adjusting to taking care of school-aged children full-time, caring for an elderly loved one who has a higher risk of contracting the virus, or struggling to pay the bills if their partner was laid-off due to COVID-19 cutbacks.
One of the best ways to demonstrate your commitment to employee wellness is to offer mental health training to your team members who are returning to work during COVID-19.
Educating staff about the warning signs of overwhelm, how to advocate for their wellness, and the resources that are available to them can have a significant positive impact— not just for your employees, but for your business as a whole.
Step 2 – Communicate Consistently
Educating I mentioned above, it’s okay to not have all the answers right away. But what isn’t okay is leaving your employees in the dark.
Open, transparent communication is a key factor in building a work environment that fosters trust and engagement.
Consider starting a daily “Manager’s Message” in the form of an email and sending it to all team members, posting bulletins in a lunchroom or common area, or increasing your number of staff meetings (while adhering to COVID-19 guidelines, of course).
Be honest in conversations with your team. Admit when you aren’t sure about something. Be clear about next steps. The more you include employees who are returning to work, the more unified your team will be moving forward.
Step 3 – Diligently Uphold Your Risk Mitigation Strategy
When you set health and safety expectations with employees—and uniformly enforce guidelines—it shows how much you value their well-being.
Reducing the likelihood of an outbreak is an integral part of employee safety and support, and will continue to be for as long as COVID-19 remains a health concern.
Train your staff on the health measures they will be expected to abide by. Limit the number of team members in any given area and implement social distancing. Discuss your planned processes for sanitization, employee screening, and self-isolation.
Again, transparency and unification are essential here. Keep your team informed and aware as often and as consistently as possible.
How We Can Help
Our Mental Health Matters session was specifically-created for the workplace. It is an engaging, conversational 8-hour training program that highlights self-care practices, research-backed resources, and strategies for creating an accepting, respectful work environment.
Interested? Book your session today.