3 Tips on How HR can Contribute to Improve Employee’s Mental Health

Working all day at home during a pandemic often causes fatigue and affects mental health due to losing physical contact with other individuals. This is a major concern for HR professionals to deal with increasingly complex mental health issues. Based on an article launched by Forbes, research conducted by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) shows that most remote employees experience adverse mental health effects such as isolation, loneliness, and difficulty getting away from work at the end of the day.

With the emergence of fears and new kinds of stress caused by monotonous work habits and lack of social interaction, employees reported that 51% of their mental health was in danger of declining since the start of the pandemic. Meanwhile, 30% of employees are afraid to express their feelings for the company due to fear of being fired and considered unprofessional.

Due to the uncertainty and significant impact that the COVID-19 pandemic brings to the employees, HR professionals must construct strategies to improve employee behavioral health while working remotely. As HR professionals, we must support transparency, flexibility, and be committed to meeting the needs of employees by optimizing workflow operations and work performance to build a comfortable working atmosphere for the workforce.

Here are some ways that HR can apply to contribute to improving workforce mental health:

#1 Holding Mental Health Support Activities

As a professional HR, you understand the dynamics of employee life and how it impacts mental health. The collaboration between the company and HR is crucial to reducing stigma and educating the workforce on the importance of mental health, namely by holding or providing mental health support training.

This training can be carried out internally by presenting a professional psychologist consultant to explain first aid if employees experience mental health disorders. In addition to inviting a psychologist, as HR, you can enroll employees in an online counseling program so they can treat and get help with mental health on their own before it gets worse.

#2 Cultivating and Valuing Empathy in the Workplace

Cultivating empathy in the workplace can create a sense of security for employees who want to share their mental health stories about their feelings while working remotely. The HR department can provide a platform for workers to complain and provide emotional and empathetic support for those who feel their mental health has been affected while working remotely in the current pandemic era. Providing emotional support and channeling empathy towards others can foster strong social connections or relationships and optimize personal well-being.

#3 Set a Flexible Schedule

As a form of support for balancing employee work and personal life, HR professionals can contribute to creating flextime, telecommunicating, and unlimited paid time off (PTO) policies to embrace flexibility in the workplace. Although the balance between work and personal life is challenging to implement, especially for employees who have high work responsibilities, the contribution of the HR department to establish a flexible schedule can provide change and ease the workload felt by employees to minimize mental health disorders.

Fatigue and stress are normal feelings that employees often encounter when working remotely. Companies must acknowledge and normalize these feelings. As HR professionals, being sensitive to and helping employees navigate fatigue and mental health problems contributes to creating a supportive and embracing work environment.

This article is sourced from HR Exchange Network, Forbes, Tig Advisors and Michael Page

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