Employee Wellness Is a Matter of Life or Death
Many of us have spent the past two months hyper-alert about risks to our health and the health of our employees. The COVID-19 pandemic has put a laser focus on the need to protect our physical well-being, without much attention devoted to mental health. As signs of heightened levels of anxiety continue to manifest among society, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers coping mechanisms for dealing with COVID-19 related stress. But the overall decline in mental health and wellness has been occurring for years, not months.
“Suicide rates have increased in nearly every state over the past two decades, and half of the states have seen suicide rates go up more than 30 percent,” according to National Public Radio (NPR) in its summary of a 2018 CDC study.
Twenty-five states with more than 30 percent increase in suicide rates? You have to read this statistic a few times to fully comprehend its enormity, its tragedy, and its implications. And it’s becoming increasingly clear that this growing epidemic is not only a mental health problem.
Based on information from 27 U.S. states on suicides that occurred in 2015, 54 percent did not have previously known mental health issues. "Instead, these folks were suffering from other issues, such as relationship problems, substance misuse, physical health problems, job or financial problems, and recent crises or things that were coming up in their lives that they were anticipating," says Deborah Stone, behavioral scientist for CDC.
When considered in the context of the current crisis, this can feel ominous. We likely won’t know the full impact on mental health and suicide rates until long after we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. So, what can we do to protect the health and well-being of our employees and ourselves during this time of heightened stress and uncertainty? Even more, how can we build workplace cultures that promote whole-person health during this time of rapid change?
Take personal responsibility
It is imperative that we remain accountable for our self-care. Cultivating emotional intelligence (EQ) – comprised of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management – is critical, both in maintaining our own health and in modeling appropriate behaviors for our employees. Practicing mindfulness and meditation regularly can help encourage mental and emotional stability. And investing in physical health by focusing on nourishing and moving our bodies is crucial when so many of us are staying home.
A new article from Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) highlights that when we’re under stress, people “risk being less effective in their interactions, actions, and decision-making.” This is especially true for managers, who find themselves torn between their personal responsibilities and their responsibilities to their teams. Championing your wellness first is imperative before you can effectively lead your team through the crisis. You can’t help others put on their oxygen masks until you’ve first connected with your source of life-sustaining air.
Establish virtual boundaries
We live in a fast-paced, technology-enabled, and social media-addicted society where stress is worshipped as a trophy of productivity and purpose. The hyper-connectedness of the 21st century was intensifying well before COVID-19, but the current crisis has painted this picture in full color through the exponential increase in video conferencing, and the associated reports we’re now seeing of what a new article by Harvard Business Review refers to as “Zoom Fatigue.”
While there is much value to derive from our digital and boundary-blurred world, too much of any good thing can have detrimental effects. Without reasonable boundaries, we risk equating our digital presence with being visible, which only intensifies the pressure to always be “on.” But being digitally present isn’t what makes us visible within our social, professional, and family circles. Creating a sense of community, shared identity, and commitment to empathy is what builds the type of trust that transforms relationships, both personal and professional.
Health experts will tell you that promoting a healthy work-life balance is essential to sustaining employees’ health and well-being. And while this is true whether or not you work virtually, it’s certainly amplified by the increased “life load” so many of us are struggling to balance with our existing workload. Consider putting some boundaries in place for your team’s (and your own) digital communication practices to reduce stress levels and lower the risk of burnout.
Foster organizational well-being
Certainly, solving these complex problems requires far more than a personal mandate to protect your team’s holistic health or place limits on the number of virtual meetings you schedule each day. An understanding of the importance of employee health and well-being must be adopted at the organizational level. For example, many organizations today are focusing on initiatives to combat employee disengagement. Beyond their ability to improve morale, such programs also have the power to increase your employees’ overall wellness.
Forbes cites 14 practices leaders can implement to champion employee health. These initiatives go beyond seemingly superficial fixes such as flexible hours, fitness incentives, and nutrition plans. They include a deeper look at human purpose with the adoption of mindfulness and emotional intelligence training, gratitude practices, and corporate social responsibility programs. They allow employers to scale individual wellness practices for the entire organization.
In the absence of organizational programs promoting employee health, you can still foster a culture of resilience within your team. Creating a safe environment for employees to share concerns, express opinions, and encourage one another can help all of you to better manage stress and embrace challenges as opportunities for growth.
It’s time to act
What are you, as a people leader, doing today to ensure your employees’ wellness is a priority? What conversations have you had with stakeholders and what initiatives have you sponsored to protect organizational well-being? We no longer can assume everyone is okay or sit idly by as anxiety levels grow. The time to act is now.
We at Cynuria Consulting are passionate about helping individuals and organizations thrive. We want to help you. Contact us today to learn more.
*If you or someone you know is in danger of suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255.