A recent MetLife study found that half of employees feel stressed for more than 50% of their workday. This is perhaps unsurprising given the COVID-19 pandemic, which has left employees at a higher risk for mental health conditions like anxiety and depression.
In light of these findings, employers have a responsibility to be mindful of their workers’ emotional wellbeing. Doing so is not just an act of kindness, but a smart business move. Creating healthy and productive workspaces helps prevent burnout, lower employee turnover, and maximize work efficiency. Fortunately, there are many small steps that you can take to improve the work lives of your employees. Here are our best tips:
Provide Support
On average, people spend over thirteen years of their lives at work. It goes without saying that companies who provide long-term employment play a large role in the overall happiness and wellbeing of their employees. Friendly faces, company culture, and even simple water cooler talk can make or break a long workday. But with increasingly decentralized work environments, maintaining a strong sense of community can be difficult.
Company-sponsored events may come across as obligatory and awkward. In planning occasions to unite workers, make sure to include them in the preparation! Key “connectors” within your staff can use their internal networks to screen ideas and garner excitement. Further, they could even serve as leadership for activities, lessening the sense of corporate pressure to attend.
Even support from a distance can make an impact. Thus, things like sending a bottle of wine or dessert to an employee-planned activity can show your employees you care.
Offer Mental Health Benefits
Employee morale programs and motivational posters aren’t enough. Just like any facet of health, mental wellbeing requires proper care to be maintained. A healthcare coverage component is essential in moving from being performative to truly supportive.
Though offering more benefits may just seem like a way to lose money, MetLife reports that a comprehensive benefits program can have a large impact on productivity, engagement, and loyalty. With nearly 90% of companies offering mental health benefits, these additional policies don’t just make you seem caring: they keep you competitive. Examining the policies that your competitors offer will help you know what options exist as well as keep you updated on what your employees may be expecting.
Make Mental Health Benefits Easy to Access
Once you’ve established an amazing benefits package, it is crucial to make sure that your employees know how to access it. Centralizing all of your offerings and information in one location takes the stress out of researching and enrolling in benefits. It also reduces the stigma that your employees may face by seeking out mental health help.
Benefits Zone is a virtual employee benefits solution. It serves as a one-stop-shop for your employees to access all the benefits available to them. By easily connecting employees with the benefits team, enrolling in benefits is flexible and convenient. It will send your workers a clear message: You value their mental health, and their ability to access the services they need.
We’re here to save you money, strengthen relationships, and educate your employees on all of the great coverage you have to offer. We’ve already helped over 200,000 employees improve their work lives by finding the ideal benefits package. Additionally, you’ll relieve the inflow of benefits-based questions to your HR team and lessen the stress on your employees as they seek out the coverage and care they need.
Schedule a demo today to see how Benefits Zone can help your company with benefits marketing for mental health. Your employees — and your bottom line! — will thank you.
