Chief Engagement Officer, overseeing the full Human Resources Department and contributing to a high-performance culture @ Businessolver.
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Unless you studied sociology in college, you may never have heard of the term anomie. However, anomie is something many may feel acutely right now because it refers to a state of normlessness. This happens when things change quickly and we are put in a position of adjusting to new or emerging norms. Anomie can make people feel confused, angry, unanchored, stressed and powerless.
Sound familiar?
When we are thrust into a new reality based on rapid change, norms serve as guideposts for what's now expected of us, while strong coping skills help us adjust. In the absence of coping skills, mental health can suffer significantly.
As human beings we have a status quo bias, often preferring our current or past situation to the unknown. Change doesn't come easily for everyone, and when it comes with no warning, there can be a variety of affects.
Employers are working to address the widespread toll of the pandemic and the changes it has created in our day-to-day lives. Even before Covid-19, many in the workforce experienced mental health issues. The stresses resulting from the pandemic are pushing those numbers up.
That's why it's more important than ever for employers to embrace and demonstrate empathy when addressing the needs of the workforce, especially when it comes to supporting the growing number of people who are dealing with stress and anxiety.
Not only is it the right thing to do to safeguard employees, it's also tied to organizational success — something we need in spades as we work to recover from the economic freefall of the pandemic. To help us all move forward, it's vital for the workforce to be as engaged as possible, and empathy often results in more motivation and more productivity.
Understanding the emotional context in which people are currently working points to increasing focus on mental health issues. Not all employees have the same experience or require the same support.
There are those on furlough who are dealing with feelings around waiting to return. Those working remotely for the first time, often while sharing space with family members and children, may be dealing with a different set of pressures. Essential workers have been out in the community facing potential exposure for several months, juggling the need to work with the fear of getting sick. Frontline medical workers have been doing extraordinary work, but they are stressed and burned out.
An empathetic approach to mental health recognizes that employees have different needs and works to connect those people to the resources that will best help them.
1. Ensure people know what's available. Our 2020 State of Workplace Empathy Study found that 76% of CEOs indicate their organization offers mental health benefits, but only 51% of employees said the same. Clearly, employees are not aware of support that is already part of their health care coverage or benefits package. There is a significant disconnect here that should be immediately addressed as the need for mental health services in the workforce escalates. Your internal marketing team may be able to help you communicate to your employees. If this isn't available, strongly consider an outside consultant to assist with employee outreach. It's that critical.
2. Implement an open-door policy. That door might be virtual right now, but it's still important for employees to feel like they have a place to go when they have issues or concerns to discuss. For employees, their manager is the one who most drives empathy, so ensuring that managers are approachable and accessible gives people an outlet — especially when they are dealing with stress, fear or anxiety. Managers who make time for one-on-one conversations appear empathetic. However, it's important to remember that managers are likely also dealing with mental health issues, so they should have support from leadership to, in turn, support employees.
3. Focus on flexibility. Benefits like an employee assistance program (EAP) are foundational to employees' mental health support, but so is flexibility. Understanding the need for time off to address personal issues and offering flexible working hours are two ways an employer can demonstrate empathy. The ability to balance competing priorities helps maintain emotional and mental health. The line between work life and home life has been blurred with telework, so employees need the ability to log off and recharge. They may also need to work split hours so they can deal with kids who are home and require attention during normal working hours. For essential and health care workers, flexibility may be more challenging in the current environment, but employers should consider innovative ways to offer some downtime, including scheduling shifts so employees have two concurrent days off.
As we entered this pandemic, no employer in the world had a playbook for how to successfully weather what was coming. Employers are struggling to get it right while employees are looking to us for help.
Organizations need to turn attention to employees' emotional and mental health. It's vital for short-term recovery and longer-term success. However, it's important for empathy to be part of the equation. It's not enough to simply include the EAP's website and contact information in an employee handbook or intranet; employers need to actively promote mental health benefits. They need to empower managers to be open and accessible, and they need to embrace flexibility so employees can take care of themselves and their families.
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