Mental Health in the Virtual Workplace

No one can deny that 2020 was a year like no other. The start of the pandemic was something that not a single person could prepare for. Our lives changed. Our interactions changed. Our habits had to adapt. Our workplace and work behaviour had to change. 

Businesses and leaders in their industry were scrambling to adapt their companies to what we now could define as the “new normal”. Yet, at no fault to anyone, we were ill-equipped to deal with the repercussions of this. 

This drastic change in workplace culture brings with it this week’s trending topic - Mental Health in the Workplace. 

Mental health pre-pandemic was a topic not addressed enough by companies and leaders. Once COVID was upon us, this changed as a spotlight was shone on mental health - and for good reason.

What has the pandemic done?

The long-term psychological impact of the pandemic is still yet to be seen. Short-term, the pandemic has affected everyone. 

Some benefitted from the removal of daily stressors such as office clocks-ins and commutes. The ability to spend more time with family at home or in nature helped many. 

For others, the pandemic led to unemployment, uncertainty, or, for some, longer work hours. 

Many who resorted to working from home had to balance work with their home life. The pandemic resulted in a lot of people working longer hours and not setting boundaries. No longer being able to physically see colleagues and leaders meant that we lost our social aspect to business. A whopping 67% of people reported feeling less connected to their colleagues. The pandemic put us out of touch with one another and isolated us.

Humans are social creatures and talking to others has a positive impact on our mental health.

A study showed that 56% of people working from home also noticed it becoming more difficult to switch off after a day of work. We all know that rest is not only important, it’s also productive!

As a business owner that cares about positive social change, I’m concerned about how employees have felt during the pandemic. Leaders in their industry need to ensure that they never forget the human element behind what they do. Focusing on an employee's welfare within your organisation means opening up a platform where someone feels comfortable to talk about mental health free from stigma. 

The most important thing we can do to improve mental health is talk about it. We need to continuously talk about it. We need to open up dialogues. We need to create safe spaces with employees to do so. We need to facilitate change as leaders in the digital and remote workspace for the better.

Be a leader in opening up conversations

Today I will talk about a few points that leaders and businesses can learn from to put the focus on mental health. 

Lead from the front

A leader that opens up about mental health and any challenges may be more beneficial to employees than they might know. Many leaders may be inclined not to show any form of “weakness” to their team. Leaders are people too and are as likely to go through tough times. If someone in a senior position can talk about it, it’s encouraging to others to open up about their experiences too.

Remove the stigma

Many employees are still afraid to discuss mental health issues with their employers. As a leader, consider breaking the stigma in a few ways: 

• Always be confidential! If an employee comes to you to discuss an issue on mental health, ensure they know you will always keep the matter confidential. Trust is the key to openness.
• Consider mental health training or empowering employees with resources. LinkedIn provides some amazing courses for consideration. Here’s an interesting one:
• Use open channels of communication. Private chats where employees can talk to leaders are great. Use communication such as staff newsletters to highlight awareness too. 
• Encourage employees at all levels to speak openly about mental health without judgement. 
• Keep the conversation going. Having regular conversations with each other can help a lot. Sometimes, a simple “are you okay?” can go a long way. 

Offer more support

Even leaders need help. No leader is expected to have all the answers. Empower yourself and your employees with professional support services, talk lines, and wellbeing initiatives. These facilities are something you should highlight often. Consider including these external support services in staff newsletters. 

Promote a good work-life balance

With the huge shift to working from home the boundaries of work-home balance have been blurred. This can lead to stressed and burnt-out employees. We’re all human. We all need a break. It’s important to encourage employees to work reasonable hours, take sensible breaks, and enjoy weekends without work. Setting realistic work demands will help. You can encourage employees not to take on too much and to also set realistic work goals for themselves.

It’s not all work, work, work

Outside of the workplace, encourage your staff to eat well, exercise, and socialise. Promote time for self-care and hobbies. 

Within the workplace, you can also make time for fun activities. Yes, even when your business is remotely based! Facilitate social events, or, if that’s not possible, you can even host virtual breakaway events for the team to connect and have a social chat. 

Mental health is the priority

Putting mental health first is not about getting more productivity from employees. It’s about encouraging employees to put their happiness and wellbeing first. The goal of this post is to show how leaders, in any industry, can encourage all team members to be the best version of themselves. 

Let’s go beyond reducing stress and burnout. Let’s facilitate platforms of conversation. Let’s show we care. If we do this, each person in our team can thrive both in and out of the workplace. 

#inspiration #mentalhealth #thoughtleadership #transformation #workbalance