In today’s workplace, mental health and well-being programs thrive on tech solutions, including mental wellness apps, tele-mental health services, and virtual counselling. Each of these initiatives involves employees volunteering sensitive information about themselves, including their age, home address, mental health conditions, current and past treatments, as well as any comorbidities. As a sensitive issue, therefore, employers and HR managers need to make drastic moves to help rebuild trust among the workforce and retain their best hands.
According to an article first published on the Washington Post, one company advertised the names and home addresses of people living with depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder or bipolar disorder, while another company sold an entire database of aggregated mental health records for $275 per 1000 ailment contacts.
While the pandemic has eased its grip on our lives, it has brought with it some lessons about the inadequacies of our corporate wellness infrastructure. Employers now need to remodel these programs to meet the needs of the new normal, rethinking their approach to wellness and curating initiatives that meet the needs of employees where they are.
Nearly 200 million people around the world are feeling more stressed, and the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened this problem. Gallup’s 2020 Negative Experience Index revealed that 40% of respondents experienced an elevated level of stress compared to the previous 15 years, and 2021 certainly didn’t do us any favors. Employers know that COVID has raised the levels of stress, anxiety, social isolation, and depression across the globe. With many people continuing to social distance by avoiding large gatherings that could infect them with new coronavirus variants, stress levels are only amplified. In addition, the ups and downs of COVID infection rates and dashed hopes of wanting to see extended family and friends have left people feeling down. Another leading cause of stress is weighing whether work environments are safe enough to warrant a full return to the office as opposed to working remotely or with a hybrid schedule as businesses contemplate how they can meet objectives while accounting for the overall health needs of employees.
Around 1 in 5 (21%) adults experienced some form of depression in early 2021 (27 January - 7 March); this is an increase since November 2020 (19%) and more than double that observed before the COVID-19 pandemic (10%). We’re living in the midst of a mental health epidemic, and it’s clearer than ever that amongst boosting the array of professional solutions, kindness could be the secret to improving well-being. Showing love isn’t just reserved for your partner or Valentine’s Day; it can be extended to colleagues, friends, even strangers. Simply being kind to someone can make a massive difference in their outlook and general mood, and your own. How can kindness as a practice be used as a tool within psychotherapy, and what are the advantages?
Mental health problems are one of the leading causes of lost productivity in the workplace, and the pandemic has exacerbated the mental health crisis in the workplace. Employers must re-examine their corporate culture to drive a positive shift in employee mental wellness
The onus lies on employers and executives to prioritize mental health wellness in the workplace. It begins from here. Only then will this crisis begin to fizzle out and work cease from being a race against one’s mental wellbeing
Chris Tidmarsh, a 30-year-old entrepreneur with degrees in chemistry, environmental studies, the French language and a robust passion for agriculture who also has autism.
By focusing on the important connections between body, mind, and environment, and steering away from a “one-size-fits-all” approach, companies can better structure their wellness offerings to ensure that employees are happy, healthy, engaged and inspired at work
From getting pay cuts, experiencing financial stress, losing a loved one to the disease to the challenge of juggling remote work with home responsibilities, the coronavirus pandemic has taken a toll on employees’ mental and physical health.
Genomind, a leading mental health care company integrating personalized medicine into the fields of neurology and psychiatry, launched on August 10, 2019, Genomind Professional PGx Express, an innovative genetic testing service that creates a personalized approach to treating mental health disorders.
Parents of children with mental health-related issues may find it difficult balancing time between work and a sick child.
As we ease further into our new, pandemic-altered reality, many businesses are beginning to recognize the need to focus on employee wellness
It’s time to end the stigma surrounding mental health in the LGBTQ community and acknowledge the millions who struggle with intolerance and suffer in silence.
