Employers need to follow these simple yet effective practices to extensively work towards employees’ mental, physical and financial health, minimize burnout, boost productivity, support learning and support employee well-being.
Modern-day enterprises keep people at the centre and prioritize mental health by persistently striving towards improving work-life balance, encouraging well-being and promoting positive work culture. This is contrary to the pre-Covid times when mental health was side-lined for years and was deprived of the care it deserved due to social norms and stigmas.
In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Kersi Chavda, Consultant Psychiatry at PD Hinduja Hospital and MRC at Mahim, shared, “Today it is believed that a person owes it to himself to actualise his potential and this would include getting to be the best he can be intellectually, physically, mentally, physically and socially. Often there is a diffidence to push oneself out and get what one needs to attain this goal.”
He added, “There is also the feeling of being selfish if one puts one’s needs in the forefront. This is where wellness programs that are holistic in nature come in. There is a generalised attempt of working in these different aspects all together, so as to be the best that one can be. The fact that everything is available under one roof also helps the person make the best of the time that is available to him, given the race against traffic and time that all of us seem to face in today’s cities. Thus, holistic wellness programs have started playing an important role in today’s generation.”
Uma Yeleswarapu, People Experience Manager at Progress, suggested, “A good and balanced mind can not only support an organisations’ values, vision and growth but also help in taking care of teammates and colleagues to bring in positivity at work. The positive mindset enhances performance and helps build great work and personal relationships. Family might come first when we deal with emotions but when they are handled with good support from the employer, the results are better.”
According to her, the employers should offer a series of monthly wellness and well-being programs during which colleagues can learn directly from proven experts in groups and individually more about topics like good parenting, how to cope with stress, mind and body yoga, laughter therapy, organise sessions with medical experts to boost awareness around women’s menstrual health, cervical cancer as well as help colleagues handle better their finances with financial wellness and taxation sessions. She insisted on always being very mindful about the wellness of employees through employee assistant program, offer to help employees handle a personal situation, be there for them and support them through thick and thin.
Hemanth Mundra, Senior Director and Global Head, HR at Qentelli, revealed some simple yet effective practices to minimize burnout, boost productivity, support learning, extensively work towards employees’ mental, physical and financial health and support employee well-being. These include:
1. Yoga and wellness sessions - To help employees reduce stress and improve energy levels, introduce Yoga sessions. For better reach, make the trainer available virtually so employees can practice it at the comfort of their homes.
2. Team outings - They are fun ways to promote team bonding and reduce workplace stress. Organise and encourage employee participation in team sports, a weekend trip to a resort, group dining, etc.
3. Lockdown games - In the gloomy scenario of Covid-19 and unprecedented lockdowns, spin it into an opportunity to deal with isolation by playing fun games like tambola, quizzes, etc., to tame stress.
4. Fitness challenges - To keep remote employees healthy, conduct fitness challenges. They help employees achieve their fitness goals and enabled peace of mind.
5. Office infrastructure - A good office infrastructure plays a major role in reducing stress. Design office in a way that is pleasing to mental health and boosts morale. To add some cheer, include indoor plants, monkey bars and swings.
6. Periodic feedback - Conduct surveys and encourage regular 1-on-1s to establish employees’ degree of satisfaction, happiness and productivity.
7. Celebrations - To relieve anxiety, arrange celebrations and get together at festivals. Decorate workplace, organize festive games and giveaway exciting gifts.
