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Best Practices for Nurturing Employee Well-being

HR Tech Outlook | Thursday, June 01, 2023

Many companies place a high priority on mental health, but people don't give employers enough credit. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, rather employers should think creatively and find personalized and relevant ways to help employees improve their mental and emotional well-being by providing them with tools, resources, and guidance.

Fremont, CA: Many companies place a high priority on mental health, but people don't give employers enough credit. In terms of mental health, only four out of ten employees say their employers have actively communicated about mental and emotional health in the past year or have made workplace changes to support it.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution, rather employers should think creatively and find personalized and relevant ways to help employees improve their mental and emotional well-being by providing them with tools, resources, and guidance. Employers can follow these recommendations.

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Go beyond the basics of an EAP

The number of people seeking counseling or other mental health services has doubled in the last decade (from 26 percent to 49 percent). Employers should consider adding more benefits to their employee assistance programs (EAPs) such as employee resiliency programs, stress management resources, and mental health and meditation apps.

The gift of time can make a difference

Stress and time can be major obstacles to mental health. Additionally, 42 percent wish that their employer provided more resources and/or time off for mental health purposes. To encourage employees to prioritize beneficial mental health activities, some companies offer well-being hours or time off.

Offer robust telemedicine resources

By allowing patients and employees to get care from home, telemedicine can be a game-changer for the health carriers' mental health coverage. Increasing demand for these resources can only be expected by employers.

Provide the resources to equip employees to help each other

In the workplace, only 46 percent of employees feel they can openly discuss their emotional health challenges without fear of retaliation. Mental health is easier to discuss at work, and it's easier to provide people with the resources they need. Employees will be more inclined to take advantage of mental well-being resources if employers provide them with the resources and training they need to navigate these situations.

Make investments in HR technology systems and solutions

Identify a technology partner that can provide a system or solution tailored to each employee's specific needs and provides them with a one-stop shop for their benefits. In addition, ensure the technology provides mobile access and personalized health benefits navigation and information so they can easily learn about and access resources relevant to their needs.

Create mental and emotional well-being campaigns

A variety of programs may check the box, but they may not have the desired impact if people aren't utilizing them. To improve employee awareness and use of these offerings, employers need to develop and implement campaigns. The majority of respondents said they would value mental and emotional health apps offered by their employers. This ROI proves the power of promoting lots of programs as well as activating people to use them.

Providing and promoting programs that promote resilience, positive relationships, and handling uncertainty is an effective way to increase one's well-being at home and in the workplace.

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