5 Messages to Help Employees Mental Health

Over 83% of US employees report experiencing some kind of work-related stress each year. With the COVID-19 pandemic and just rounding the first anniversary of the stay-at-home orders, it’s no surprise that employees are feeling even more anxiety than usual, and it’s safe to say that this feeling carries over into their day-to-day activities. 

Stressed employees, simply put, are bad for business. According to the CDC, the adverse effects of stress on workers are job performance, lower engagement with work and peers, and tense communications. But the impact of work stress extends beyond the workplace into employees’ personal lives, affecting their relationships, mental health, and physical wellbeing — placing further strain on them as they navigate their workweeks. 

April is Stress Awareness Month and is a great time to evaluate what your organization is doing to help support employees in managing their stress regardless of the source. Stress management isn’t easy, and many employees may not know where to start when it comes to asking for help or seeking resources. We’ve laid out some tips that you can share with your team to help them feel less stressed and provide them with important information on where to go and who to talk to should they need assistance overcoming their stress. 

  1. Take a Breather – In times like these, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Encourage your teams to take some personal time away from work, and remind them of ways to practice self-care while on and off the clock. Suggestions like getting enough sleep, taking a short walk during the day, and eating balanced meals more regularly are simple, helpful ways that you can help employees manage their stress. 
  2. Don’t Keep Stress to Yourself – Encourage employees to speak to their managers or your organization’s HR department if they feel stressed. These conversations often lead to simple solutions that can alleviate some of these feelings — but many employees don’t feel comfortable approaching leadership with a problem. Remind them that your organization is there to help. 
  3. There’s No Shame in Stress – Mental health and mental health awareness can often come with some stigma. Ensure that your employees know that they will not be judged or shamed if they choose to share their feelings and have an action plan in place should an employee receive a negative response to speaking about their stress. 
  4. Sharing is caring – Good company culture is collaborative, but collaborating doesn’t have to stop with individual projects or deliverables. Encourage employees to share tactics that have helped them manage their stress with the larger team. 
  5. Resources – It’s always a good idea to share resources outside of your organization that employees can turn to, especially in the case of mental health. Compiling a list for those who may need more help than your organization can provide regarding their stress and anxiety is an easy way to provide support. 

Utilizing a communications platform, like Appspace, to share helpful tips and resources to your employees regarding stress management is a great way to provide support and education. Communications published to the Appspace platform are pervasive and can reach employees in-office via digital signage, on their personal devices using the Employee App, and in enterprise messaging applications with our integrations.

We’ve designed an Appspace channel to highlight some stress management best practices that you can use to educate your employees. This content looks great and conveys the helpful tips outlined in this blog regardless of where employees view it. For Appspace customers that use our Employee App to reach their teams, this channel provides additional information that can be viewed in each article. Our stress management channel is free, and you can import it directly from our content gallery. Check it out here

We hope that you find these tips and this channel helpful for your communications efforts. If you need assistance uploading this channel to your Appspace account or have any other questions or comments, please feel free to contact us.

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