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Covid-19 brought about a paradigm shift in the way we discharge our work duties. In no time, the workplace has shifted from the office to our homes. It has now emerged as the new normal. While some companies are offering permanent work-from-home options to their employees, others are opting for a hybrid workplace.
As the Great Resignation is becoming a trending topic among the workforce, owing to multiple factors like resistance from employees to return to offices, unhealthy work-life balance etc., it has become paramount for employers to consider the mental health of their workforce and be empathetic towards their needs. Hybrid work schedules are the way out for most organisations.
Steps you should take to prioritize Mental Health in a hybrid workplace
Here are 5 ways in which you can prioritise the mental well-being of the employees in your organisation and effectively retain the top talent:
Be understanding and support your workforce: One of the top traits that an employer should have is to be empathetic towards their workforce. Covid-19 has definitely taken a toll on the mental health of the employees. With the model of hybrid workplaces taking over, you may never get to know what your employee is truly going through. Understanding their needs can help you scale the productivity of your employees to the next level.
Whether it’s about providing flexible work timings to the employees or providing them with the requisite resources that would help them level up their game, it’s time for you to adopt a new leadership style.
Facilitate open Communications: Communication is the key. As a leader, you can always check up on your employees from time to time and understand their needs and the hurdles they face. With hybrid work schedules, there has been a shift to video and audio calls and meetings as well. Non-verbal cues are no longer the reality. Due to this, leaders often find it difficult to understand the mental status and gauge the well-being of their workforce.
This has necessitated leaders to encourage open and honest communications with their employees to make them feel valued and important, which is beneficial for the overall growth of the organisation.
Provide the benefits that employees actually need: While you might know what is important for your employees, what is equally important to know is the needs of the employees. One of the probable reasons behind Great Resignation is the non-fulfilment of the employee’s needs and wants. While the company may provide attractive packages, one should always question whether that is all that an employee needs?
Wellness programs, medical benefits, career development and advancement opportunities, and a positive work environment, among other things, are some of the non-monetary benefits that will make employees stay loyal to your organisation. Who would leave an organisation that actually cares for them?
Strike a positive work-life balance: After the work-from-home (WFH) model replaced the traditional office model, work-life balance took a major hit. With the boundaries between personal life and work-life becoming increasingly blurred after the adoption of the WFH model, employees found it a bit difficult to manage family time with the work stress.
Earlier, one got up, dressed up, went to the office, worked, left from office, and enjoyed their personal space at home.
Now, everything seems to have been messed up. Employees constantly have to juggle between home and work, which just adds up to the stress levels of the employees. As a leader, you can strike a positive work-life balance with employees by drafting employee-centric policies in your organisation.
A positive work-life balance can help reduce the overall burden on the employees and boost their mental well-being. However, this is only possible if the leaders strive to encourage policies that provide employees with a healthy work-life balance.
Balance the hybrid model: While the work-life balance is taken care of, what about the balance between working from home and attending physical office? Managing the hybrid model can be quite a test for most leaders.
The key is to develop a hybrid model such that it increases the overall efficiency of your workforce. You can decide on fixed days when an employee shall work from the office; and on the other days, it would be WFH.
This will make the hybrid model smooth for employees. Resentment from the employees is possible if a proper hybrid work schedule is not in place, thereby creating obstacles for the organisation as a whole.
How can you take care of the mental health of your employees?
To take care of the mental health of your employees in a hybrid workplace, you can go for a proper Group Health Insurance for them. This will not only ensure that they are physically fit but will also take care of their mental well-being. A group health insurance not only protects the employees but their families as well.
Plum Insurance has been pioneering in taking care of the organisation’s workforce. Following are the benefits of Plum Group Health Insurance for your organisation:
- Annual health checkups can be availed of to take proactive care of your employees.
- Organisations can select the added benefits for their employees, such as pre-existing disease cover, maternity cover, etc. The plans are customizable, allowing organisations to manage new as well as old employees.
- Witness one of the quickest claims processes in India. Why go with traditional ways when everything can be done through WhatsApp? Employees can lodge their claims from WhatsApp itself. Apart from this, checking the policy details or downloading the health card, everything can be done from WhatsApp itself.
So, are you taking care of your employees’ well-being in a hybrid workplace?
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