Some mental health programs require significant monetary investments (e.g. top notch health insurance) but there are cultural mandates that cost your company nothing, while giving employees priceless breathing room.
Don’t glorify over-work
It goes a long way to remind your team that balance isn’t the exception but the norm in your workplace.
There are peak times when work is more hectic than others and requires more time than usual but constant hustle and grind at the expense of friends, family and hobbies is not something companies should expect from workers.
For workers that find themselves constantly working before and after hours, dialing in even when they’re sick or on vacation, it’s vital to help them find a way to bring balance to their workload to prevent burnout.
Encourage breaks and scheduled breathing room between Zooms
Working from home can sometimes make home feel like constant work if you don’t take breaks. Encourage employees to schedule breathing room between Zooms– take a walk with your dog, a quick ride on the Peloton, or drink some tea on your fire escape. Also, encourage them to look for opportunities to do walking calls off Zoom. This can be a 1:1 or even a group internal call where you don’t necessarily need to be at your desk. It’s great to get out and take a walk while you talk to clear your head and get a break from all that sitting.
Some durations of break time are mandated by law for hourly workers. Regardless of work status, bring up break time as a part of your culture. Did you just get out of a back-to-back meeting session? Log on and tell your teammates you need to pop out of the room to refresh your water and then rejoin. This is especially impactful when it comes from leaders.
Encourage employees to use PTO and available benefit programs
Remind employees about benefit programs and encourage them to take every opportunity to create a healthy, balanced life.
Whether you have hourly or salaried employee, make sure they’re taking time to rest and recharge by using their available PTO.
Remind your teams to respect calendar blocks and engage in good vacation behavior. Resting and recharging is good for productivity and personal well-being.
Revaluate what’s working
At HireVue we’ve implemented a combination of Half Day Fridays and synchronized shutdowns in addition to our flexible PTO – but these programs are a lost investment if employees aren’t taking advantage of them.
Take every opportunity to evaluate which programs are being utilized and always keep lines of communication open to add additional benefits that align with employee needs.
Marci Haabestad, Interim CHRO of HireVue
Tips from HireVue, the global leader in video interviewing, assessments, and text-enabled recruiting tools.
Mental health stock image by Dragana Gordic/Shutterstock
