A quarter of Americans are experiencing symptoms of depression, according to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. This impacts our lives in many ways, and the workplace is not immune. Not only does every employer have a moral obligation to support its employees, but obligation or not, a decline in mental health means a decline in productivity. According to the World Health Organization, depression and anxiety cost the global economy $1 trillion in lost productivity. For every $1 put into mental health support, there is a $4 return in productivity.
What are you doing to support your employees?
Here are the top three ways you can support your employees during these tough times.
1. Proactively reach out and listen. Whether they are friends, family or your employees, people aren’t always eager to ask for help, particularly when it comes to mental health. So spend a few minutes every day with a few different employees and ask them how they are doing. Tell them that you know these times are tough on everybody, and that you are there to support them the best way you can. Whether they want to divulge anything to you or not, just knowing you are there makes them feel valued which is vital especially during these times.
2. Encourage physical fitness and even pay for some of it. According to the journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, “Exercise improves mental health by reducing anxiety, depression, and negative mood and by improving self-esteem and cognitive function.” There are so many benefits of exercise and you can help your employees by finding and even paying for virtual classes. Or send everyone a yoga mat and do some physical fitness as a team. Be creative and it will pay off in the short and long term.
3. Bring laughter into the office. According to The Harvard Business Review “Laughter relieves stress and boredom, boosts engagement and well-being, and spurs not only creativity and collaboration but also analytic precision and productivity.” The best way we know how to bring laughter into the office is by bringing in some of Knuckleball Comedy’s improv comedians to facilitate a virtual team building workshop. Contact us today
to learn more.