It's no secret that life challenges like health issues, job change and financial strain are a consistent source of stress for employees. Yet what happens when workers are dealing with all of these at the same time?
Employees have been destabilized in both their work and personal lives throughout COVID, leading to increased stress, anxiety and burnout. Establishing a new way of professional life is no easy task, but the steady hand of good leadership, paired with the right
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"We would pulse our employees every two weeks, and when we asked a question about their well-being we instantly saw that a portion of the organization was not doing well," says Mary Clermont, CPO at intelligent virtual assistant company Interactions. "We made it a part of our strategy to make sure that we were dialing in on mental wellness, and that helped guide us into mental well-being as one of our strategies."
Clermont says employee mental health has been a top priority since the company's early transition to remote work. The team has continuously asked for feedback to help guide their decisions at every step of the way.
"We decided within the first month [of COVID] that we were going to stay virtual, and we re-tuned everything we did to a virtual workplace. Making connections and relationships in a virtual way was going to be paramount because physical presence is where you pick up on emotional cues," she says.
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To recreate that experience, the company's CEO answers questions and concerns directly, which has often revealed deeper issues within the workforce. This combination of feedback and a focus on current issues allows employee concerns to be heard and met with support and resources.
"We have company meetings where we take questions for the CEO beforehand, and within those questions you get an undertone of where the stress and burnout are happening," she says. "Whether it's functional pressure, whether it's personal pressure — when (employees) ask questions about the business, we start to understand what their needs are and where people need support."
Coming up with a well-rounded and consistent method of addressing employee
"We realized we needed a virtual front door to the company beyond the internet — we needed an interactive one," Clermont says. "We went with a company that allowed us to recognize each other in an interactive social gathering place, and it included great wellness videos. Important wellness benefits might exist in platforms that companies already have, but are not leveraging."
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Clermont says the company also reviewed its current policies to better serve their population. After discovering that unlimited paid time off led to people taking fewer days off, Interactions opted to keep their PTO the same, but added the option of taking a sabbatical every five years, allowing unused vacation time from the year before to roll over and be applied. Clermont notes that those who have taken advantage of this have returned refreshed, and points to its use as a cost-effective
Stress is not something that employers can ever eliminate, but they can do a lot to diminish it among their workers, Clermont says. Incorporating a strategy to not only keep work from becoming overwhelming, but a place where employees feel appreciated and productive, has an undeniable effect on every aspect of a business. Instilling an attitude of positivity starts from the top down.
"When you smile or laugh there's a physiological response, and that helps alleviate stress and burnout," Clermont says. "Thinking of new ways to engage really helps — be transparent in the way you communicate, being clear with roles and responsibilities, where the business is headed — this helps lead to peace of mind. It totally impacts how people respond at work."
