The Pandemic of the Mind
Why does your mental health matter?
For the longest time occupational health has been focused on the physical health and well-being of employees but, the global COVID 19 pandemic has made a huge impact on every aspect of our lives. This is even more true when it comes to mental health.
It is no surprise that it wasn’t long before the occupational health industry recognized that this is now the next hot topic impacting the very core of the industry; the employees. Suddenly people from all walks of life were dealing (and are still dealing) with employment loss, family loss and financial strain, illness, and isolation, and this is just scratching the surface!
Every human on earth has experienced trauma in various forms and levels, therefore we can all agree that the mental health of everyone involved is of utmost importance and can never receive enough emphasis.
In addition to having your occupational health team work on and create a strategy plan, here are some great tips to ensure you and your employees recover or receive support for trauma and the mental impact thereof:
1. Keep your mind busy with the things you can control.
It is in our human nature to want to feel like we have control. The reality of the times we live in is that we have lost control in many areas of our daily existence. To make it even worse; it seems like everything is ever changing! So now, more than ever, we must keep our minds set on that which we can control, however small it might be. Something as simple as ensuring the health measures are in check and provided to the employees with ease of access can help lessen everyone’s worries.
2. Stay away from unnecessary social media reports.
We have all been bombarded with a great array of information concerning many difficult and awful things happening on a global scale since the dawn of social media. The COVID 19 pandemic seemed to take this to the next level! And in reality, we can all just do this one important thing; look after ourselves and our families. Therefore urge yourself, your family, your employees and your employee’s families to limit the amount of information, videos and post they view on social media. That being said do not try to hide the harsh reality whenever it’s necessary to communicate with your employees.
3. Connection!
We think it’s safe to assume that the biggest culprit to the decline in mental health is isolation! In whichever way, stay connected and reach out to others! We all know the rules of the pandemic by now, but luckily the technological age we live in has made the means of communication so much easier and convenient! Nothing beats the impact of having a physical meeting or gathering but don’t let that stop your employees from expressing their concerns and reaching out to one another. There is great power in voicing your feelings, worries and concerns. Even communicating the positive events/happenings can add greatly to the morale of your personnel.
4. Everyone’s perspective.
Unfortunately, something we’re all guilty of, especially during a pandemic is to jump to the worst-case scenario or to fill in the blanks with the most negative assumptions. Make sure you keep yourself and your employees in check with the reality, this includes the silver lining. As times get difficult and dark, it can be very hard to find the silver lining but, however small, nothing is ever completely lost and as mentioned above communicating these silver linings can uplift everyone’s spirits.
We applaud the great changes and improvements many in the construction business have taken to improve on this very important topic. However we would like to remind you of this important fact; when the load gets too heavy Wesbron is here to assist, support, and identify areas of improvement. A company is only as strong as its leadership.
Make sure to reach out whenever you feel overwhelmed or you simply don’t have the time to do it yourself. Our experts are here for your business’ benefit.