The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we work. Remote working is fast becoming the norm for many organisations as they seek to help curb the spread of the disease and keep their employees safe. However, remote working comes with its own challenges. Many employees may feel disconnected from their colleagues. They may be finding the solitude of working from home difficult to deal with. Anxiety and depression might be kicking in.
It is safe to assume, then, that the pandemic has brought to the fore the importance of managing the personal well-being of employees. But to do that, Managers need to understand stress, anxiety and depression in the workplace in order to ensure their own wellbeing and support the mental health and personal wellbeing of their teams during this unprecedented time.
The Strategies for Mental Health, Resilience, and Emotional Intelligence course will equip managers with this understanding.
The course dates are as follows:
- November 2020
- December 2020
Companies that have survived past the lockdown will agree that the two key business traits for their survival have been preparedness and resilience. However businesses that had models that were hard to digitise, highly people dependent, or heavily exposed to global supply chains were hit the hardest. Within organisations people were forced into long periods of isolation, with serious concerns in terms of their Job Security and future survival. These were serious and justified concerns, as to whether they would be able to eventually return to their jobs. People who have been able to return to work are considered “lucky” as the unemployment statistics escalate. In returning to work the challenges for employees are still high, from the fear and anxiety about the risk of being exposed to the virus, to other personal challenges that could relate to finance, work-life balance with family responsibilities, to the increased workloads as colleagues are being retrenched.
Whether it has already happened or is still to present in your organisation, it is important for HR Professionals to remain prepared, for staff to be overwhelmed with the global changes, and how these may have had or are still to be experienced in their lives. New research conducted by the ADP research institute, related to workplace resilience during COVID 19, found the only 19% of workers are highly resilient, with 81% being vulnerable. These statistics were confirmed by the WHO report that indicated that bereavement, isolation, loss of income and fear arising from measures to combat the pandemic are triggering new mental health issues and escalating existing ones.
For this reason, organisations will have to step up caring for employees in this regard. They will have to make available tools and resources to help their remaining employees cope better.
What will be important is for leadership to be empathetic to what staff may be going through. Starting with those reporting to you, the actions of showing support will cascade down to lower and lateral, layers in your organisation. This is a period where management will be expected to reassure staff of their importance within, the organisation.This also means, taking time to invest in your staff’s up-skilling when coming to developing resilience.
For this reason SEIFSA has set up a number of support workshops that SIFSA members can access for their staff members on “Strategies for Mental Health, Resilience and Emotional Intelligence”. Should you require, this can also be provided, In-House or Web-based to your employees.
Furthermore on the 18th of November, we will be hosting a Webinar aimed at HR Professional and Managers on “Mental Health Strategies for Managers.” Various speakers will share their insight on this topic.