We are under a time of great stress this year because of all the events that have occurred. How can employers help with the stress that is affecting their employees? The Pandemic has changed our world and how we approach business. Stress is usually a response to an external situation. There is a physiological response to stress that causes anxiety, fear, agitation depression. Because of the pandemic quarantine, a lot of employees are working from home. There is no commute, no lunchtime, and a lack of socialization. The work from the home scenario for most workers has turned the workday into 24/7. Clients who were also quarantined are able to access employers at all hours. Meetings are on video which has made access without travel easier. It is after these meetings/conferences that the employee then completes their regular work making for a 14-hour or longer workday. Between the meetings and emails, the employee continues to their regular work responsibilities. Some employees are also managing homeschooling with their children.
Working from home has led to a more sedentary lifestyle, employees are not getting outside, commuting, for meetings, or visiting clients. We are limited to travel and other social activities. Gyms are closed, our physical activity has slowed down. Because we are now wearing masks, we are even sensory deprived, we are literally not smelling the flowers, grass, and trees. Some people have not been able to see family members because of the pandemic.
This pandemic has created a new series of concerns for employees regarding their psychological safety. Current conditions – being in a state of unknowing, working from home, and experiencing fear regarding the pandemic, can lead to a fight or flight state of mind which can lead to long-term illness. Pre-existing diseases such as diabetes, obesity, inflammation, and heart conditions create susceptibility to Covid-19. Those individuals have a difficult time fighting the virus.
There is stress on the mental level as well. There is anxiety regarding the disease, thoughts about will the job still be there tomorrow. This mental stress affects the nervous system creating physical problems, headaches, back pain, and overall body aches. The individual reacts instead of responding to what is going on. Overworking can also lead to self-destructive activities, overeating, drugs, alcohol. There is loss of drive, depression, a breakdown of the body’s systems leading to disease, heart attack, and even cancer.
The stress response begins in the mind and manifests in the body. The body becomes tense, there is neck pain, back pain and these make it hard to stay focused on work. Exercise has been beneficial to help relieve stress and it is an easy place to start. Even for short durations, exercise can do wonders for an individual. With exercise the immune system improves, blood sugar lowers, overall being active is valuable for people. Even gentle exercise such as yoga offers great benefits.
Work-Life balance: what is missing? To create this balance an individual needs to have awareness of their situation. Understanding stress and how we respond to it will help. Mindfulness practice is a great way of achieving awareness. Mindfulness usually begins with focusing on the breath. The slowing down of the breath sends a message to the mind that there is less agitation. There are simple breathing techniques that can change a person’s state of mind within a few seconds. The body relaxes and receives the message that there is calm. A person can also learn to look at stress as an adventure and they have the techniques to work with it.
How then can the employee wellness/assistance help the employee? Wellness programs can be developed to help employees cope with the situation. Offering workshops on stress management, yoga, and mindfulness can bring awareness to options to relieve stress. This will increase the overall health and mental well-being of the employees, which will actually help to have more productive and happy employees. They will be better able to focus on their work and keep situations in perspective.
Mindfulness is the process of learning to stay in the present moment. Yoga is the perfect mind-body technique that can enhance mindfulness. Yoga means union – the union of the individual consciousness with the universal consciousness. Through the practice of Asana (poses) and Pranayama (breathwork), we create this union. Usually practiced with breathwork that helps to slow the thoughts and bring a person to a calm state. Combining the breath with guided meditations helps to bring the body into homeostasis. The individual learns to connect with how they are feeling on a deeper level. It helps with having a sense of inner peace and keep the stressful experiences in perspective.
We cannot force the employees to take these offerings, but perhaps there could be rewards of some sort. If the employees participate in a certain amount of these classes(offerings) they could be given gift cards to massage, haircuts, or even just dollar amount gift cards. In other words, they are rewarded for taking care of themselves. Creating partnerships with instructors and workshops can give employees an opportunity so they can take time out for meditation and relaxation. Employees may be reluctant to participate fearing that it will take time away from work. In taking the time, you will have a more efficient employee better able to cope with the situations and increased workload.
PTO (personal time off) needs to be reworked. A friend just announced that their company is now offering unlimited vacation days. This sounds great, but are they expected to be available still 24/7 when on vacation? I have worked for someone who does not answer emails or take phone calls on the weekends because her office is closed. They have a family to take care of and need the time off for themselves. How many people take that time off? A work-life balance must be found. I have asked some of my clients what their works do for work-life balance, and the answer sometimes is What work-life balance, there is none.
It is important for employers to be willing to have the welfare of their employees in mind. Create programs that can enhance employees’ mental wellbeing and your company will be rewarded.
