The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a global scale of fear, stress, and uncertainty. Everyone has their own ways of coping with stress and different approaches work for different people. During these times, technology has had a positive influence on our mental health. Technology has also helped us manage our stress and stay connected in the equipment finance industry. As Q4 comes to an end, we wanted to share some of the ways technology might help you stay connected. Here are some technology tips companies can provide to help promote employees’ mental health while continuing to work at home.
Add virtual wellness activities to promote mental health
According to a Gallup study, corporate employee wellness programs dramatically improve engagement and reduce healthcare costs. However, COVID-19 has changed everything about how we work, including how we take care of our mental well-being. Along with virtual meetings, wellness apps can make it fun and easy for coworkers to interact while at home. Digital Trends compiled a list of remote tools for virtual fitness that companies are providing to their employees. The wellness and mindful apps range from Headspace, Meditopia, Calm, Happify, and All Trails. By offering easy-to-use wellness and fitness apps to track exercise and sleep, companies can help employees be more engaged, productive, and healthier. As businesses wait to return to normal, it’s critical to consider how HR departments can incorporate a wellness program that meet employees’ current and future needs.
Recreate virtual watercooler events
Working from home has become increasingly popular in the last several years. However, working from home can also create feelings of loneliness and isolation due to the lack of social interaction every day. Harvard Business Review recently reported that since the outbreak, 75% of people say they feel more socially isolated. 67% of people report higher stress. 57% are feeling greater anxiety, and 53% say they feel more emotionally exhausted. HR teams can recreate many celebratory events that commonly would take place in the office. Whether it is a birthday, wedding shower, or baby shower, these important virtual watercooler events can help coworkers bond remotely. For example, at LTi, our HR team puts together a virtual Bingo game where we meet on Slack every Wednesday. It’s a fun way to spur some friendly competition and banter with people we haven’t seen in a while!
Virtual lunch and learns to stay connected
With employees continuing to work from home, companies are starting to offer similar work experiences as the office. Instead of providing catered lunches into the office, companies are starting to send employees a weekly delivery stipend to order lunch. Aside from the professional benefits of having virtual lunches, they also provide other networking skills. It’s a great way to practice social skills and will help prevent loneliness and social isolation. Furthermore, it’s shown that eating together gives us a sense of community that we seek and makes us feel happier. Employees can still have a sense of connection with other employees while leveraging video conferencing to talk to each other. To ensure employees are staying engaged, HR teams, need to demonstrate a new level of empathy and understanding. Companies will need to adapt and create initiatives utilizing technology to be successful during these times.
Taking care of your mental health
Mental health is an important part of your overall health and well-being, and how productive you are at your job. Harnessing the power of technology can help for positive coping when feeling isolated or stressed during these times at home. It’s critical for companies to expand their mindful use of technology to reduce stress and improve employees’ lives. Providing employees with technology tools is imperative to helping them be mindful and make intentional choices at work, especially during the pandemic and other distressing global events.
