Promoting Employee Mental and Emotional Health Post COVID19

EMPLOYEE MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL HEALTH

Securing the Mental and Emotional Health of Employees Post-COVID19

Introduction

There are many issues that are of great relevance to human relations in the workplace today. One such issue happens to be the need to foster a healthy working environment. It is important to note that the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on the emotional and mental wellbeing of employees at the workplace. For employees to be able to discharge their functions in an effective manner, there is need to ensure that they are able to interact with each other and with their superiors in meaningful and effective formats. This cannot be achieved without addressing mental health of issues of employees in the workplace.

Discussion

Fletcher, K. (2022). Top Ten Work Trends Quarterly Updates. Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology. https://www.siop.org/Business-Resources/Top-10-Work-Trends/Top-Workplace-Trend-Number-9

The article restates the fact that the issue of employee mental health can no longer be swept under the rug. In essence, the article identifies employee mental health as one of the trending concerns in human resource management during the present recovery and return-to-work period following the global COVID-19 pandemic. Indeed, in the words of the author, “employee mental health remains a main issue in workplace discussions as companies grapple with continued efforts to return to the office...”

I found this particular resource to be especially helpful and relevant to human relations at work because of two main factors. To begin with, the article identifies the need to secure the emotional health of employees as workers return to the office following the work-from-home arrangements put in place at the height of the pandemic. Secondly, the author identifies a key resource – i.e. the Workplace Mental Health Toolkit - that could be deployed in seeking to deal with this particular concern. In my opinion, the author of this particular article does effectively bring to the reader’s attention the issue of employee mental health post-pandemic. However, more resources ought to have been indicated to help HRM professionals select options that are most applicable to their specific circumstances.

Grensing-Pophal, L. (2020). Pandemic Takes a Toll on Employees’ Emotional Wellbeing. Society for Human Resource Management. https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/benefits/pages/pandemic-takes-a-toll-on-employees-emotional-well-being.aspx

The author indicates that although the mental health and wellbeing of employees at the workplace has been a concern in the HR realm in the past, the COVID-19 pandemic seems to have aggravated an already bad situation. This is more so the case given that the pandemic has left many persons uncertain about the future, stalled career progression, precipitated a financial crisis, resulted in isolation and distress at the familial level, etc. In this informative piece, the author proposes a number of measures that could be undertaken to remedy the situation.

The author provides human resource managers with the capabilities to secure the mental health of employees, post-COVID19. More importantly, the author of the article highlights the signs to watch out for in efforts to establish whether employees are finding it difficult to cope with the aftermath of the pandemic. The early identification of signs of stress and anxiety – as opposed to addressing the consequences of the same - could save the company significant resources and contribute towards enhanced employee productivity. In my opinion, and in line with the assertions of the author, employees need to be advanced the necessary support going forward – specifically via the deployment of innovative approaches such as online resources.

Sahin, D.R., Aslan, M., Demirkaya, H. & Atesoglu, H. (2022). The effect of COVID-19 on employees\\\\\\\' mental health. Scientific Reports, 5(12), 50-57. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-18692-w.

The authors of this study indicate that most studies have in the past focused on the strategies put in place by public health professionals to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. In the current study, the authors opt to focus on how employees have been impacted by the pandemic. The authors make a finding to the effect that many employees have presented with mental health issues linked to diverse outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This study could be deemed a wakeup call for human resource managers to prioritize the mental health of workers at the workplace and avail resources that could help address this particular concern in an effective and timely manner. The authors also make a rather startling discovery to the effect that “the depression level of the employees working only from home is higher than other employees” (56). Thus, among those organizations that would wish to continue the work-from-home initiatives, this is a crucial bit of information to be aware of. In my opinion, the authors of the present study successfully present a broader picture of the impact that the pandemic has had on employees. The sample size utilized in this case was adequate. Thus, the study’s external as well as internal validity were not undermined.

Goldenberg, E. (2022, March 30).Everyone Is Not OK, but Back at Work Anyway. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/30/business/return-to-office-mental-health.html

According to Goldberg, the COVID-19 pandemic has been a tough event for many people. Whereas some lost close relatives, some lost friends and associates. This shows up in many situations and interactions around the workplace. For instance, as the author indicates, “people are going into performance reviews, brainstorming sessions and the office with all kinds of grief, swinging between the banal and the crushing”. It is all too clear that without the relevant support, most workers are likely to collapse under the weight of personal issues and added organizational duties/responsibilities.

This article makes it clear that supervisors have no option but to ensure that employees successfully navigate the rough terrain of organizational roles coupled with personal challenges. According to the author, organizational leaders must not assume that workers are resilient enough to address the challenges they face on their own. I am of the opinion that as the authors point out, work must go on. However, leaders and managers must not lose sight of the fact that there is the bigger issue of employee mental health and wellbeing to be addressed. This is more so the case given that ignoring the issue could have an adverse impact on workplace environment (and, by extension, overall organizational success).

Goodwin, B. (2021, Jan 25). Mental Health during the Pandemic and Its Impact on the Workplace. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2021/01/25/mental-health-during-the-pandemic-and-its-impact-on-the-workplace/?sh=6936d5532422

The author notes that there is no doubt whatsoever that the mental health of employees has worsened during the pandemic. As a matter of fact, according to the author, this has been billed yet another health crisis alongside the current pandemic. In addition to demonstrating the seriousness of this issue, the author lists some of the ways through which workers should be advanced the support that they require not only at work, but also in life.

In my opinion, one of the most important assertions made by the author is that employees in most U.S. corporations have been grappling with emotional and mental health issues long before the pandemic. More specifically, in the words of the authors, “while it is known that the pandemic has negatively impacted mental wellness, it is equally important to point out that America was experiencing a mental health crisis long before the pandemic”. It is time human resource professionals took the issue seriously and sought to address the same, i.e. by employing some of the solutions offered by the author of the present article. Thus, in my opinion, the pandemic has just but uncovered our inadequacies in as far as addressing this crucial issue is concerned.