The ongoing pandemic has led to a major reshuffle in our lives in more ways than we realise. Along with posing an enormous health challenge, it has also created huge ripples in the area of mental health as well. Frequent restrictions & lockdowns have forced each one of us to live our lives within a bubble that offers safety & protection but also fills us with constant worry, anxiety, and dread.
Being safe & operating within our zones of self-preservation has thrusted us into a space where we have had to re-think our priorities in every sphere of life. Now, the scales have tilted towards maintaining a greater work-life balance and there is an increased inclination towards one’s own well-being even when it comes to choosing & sticking to jobs as well.
A recent survey conducted by LinkedIn, an online professional network revealed that out of the 1,111 professionals, 30% are leaving their current jobs due to poor work-life balance and, while looking for work, flexible working arrangements are the top priority. This is especially true for the Gen Z professionals. This shift in outlook and priority is largely due to an enormous feeling of exhaustion & burn-out that the employees are left with owing to the pandemic.
Needless to say, employee burnout directly impacts productivity & engagement.
While the pandemic may have streamlined conversations around mental health & well-being; the buck doesn’t stop here.
For employees to be more efficient, engaged & productive, organisations would need to adopt a more mental health friendly model i.e. addressing the core needs of the employees so that they can perform at their optimum capacity.
The pandemic led to individuals being thrown into high stress situations where they witnessed financial, emotional, physical stress with lesser resources and avenues to mitigate the impact of stress for them. Being forced to work from home led to a dissolution of boundaries between personal & professional that became a major source of stress for most individuals.
Findings from the ‘People at Work 2021: A Global Workforce View’ , a study based on more than 32,000 people suggests that stress caused by the pandemic has been a significant challenge for workers in India. 20% of the workers stated that staying healthy & balancing work & family needs were rated as the biggest challenges at work since the pandemic began.
Therefore, there is a growing need for organisations to continue creating a more supportive environment for their employees.
Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) : There is a greater need for Employee Assistance Programs in India that focus on mental health concerns of the employees. Organisations need to adopt a more preventive rather than curative approach to enhance the well-being of their employees. They need to be able to normalise conversations around mental & emotional health
Need for trainings & programs around mental & emotional health: Through informative & interactive sessions on various aspects of mental & emotional heath, it gets progressively easier for organisations & employees to start and continue a healthy, constructive dialogue on mental health and related concerns. It gives them a space to gather information, resources, tools & techniques to work on the areas of their personal & professional lives that need a little more focus and improvement while being in an interactive, engaged space.
Provide work-life balance solutions : It has become increasingly important for organisations to adopt a more flexible working approach & arrangement wherein the employees can manage both the spheres of their lives with a sense of optimism. Lack of such measures are directly linked to feelings of frustration, resignation, anxiety, and helplessness. Thus, impacting employee engagement, productivity & overall level of commitment. Therefore, individuals are more likely to gravitate towards organisations that are able to provide flexible work options & more benefits in a hybrid work culture and organisations have also become more mindful of these emerging trends & need to continue to capitalize on them.
It’s about time that we understand more than ever that the prime focus for every organisation needs to be on employee well-being. Every organisation is made of people & by people. There is an urgent & continued need for creating, building & maintaining a work-culture that supports mental, emotional and physical well- being of each and every individual. Gone are the days of getting involved in various kinds of races that only aggravate one’s pre-existing stress levels.
It’s time to move towards a more centered & grounded approach towards work & life.
The author, a passionate Psychologist and Life Coach, is a Gold Medalist in MA Counselling Psychology and the founder of I’m Powered – Center for Counselling & Well-being, Delhi