Research shows that boosting employee morale is essential to productivity and staff retention. As the boss, your job is to ensure your employees feel comfortable communicating the good and the bad. The best way to show them you care is by offering ways to keep them healthy and happy. Nexllance invites you to consider these easy ways you can show your support.
- Promote Mental Health Awareness
The stigma associated with talking about mental health is quickly disappearing. Now, nurturing mental health is the ultimate form of self-care. NEMR Total HR notes that most missed workdays are caused by mental health struggles.
You can offer resources for employees to connect with professionals whenever they need help. Talk to them about the benefits of regularly seeing their doctor. Telemedicine can be far more convenient and typically available through insurance. It also eliminates some out-of-pocket expenses typically associated with in-person care.
- Teach Them Ways to Manage Stress
Have a conference to talk about ways you can manage stress on the job and at home. Encourage employees to use techniques such as deep breathing exercises, and talk to them about forming hobbies or taking a break when you need it. Talk about the stress-relieving benefits of meditation and yoga. Discuss the importance of slowing down when you start to feel anxious. Stress management can mean something different for everyone. Therefore, talk to your employees about what helps them manage stress.
Consider putting together self-care take home packages for your employees. You can include things like gift cards and care products. You could also add an attractive houseplant to bring some nature to each employee’s home.
- Encourage Employees to Socialize
Prioritize getting the staff together for more than just work. Plan events outside of the office. It’s important to do this more than just once a year. You can make a weekly social lunch plan and take the whole office out to eat. Tear down the metaphorical and physical walls that divide departments in the office. As employees feel comfortable talking to each other at work, they’ll feel more comfortable talking outside of the office as well. When employees trust each other, Slack points out that they work better collaboratively.
- Offer Opportunities To Work Remotely
When employees have the chance to work remotely, it gives them a break from the monotony of being in the office. Offer each employee a few remote workdays a month. Most importantly, show them that you trust them to manage their work from home by not checking in too often or asking them to check. The more trust you show in your staff, the more productive they will be for you. It allows them to feel like a team member rather than just a worker bee.
- Provide Opportunities To Disconnect From Work During Break
The office can be a stressful place. When employees have a rough day or are dealing with a difficult client, it can be hard to pick up and move on to the next task. Offer a quiet space to take a break, meditation, and relax their minds before getting back to work. You can turn a small room into a lounge area with comfortable furniture, snacks, and soothing music. Encourage employees to use it whenever they need it and try not to over police the space. Everyone handles stress differently. Some may need the room more than others.
You can also encourage employees to take “walking breaks” that allows them the chance to get outside and not only get in some exercise but a bit of fresh air as well. If the office happens to be an area with a high Walk Score (70 and above is ideal), all the better, as walkability around the block is categorized as friendly for anyone to set off on foot for a time.
Remember to practice your own self-care as well. Show your team you’re a leader by being an example, whether that’s through offering benefits like insurance, helping set up an employee’s home office for comfort and low stress, or taking your own walking break. What you teach them about self-value is only as good as your actions.
The marketing pros at Nexllance deliver the best possible work and services, offer insightful feedback to help our clients accomplish their desired objectives or goals. Connect with us today to learn more! 1-502-653-9954