Each month, Mercer brings together in-house experts, employee advocates and external thought leaders for an online discussion of the most pressing issues. The program is called #MercerChats and takes place entirely on Twitter, where individuals around the world engage with Mercer’s intellectual capital and other leading thought leadership to share insights and discuss the best solutions to help organizations thrive. Below is a summary of our November 2020 tweet chat, highlighting some of the key themes discussed and insights shared.
In the last 15 years, mental health has gone from taboo to an everyday concern, and the change couldn’t have come any sooner. That’s because just as employers around the world were finally coming to terms with the fact that their workforce’s mental and emotional wellbeing may have an impact on their organization’s wellbeing, we’ve been thrust into a global pandemic that’s made uncertainty, anxiety and stress a household concern around the world.
But mental health awareness began long before the pandemic, and it will continue to be a prominent concern long after it’s gone. As we learn more about what drives and motivates people – and as the world of work evolves to become more human focused – it’s becoming more and more critical that employers invest in their people’s mental health and wellbeing. This means going beyond reducing or alleviating stress and taking a more humanistic look at workforce engagement and productivity, support, and fulfillment, all of which are top priorities for business leaders around the world.
So if employers are to take up the mantle of mental health in the workplace, where should they begin? How can organizations go about creating an environment that balances their people’s holistic wellbeing with their business objectives? That’s the question we were after in the wake of World Mental Health Awareness Day 2020, so we invited some of the world’s leading voices to discuss the latest trend in workplace wellness and mental health in a #MercerChats tweet chat. Below are some of the key takeaways and greatest insights from that conversation.
When you think about how important your workforce’s mental wellbeing really is, it’s almost unbelievable that it wasn’t a higher priority until now. If your people are your most valuable and important asset, then overlooking their mental health is like a homeowner looking the other way when they notice a crack in their foundation. But it’s even more remarkable when you consider all the different ways that employee wellbeing does matter. Whether it’s your productivity or your employment brand or your bottom-line, having a workforce that is positive, supported and engaged can impact every part of your business.
To begin understanding the value of mental health, it helps to start with the basics. Lori Almedia hit on this during our discussion when she noted the simple impact of demonstrating kindness and support in the workplace, which can lead to people exceeding targets by up to 17%. Similarly, Jen Merrick shared how these environments can improve workforce productivity by 10.6 more days per person annually. This is achieved through a culture of care and authentic connection, as Chris Edmonds noted, all of which has become an essential part of building strong leadership and a resilient business amid today’s social and economic volatility, per Tamara McCleary.
A1 - A culture of kindness has tangible benefits which will lead to happier staff and a better bottom line. #mercerchats
— lori almeida (@lorialmeida) October 27, 2020
A1. Corporate culture is critical in today's world. With the challenges of #COVID, the #economy, #diversity issues and much more it is imperative #leadership look at finding ways we can all show kindness everyday, whether among coworkers or from the company itself. #MercerChats pic.twitter.com/gkSfaqi2ey
— Tamara McCleary (@TamaraMcCleary) October 27, 2020
A2: Authentic care between and among team members and team leaders is the foundation of a vibrant, fun, healthy, creative, productive, work culture. #MercerChats
— S. Chris Edmonds (@scedmonds) October 27, 2020
A1b: In fact, employers who treat people well, by prioritizing their #wellbeing, are up to 10.6 days more productive, per person. Great article from Dr. Wolfgang Seidl on why #mentalhealth shouldn’t be underestimated: https://t.co/EEwG1L9xig #MercerChats https://t.co/YI4ZkBVnbu
— Jennifer Merrick (@Jlmerrick) October 27, 2020
Knowing the problem is only half the battle. In order to realize the benefits of a positive, healthy workforce, employers need to know how to build one. The answer can either be shockingly simple or monstrously complex, but let’s start with the former and work our way up.
People want to be treated like people, and it really is as simple as that. Both Cecilia Giordano and Carrie Maslen shared something to this effect during our conversation, pointing out that leaders must be mindful of their own behaviors and what they may be signaling to their people. But it’s also about listening, as Dr. Marcia F Robinson shared. Leaders need to remain plugged into their people and identifying areas where they may be struggling. Whether your people are at risk of burnout due to being overburdened at work or disengaging from work due to problems away from the office, listening is the first step towards resolution.
And now to the hard part: constructing the policies and benefits that allow for peace of mind. Per Amy Laverock, the key here is personalization, and if you’re thinking that it’s just another business buzz word, think again. Personalization is the ability to provide the right benefits to the right people to ensure they have adequate support, all of which is made easier by digital benefits and health. Both Norman Dreger and Alvin Foo identified how important this is when they pointed out that new solutions like telemedicine, wellness benefits, and counseling have become absolute game changers in the push for better mental health, and it might be time more employers took notice.
A.5 We need empathetic leaders who listen to colleagues and assign achievable goals and provide help and support when needed. #MercerChats #Wellbeing #MentalHealth https://t.co/jmOda0lK8Y
— Cecilia I. Giordano (@Ceci_1974) October 27, 2020
Be mindful of the signals you send when you
— carrie maslen (@carriemaslen) October 27, 2020
- work through vacations
- don't take breaks
- text & email at nights & weekends
Don't ADD to the stress!#MercerChats
A2: Listen, ask questions, check if you heard correctly and listen again. Support workers with what they need to thrive. Remember that it’s not one size that fits everyone. Tailoring employee experiences means being better listeners. #MercerChats #EmployeeWellness
— Dr. R. - The Workplace Evolutionist (@MarciaFRobinson) October 27, 2020
Personalization is key to creating benefits that truly benefit the individual and the organization. #Mercerchats #Benefits
— Amy Laverock (@amy_laverock) October 27, 2020
A4. Growing up in an isolated, remote community, we sometimes lacked access to specialists. With digital health & #Telemedicine, even people in the most isolated locations can have efficient and direct access to specialized #Mentalhealth support. #DDD #DifferentLens #MercerChats https://t.co/K0qoErYrKa
— Norman Dreger (@NormanDreger) October 27, 2020
A4.
— Alvin Foo (@alvinfoo) October 27, 2020
Digital solutions can offer telemedicine and digital health services by supporting employees’ physical, mental, financial, and social health & #wellbeing.
Services include:
- #healthcare portal
- fitness classes
- general health counselling#MercerChats https://t.co/7YYZoTGT8y
Are employers in an arms race to see who can adopt the most supportive and empathetic mental health policies? Maybe not, but you could argue that they should be. Both leaders and talent are catching on to the importance of mental health, and it may increasingly become a reputational liability for brands to continue overlooking their own people’s wellbeing. As Christina Dove shared, people have been giving much of themselves to their employers for years, and it’s time those employers start giving back.
The good news is that there’s so much that employers can do to begin closing the gap and showing their people that they care. The key is to do just that, whether through a culture that prioritizes more empathetic and humanistic relationships, as Eugenia Naser suggests, or by creating a more flexible, supportive workplace, similar to the one Nicole Passmore mentions. In either case, there’s no better time than now to enact these policies, as the remote working landscape and feeling of isolation that both Brian Fanzo and Theo Lau touched on will continue to present challenges to those leaders who want to build a culture of wellness. But in the end it will be those leaders, people managers and colleagues who need to step up to the challenge, because as Mark Babbitt noted, you can’t automate caring.
A2.2 I've seen difficulties in this pandemic time from managers to openly show support or recognize their own challenges. But i believe, very personal view, that sometimes an honest "How are you?" is good enough and can make a real difference. #MercerChats
— Eugenia Naser (@EugeniaNaser) October 27, 2020
A2: We can’t automate caring. AI won’t help enough. This is the time to sit down one-on-one with people in your work team. Do it so well, your efforts become contagious. #MercerChats
— Mark S. Babbitt (@MarkSBabbitt) October 27, 2020
A6: Be flexible - most employees are likely to have given many hours over their contract in the past - now it is time to give a little back. Encourage females to share the workload in their family home. #flexibleworking #mentalhealth #wellbeing #mercerchats https://t.co/Jt6FERP8qx
— ✨ Christina Dove 🕊 (@ChristinaDove7) October 27, 2020
A4. CONT
— Brian Fanzo 🧢 Digital Futurist (@iSocialFanz) October 27, 2020
Having a remote workforce or #workfromhome culture doesn’t mean your employees don’t want to work & collaborate with others offline…
Digital solutions must connect both online & offline worlds! #MercerChats
A6.a. Be flexible! Flexibility and support is key. Flexible work polices not only help employees in the immediate term, but also have the potential to improve #health outcomes and reduce business costs. #MercerChats #MentalHealth https://t.co/PzxsCJtfoI
— Nicole Passmore (@npassmore1) October 27, 2020
A5: We are all living in an environment w/ prolonged stress and anxiety. Leaders must develop empathetic listening skills, and listen without judgment.#Empathy is an active choice that we can all make. #Leadership #Culture #MercerChats #MentalHealth @guzmand @ChristinaDove7 https://t.co/7ZVQxLxCni pic.twitter.com/Nt8WVkcdHG
— Theo - 劉䂀曼 (@psb_dc) October 27, 2020