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When you watch or read the news, it is easy to become anxious about the state of the world today. Feeling sadness, guilt, and despair about not doing more to facilitate change is normal. As an businesskinda.com you are used to being in control, but you feel powerless to do anything about war, pandemics or hatred. It all feels too overwhelming.
But you can’t give in to all that negativity. Owning a business is like being a parent – not only do insurmountable events in the world affect you, but they also affect your workforce, so you should be concerned about the mental health of your employees.
Try the following six strategies to face and tackle the proverbial elephants in the room within your own company and prove that you are all in this together.
Related: 8 Ways to Stay Positive No matter what’s going on around you
Contents
1. Lead by example
Employees follow their cues from the top, so if your modus operandi is to ignore current events, they’ll assume specific discussions are off limits in the workplace. Maybe that’s on purpose and you want a work culture where people keep their worries to themselves. However, if you want a culture where employees feel free to express themselves, it has to start with you.
I’m not saying you want a workplace where your employees are constantly discussing current events, but your staff is probably just as stressed as you are and wanting to voice their fears and concerns.
Whether you’re broaching a social topic or participating in an ongoing conversation, it’s critical to listen, ask questions, and contribute so your team knows it’s acceptable to discuss these issues at work. Finally, the best way to encourage communication is to make it clear that people are free to express their views without being judged by their boss or colleagues.
2. Make a statement
When something important happens, many companies take the initiative to issue a company-wide statement to employees (and sometimes the media). Obviously, the kind of statement you make about a critical issue depends on the culture you’ve developed. But chances are your staff wants you to speak up. A recent Gartner HR Research Research found that 68% of employees would consider leaving their employer for a company that takes a more assertive stance on social and cultural issues.
Whether you are supporting survivors of a natural disaster, the atrocities in Ukraine, or something more personal such as an event in your own community, it is vital to show employees that you are aware of and empathetic to the circumstances surrounding you go. If you decide to contribute to a good cause as a company, involve your team in the process by asking for their ideas on how you can make a difference.
Related: 4 Ways Entrepreneurs Can Keep Their Business Positive During Tough Times
3. Provide resources
Of course, employees can choose not to speak out about the impact of a particular event on their stress level and mental health. People often prefer to keep their feelings and opinions to themselves, or at least outside the workplace.
You can still help those employees by providing tools, such as recommending wellness apps that your team can download and use on their own. Post information to your intranet or send a memo about helpful apps or services for mental health and wellness.
For specific ways employees can get involved, list websites such as the American Red Cross, local food banks, or aid organizations that support a particular cause.
4. Enlist outside help
There may also be times when a current event directly affects your employees and thus puts your business at risk. In these cases, providing outside help is crucial to help employees deal with the mental and physical aftereffects.
For example, your business may falter after the loss of a beloved co-worker, an incident of workplace violence, a natural disaster in their community, or simply feel the weight of the crises in our world today. The American Counseling Association (ACA) has many helpful resources on its website Trauma and Mental Health section. You can also ask your company’s insurance company to provide you with local therapists that employees can meet to get advice.
5. Join
Don’t ignore the healing power of taking action. You can make it a company-wide project or something you do yourself and ask interested employees to volunteer with you. Creating a culture of volunteering in your company boosts employee morale, according to a study by Deloitte. Not only did the survey find that volunteering improved employee wellbeing, but 89% of employees believe that companies that sponsor volunteer activities provide a healthier overall work environment.
Whether you’re brainstorming with employees how to take action and support a good cause or encouraging engagement by giving employees PTO to donate their time, facing current events directly can do wonders for your mental state and the health of your company. .
Related: Harnessing the Power of Positive Thinking to Grow Your Business
6. Eliminate Negativity
No matter how bad things may get, strive daily to practice gratitude and banish negativity, a mindset people often choose because of underlying issues. This can quickly turn into fear.
Don’t fight it. Instead, surrender and let things work their way. Try to accept your current situation, feel grateful for what you have and have faith that something great will happen.
Trying to get things under control is often the source of negativity. To maintain productivity and boost company morale, move on without regrets about your past and worrying about the future.
Janice has been with businesskinda for 5 years, writing copy for client websites, blog posts, EDMs and other mediums to engage readers and encourage action. By collaborating with clients, our SEO manager and the wider businesskinda team, Janice seeks to understand an audience before creating memorable, persuasive copy.