Mental Health in Times of Crisis

One of the key things to be aware of from an HR perspective during this time is Mental Health. 

Firstly, as business owners, this is an extremely unsettling time operationally, logistically, financially and of course emotionally! With that in mind, do make sure you take some time out for yourself, to pause, reflect and rationalise on the situation. Take comfort in the knowledge that ‘we are all in the same boat’ and accept that you can only act on the matters within your control. You are human and these are challenging times to be facing.

Employees will look to you for leadership and guidance. The key things here is communication and we would recommend at least weekly check-ins with your staff during the lockdown. A fantastic (and FREE!) tool for this is Workplace, an extension of Facebook (that is completely separate, no need to connect as ‘Friends’). This is an interface most people are familiar with and enables you to share as a team what is going on as the situation develops, you can have groups set up and the messaging system enables audio and video calling.

Team morale is so important during these times of uncertainty and we must be aware that some employees will struggle during this period with anxiety, loneliness and isolation, along with potentially facing health issues of course. For many people their sense of identity and self-worth is connected to their employment so do be mindful to remind staff that you are there and share any updates with them during this time. If you are facing doubt as to whether your current structure or business operations will remain intact when operations resume, this is much easier to address if employees have been kept informed during their time away from the business as you will have ‘planted the seed’ and allowed them time to consider possibilities that come from business.

Encourage your staff to stay active physically, eat well and avoid unhealthy behaviours such as excess alcohol consumption that will fuel anxiety and depression as well as depleting their immune functions. Make sure the updates and facts you are receiving and providing are from a credible source, there is a lot of scary and inaccurate information floating around on social media!

There is an excellent article from Mental Health Foundation and free online courses to help support you and your team. If you do have concerns about your own or other’s mental health please reach out and we can connect you with appropriate support.

We are working through if you have any queries or concerns during the lockdown, you can still reach us on 09 299 2525. Be kind to yourself, make a difference where you are able to and try not to focus on things outside of your control.

We are here, we are with you.