How to measure the mental health and wellbeing of your employees
2021 has been another year of ongoing disruption and uncertainty, creating additional challenges for businesses as we try to adapt to the ‘new normal’.
Every one of us has been impacted by the pandemic in one way or another, and you’re not alone if you feel tired, lost, or burnt out as a result (read: How to identify employee burnout). This year has not only brought chaos to business operations, but to our mental health as well.
With this in mind, there has never been a better time to be on the front-foot of managing employee wellbeing. Employers have access to more employee data than ever before, and through qualitative and quantitative measures, we can now put a microscope on how employees are feeling and coping with work.
And the results?
Targeted employee wellbeing strategies can help increase happiness in the workplace, leading to boosted productivity and reduced employee turnover rates.
But before you go ahead and plan all your team bonding activities and motivational speakers, first ask yourself:
Are my employees feeling okay?
If they are not, what specifically can we do as an organisation to support them?
What blocks can we target that will result in productive outcomes?
The answers to these questions are not always clear right away.
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Today, we’ll take you through the top strategies for gauging employee mental health and wellbeing, including:
Staff Surveys
HR data
Exit interviews
One-on-one catchups
Regular one-on-one catch ups whilst working remotely helps to strengthen the relationship between manager and employee.
Staff Surveys
Your first stop is employee surveys!
Surveys are a great way to gather baseline data on employee mental health, as well as organisational culture and climate. The key here is to include questions on how employees feel at work, as well as what they think about the workplace’s conditions, processes and procedures.
Try to include questions that give you an all-round perspective of wellbeing, including examples such as:
What techniques do you use to care for your mental health?
Do you make time for self-care?
Are you able to balance home and work responsibilities?
Have you found your hours have increased while working remotely?
In order to get the most of out of your survey results, ensure the purpose of the survey is made clear to employees and consider whether the survey should be anonymous.
HR Data
Take a deep dive into your available HR data and pull-out insights which could indicate a decline in employee wellbeing.
Some red flags to watch out for can include:
Low rates of staff retention
High absenteeism
Productivity decline
Low employee engagement
By identifying these markers, you will be able to get a holistic glimpse into the overall wellbeing of your staff – priceless information that can be used to tailor your approach to mental health in the workplace.
Exit Interviews
Often overlooked during the offboarding process, exit interviews are an invaluable technique used to gather insights from departing employees.
While these conversations might not always be enjoyable, they can give you great insider perspective into your workplace and culture. In particular, try to understand the real reason for staff turnover so that you can remedy the issue before it affects your other existing staff.
Try some of these questions to get the ball rolling:
Why are you leaving our company?
Do you have any open issues to discuss?
What is your honest opinion of the workplace environment?
Is there anything you think needs to be improved?
One-on-one catch ups
Encourage your management team to conduct regular one-on-one catch ups with staff members.
Not only is this a great way to strengthen the relationship between manager and employee, but it can be a good opportunity to assess the mental wellbeing of individuals too. This is of utmost importance whilst working remotely, as it can be difficult to gauge how employees are going without seeing them face-to-face.
Some starter topics for these scheduled one-on-one meetings could be:
Things that are going well
Challenges and concerns
Feedback
Goals
Personal updates
As these meetings take place, it is important to record data so that you can identify any actionable trends.
Advice for Managers
Your management team should be your mental health and wellbeing advocates. How they interact and engage with your staff can have a big impact on culture and morale, so it’s important that they act as positive role models.
Some tips for managers when it comes to managing wellbeing in their teams:
Adapt your management style to meet the individual needs of each employee
Regularly ask employees how they are doing, and build a sense of trust through authentic leadership
Ask employees if there are any other ways they can be supported
Open dialogue surrounding mental health and create an environment where it’s okay to express emotion
Model healthy behaviours including self-care practices and healthy work boundaries
Some final words of encouragement
We have already seen a big shift in the way employees perceive and value their organisation. No longer are people satisfied with just a physically safe working environment – they also desire healthy and positive workspaces where they can contribute in a meaningful and purposeful way.
Understanding that there is a mutually reinforcing cycle between how an employee feels and how they perform is an important lesson to take into the new year.
If there’s one thing I’d like to leave you with, it’s this - a thriving business is one backed by happy and healthy employees
Contact melbourne hr
If you need help measuring employee mental health, or have any questions about managing company culture, contact Melbourne HR for a free consultation and quote.
PHONE: 1300 784 687
Emma Weeks is a Full-Time HR Consultant who is in her first year with Melbourne HR.
Edited by Nicole Torrington, Marketing Manager at Melbourne HR.