Rethink Mental Health Awareness Month with People Analytics
Check out how to prioritize employee mental health by offering counseling programs, support, and resources.
Employee mental health is a growing concern. Mental health awareness month provides an opportunity to spread the word about the value of mental health. Learn how companies can utilize the resources of people analytics to support employees’ well-being.
Mental health at work is a key concern. Even if the prevalence of poor mental health and our understanding of it are both developing, it is still crucial to review the basics. It’s becoming imperative rather than optional for employers to support employees’ mental health.
Although it can be challenging, many managers are doing their part to help the mental health of their staff. According to the State of Workforce Mental Health, since the pandemic started, nearly two-thirds of managers believe their role has grown in importance and difficulty, and they feel ill-equipped to help their team members. Organizations need to take the time to understand their people’s mental health needs better and offer the resources necessary to address them.
Similarly, employees should urge their employers to provide mental health programs in the workplace. It’s no secret that risk factors associated with the workplace can harm mental health. 46% of employees discuss mental health at work. Most employees face mental health struggles, but many don’t get help, and 60% said their mental health affected their work.
Whether or not someone suffers from a mental health issue, Mental Health Awareness Month is a good time to help organizations and people recognize how mental health impacts their lives, educate people about the available services, and highlight ways to address mental health challenges.
Importance of Employee Mental Health in the Workplace
Combating the stigma attached to mental health problems at work can be difficult. Many people develop unconscious biases against mental health concerns, which can result in major workplace difficulties like discrimination and harm an employee’s wellness. Additionally, people who experience mental health problems at work may decide to keep their struggles to themselves out of concern that they will be considered weak or unable to accomplish their job obligations. This may prevent them from seeking help, affecting their work, career, and life.
Speaking with employers about personal or mental health issues is uncomfortable for employees. According to Paychex, 54% of those polled stated they were uncomfortable talking to their bosses about their mental health, and 29% even expressed concern that talking about it may lose them a promotion or result in being fired or furloughed. Employees were most likely to confide in coworkers if they did discuss personal matters at work.
Addressing how work environments affect an employee’s health is a good investment for an organization. A proactive approach might identify minor issues before they grow into larger ones. A further approach to demonstrate to your employees that you value them as individuals is by taking concrete steps to safeguard their mental health. It is an investment in the entire performance of the employees.
At Microsoft, sharing mental health stories among employees has occurred naturally without the need for a formal program. Sonja Kellen from Microsoft mentioned in an interview that many leaders within the company voluntarily opened up about their personal struggles or experiences they have witnessed. Microsoft’s mental health initiative, called Microsoft Cares, provides a range of resources for all employees, including in-person, digital, and telephone counseling and support groups and workshops.
Using Predictive Analytics To Improve Mental Health
Predictive analytics in mental health has recently attracted a great deal of attention thanks to its promise to revolutionize mental care in a manner analogous to recent advances in personalized and precision medicine.
To provide proactive intervention and support, predictive analytics can be a valuable tool to anticipate and identify employees at risk of mental health concerns. Predictive analytics can find patterns and risk factors linked to mental health issues by examining various data sources, including employee surveys, HR records, health insurance claims, and performance assessments.
Using sophisticated statistical modeling and machine learning techniques, predictive analytics can create risk-scoring models that give employees unique risk scores. Using each employee’s profile and circumstances, these ratings assess the risk that they may experience mental health disorders. The system serves as an early warning system, identifying employees at higher risk by routinely updating their risk scores. During this mental health awareness month, organizations can harness the power of people analytics to gain valuable insights into their employees’ well-being. By analyzing data on various aspects such as work patterns, engagement levels, and stress indicators, organizations can identify potential areas of improvement, implement targeted interventions, and create a more supportive and mentally healthy workplace environment.
See More: 5 Ways Predictive Analytics Will Transform HR
Monitoring Employee Well-being Initiatives
There is no denying that happier and healthier employees are more productive. However, every business requires a plan to elevate employee well-being to a top priority. Do you follow a people-insights strategy or rely on perception?
According to Deloitte, 78% of organizations worldwide think that the well-being of employees is one of the drivers of organizational performance. Although employee wellness programs have been around for a while, the emphasis has shifted from evaluating employee health to comprehending the underlying causes. This more thorough investigation identifies the variables affecting employee motivation levels. Analysis of employee motivation is essential since it shows how they meet organizational goals.
When it comes to a person’s well-being, using the terms ‘data,’ ‘analytics,’ and ‘insights’ may seem counter-intuitive. A cold, numerical word may fail to convey interest in each employee and how they are doing individually.
EY has developed the “Better You” program to provide comprehensive support for its employees’ physical, financial, social, and emotional well-being. The program offers a range of free resources to help employees achieve a healthy balance in both their work and personal lives. To address mental health concerns, EY’s program includes valuable offerings for employees and their family members, mindfulness training, and meditation sessions. Moreover, EY covers the expenses of online support tools that assist employees in managing stress effectively and provides training to help employees recognize signs of distress among individuals in their network.
See More: Key Benefits Strategies To Boost Employee Wellbeing
Future Trends and Opportunities
Emerging advances in people analytics, such as wearable technology and sentiment analysis, offer the potential to improve employee mental health monitoring and support even more. Organizations can monitor employee well-being and spot potential symptoms of stress or exhaustion by using wearable devices, which can give real-time data on physiological indicators like heart rate and sleep habits.
On the other hand, sentiment analysis uses natural language processing to examine written or spoken employee feedback, enabling organizations to obtain insights into employee feelings and identify potential mental health issues. These trends offer further data sources for more thorough and proactive mental health interventions and assistance.
Which technologies have you used to enhance mental health support in your organization? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. We’d love to hear from you!
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