We’ve had quite the year facing a global pandemic. Now, it’s time to step back and evaluate where it left our businesses and how it affected our employees.
Have we provided them with the tools they need to get through their hardships? Are they ready to come back to the office? Will they come back to the office and be able to bounce back into their routines while making sure their mental health is taken care of?
Continue reading to learn more about resilience training and why it is important in this new version of the traditional workplace.
Effects of COVID on the Workplace
When news of a serious illness broke to the public, the entire world panicked. The fear of the unknown was taking over. It wasn’t safe to go to the office when the transmission rate of the coronavirus was so high.
Businesses were shut down and employees were sent home with a short-term fix. They would “work from home” for two weeks, and then everything would go back to normal. Little did they know, these weeks would turn into months and their lives would be turned upside down.
All aspects of the physical office were quickly transformed into virtual reality. Video conferences took place from home offices to collaborate with coworkers and relate important information to managers and bosses without coming face-to-face with these people. Documents and forms were submitted over the internet via secured routes.
Several months later, those who were not labeled as “essential workers” were able to return to the office. Social distancing, wearing masks, and frequently sanitizing your workstation quickly became a part of this “new normal”. But what did this mean for mental health during a global pandemic?
The Mental Health Crisis
Employment is the number one area of stress amongst 65% of Americans, especially those who are in high-stress positions at work. This stress can lead to negative effects on both physical and mental health. When it came to a global pandemic, we were officially dealing with a mental health crisis.
People all over the world were dealing with a serious sickness that left them sheltering in place while their loved ones were alone in the hospital with complications of COVID-19.
While this was happening, some people were trying to find a place in this new work-from-home routine. Others were enlisted as “essential workers” who braved the less-than-ideal work conditions adorned in Personal Protective Equipment. Some people were furloughed or laid off with no means of bringing home money to support their families.
By the time when the restrictions began lifting, workers around the world were burnt out and struggling to keep it together. COVID-19 caused health issues amongst those who never contracted the sickness: they were struggling with workplace fatigue.
This provides employers with the perfect opportunity for mental health and workplace stress to be addressed.
Employers should know by now that being in “good health” is ideal for a successful business. Ensuring that their employees are in a healthy place mentally is one way to do this. Having an open-door policy for employees to share their concerns and mental health status is a great place to start.
Another is by giving them the tools that they need to work through the challenges of the last year. With resilience training in the workplace, this is possible.
How Resilience Helps Through the Hardships
Resilience is a way of handling the hardships that life throws at us. It is the ability to “bounce back” from challenges that tend to happen throughout our lives. Stress is often a determining factor in a person’s resilience. It can affect your mental well-being and cause several issues in the workplace.
When people are resilient, they can come out on the other end of the hardships stronger than ever with a survivor mentality. If something is going to go wrong, they will be able to weather the storm. They have a sense of control over certain things and are equipped with the problem-solving skills needed to get through any challenge.
When something like COVID-19 takes the world by storm, you have to be able to bounce back during the pandemic and as things start to go back to normal.
Resilience Training in the Workplace
Due to the uncertain circumstances that we have come to live with over the last several months, employers need to step up and check in with their employees. It’s important to make sure that they are coping in healthy ways.
With a resilient workforce, employers can keep their businesses running because their employees are nearly unstoppable. These employees can handle these stressors better and even protect themselves against future stress. They are also able to take care of themselves and keep their mental health in check.
Resilience training helps to:
- Improve job satisfaction and workplace commitment
- Improve employee self-esteem and purpose in life
- Improve employee productivity
Once they learn resilience in the workplace, employees will notice that it would improve their mood, reduce stress in all areas of their lives, and achieve mental clarity for the first time since the pandemic began.
It’s time for employers to consider resilience workplace training to make sure that they can bounce back after the stressful year that they’ve had.
Have You Considered Resilience Training?
When you consider resilience training in the workplace, you are equipping your employees with the skills that they need to avoid burnout. They can handle the day-to-day without wearing themselves out to the point where they need to take time off work to cope.
Twello offers a resilience training course called “Building Resiliency for Uncertainty”. The course helps employees to learn all of the skills needed to be more resilient. We offer live virtual wellness courses or onsite wellness classes.
