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How to support the mental health of your workforce using HR technology

The last year has caused an enormous amount of stress around the world. Emotional and mental exhaustion continues to be a major struggle for millions of people during this pandemic. It’s possibly even fair to say that all of us have gone through some emotional and mental challenges since the Coronavirus outbreak. As a result, we’re witnessing a shift in attitudes towards mental health and how employers are viewing the mental wellbeing of their staff.

As HR teams give mental health a fresh look, one of the big trends to follow in the year ahead is how companies can think of more ways to improve mental wellbeing. After recently attending a webinar about the current mental health landscape at work, it got us thinking about how HR tech can help. Here, we will highlight some examples of how HR technologies can support the mental well-being of our workforces.

Make documents and resources easily accessible

If your idea of an employee handbook or HR policy is a manilla folder stuffed into a filing cabinet, then what use is that when so many people are working remotely? For employees with mental health conditions, being unable to find a helpful guide, policy or resource when they most need it could have serious consequences.

There are countless benefits to waving goodbye to the HR Stone Age and saying hello to a cloud-based HR Information System (HRIS). One of those is the ability to store files, resources, policies and handbooks securely in the cloud for on-demand access and usage. You could even upload some educational materials on mental health that help reduce stigma, increase awareness and make employees with mental health conditions feel like they’re seen and understood; there are many amazing and free resources out there.

Of course, there is one big caveat to this advice: if you don’t already have a mental health in the workplace policy, then now would be a good time to create one with the guidance of experts and store it in your HRIS for all to see.

Promote kindness, belonging and recognition

If businesses are serious about prioritising mental health and wellness, then it is necessary to promote a workplace culture that fosters kindness, belonging and appreciation. Rewards & Recognition technologies that include a peer recognition tool can help to benefit our mental health at work.

A peer-to-peer recognition program will allow employees to publicly voice their appreciation and gratitude for each other, even when working from home. Employees simply log in to the system, nominate a colleague, and then send thanks for something great that they’ve done. These positive notes can be displayed on a social wall for other staff to engage with.

Integrating a peer-to-peer recognition tool will go a long way towards creating a culture where positive behaviour and acts of kindness are recognised and celebrated as part of everyday life. In turn, this will help to improve your employees’ mental health by promoting positivity, boosting confidence, enhancing a sense of belonging and building relationships.

Revamp the onboarding experience

Virtual onboarding has become part of the ‘new normal’ for traditionally office-based businesses. However, with no office tour or water cooler chat with your new team on your first day, it can feel like a rather empty and lonely way to start off in a new role. There are probably a bunch of HR teams who’ve nailed remote onboarding during the COVID-19 pandemic. But there are undoubtedly many organisations that could do more to tackle the nerves and anxiety of new starters at a time when workplace vulnerability is so high.

HR tech can help you deliver cutting-edge onboarding experiences and spark human connections from a distance. Onboarding platforms allow you to build your perfect new hire journey with automated communications and content delivered seamlessly. Amaze and engage your new hires by sharing intro videos, match up buddies and facilitating coffee catch-up calls. You can even support managers to onboard new team members effectively with subtle and timely nudges, enabling them to take the right action at the right time.

Integrate wellbeing into performance management

We know that workplace wellbeing and employee performance are intrinsically linked. Therefore, it makes sense to use Performance Management technology to support employee wellbeing.

With many businesses now operating remotely, it can be difficult to recognise red flags typically associated with poor mental health. Continuous performance management software that includes weekly check-ins can be used to cover wellbeing topics; such as whether an employee has been working late, feeling stressed or suffering from burnout. As a result, objectives can be reviewed or removed within the platform and managers can emphasize wellness programs as necessary.

Regularly check the pulse of culture and morale

How can you improve or foster a culture of wellbeing if you don’t know where things currently stand? This is where Employee Engagement Surveys come in. Anonymized company-wide engagement surveys will help you to check the pulse of employee morale and identify suitable actions to help your people feel happier and more engaged. For a real culture of transparency and honesty, you can even share the results of these surveys in All Hands meetings to open up the conversation about morale and pave the way forward.

To summarise, there are several different types of HR tech that can support mental well-being in different ways. At DayoneHR, we help clients select and implement the right HR technology for their business needs.

If you think that any of the solutions discussed here could benefit your organisation then please enter your details on our contact page and a member of our team will be in touch.