
6 Tips for Building Resilience Into Workplaces on National Employee Benefits Day
By: Benefits by Design | Tuesday April 6, 2021
Updated : Tuesday May 30, 2023
National Employee Benefits Day is celebrated each year in April. The day recognizes trustees, administrators, benefits practitioners and professional advisors for their dedication to providing quality benefits and the important role they play in their colleagues’ well-being.
This year, the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plan’s theme for National Employee Benefits Day focuses on resilience and mental health, and it’s easy to see why.
This past year has been incredibly challenging and has tested Canadians’ mental health, relationships, financial stability, and so much more. With all of that going on, building resilience and an awareness of your own mental health (and that of your employees) is crucial, and will continue to be long after COVID-19 is in the rearview mirror.
COVID-19’s Impacts on Mental Health and Resilience
This past year has been incredibly challenging and has tested Canadians’ mental health, relationships, financial stability, and so much more. With all of that going on, building resilience and an awareness of your own mental health (and that of your employees) is crucial, and will continue to be long after COVID-19 is in the rearview mirror.
Canadians’ mental health is worsening during the pandemic and is only expected to continue, even after vaccines are distributed and restrictions rolled back. This decline in mental health in relation to the pandemic is largely driven by a few key factors:
- Social and physical distancing measures, increasing Canadians’ feelings of isolation and loneliness, and affecting their relationships with friends and family
- Workplace burnout, as many Canadians work longer and harder (or just more stressed and less productive)
- Financial and/or employment instability due to COVID-19
- Work from home, which is blurring the lines between work and home for some
- Increased anxiety and depression as a result of everything else above
It seems like so much as to be overwhelming, but employers are uniquely positioned to help Canadians rise to meet the challenges of the times.
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How to Build Resilience and a Mentally Healthy Workplace
By focusing on supporting employees’ mental health and reinforcing resilience in workers, employers can create better work for their teams, and for themselves. Here’s how:
#1. Normalize Mental Health and Break Down Stigma
The stigma around mental health remains one of the greatest barriers for seeking help. Though we’re seeing some progress in recent years, Canadians are still hesitant to speak up. One of the most effective ways to break down this stigma is to normalize mental health discussions and provide options for employees, such as:
- Offer Personal Time Off (PTO), with an emphasis on reaffirming to employees that a “mental health day” qualifies
- Make mental health resources readily available and accessible, and ensure you remind employees about them often
- Provide options for employees seeking help in your benefits offerings and total compensation package, such as an Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
- Encourage open, honest communication between employees and their managers regarding workloads and projects, and even home life that may affect their mental health
#2. Provide Support Through Your Employee Benefits Plan
An employee benefits plan is one of the most effective tools in an employer’s arsenal to keep employees happy, healthy, and well. An EAP is one such offering that provides access to confidential professional counselling services to assist employees through life’s challenges. Likewise, Extended Health Care (EHC) offerings frequently include paramedical coverage for practitioners, including psychologists.
If your employee benefits plan doesn’t have mental health support and resources built into it already, now is the time.
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#3. Communicate Effectively and Frequently
Few things will tank your efforts at building a resilient, mentally healthy workplace than poor communication will. Employees who are left wondering things like, “When will we go back to the office? Will we go back to the office?” will have those thoughts eating away at them and affecting their work.
Another consideration here is around the actual work you get up to in your day. Employees who aren’t sure what their deadlines are or where they should go for more information on that new product launch will be more stressed and anxious than they need to be.
#4. Provide Meaningful Work
Employees who are satisfied in their work will be less stressed, more engaged and productive, and better equipped to deal with challenging times through resilience. A big part of providing meaningful work is offering opportunities to advance and to learn more!
#5. Training and Learning for Employees
Providing effective training, resources, and learning opportunities for employees not only makes them better and more productive, it makes them more resilient. The more confident and equipped to deal with your workplaces day-to-day challenges and workloads, the less stress and anxiety they’ll have.
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#6. Show, Don’t Tell
Resilience is a learned behaviour and the best way to teach workers the importance of resilience is by showing them. Here’s a few characteristics of resilient workforces to keep in mind:
- Optimism and positivity, particularly in the face of adversity
- A focus on growth, both with the company (profits) and with employees (development)
- Trust, openness, and honesty — the more you exemplify this, the more employees will