Activities that foster safe working environments and advocate mental wellbeing – Hindustan Times

Workplaces should strongly advocate the importance of breaking the stigma attached to mental health and strive to promote mental wellness . Considering, how the definition of wellbeing has changed over the past few years, health and fitness programs in offices must be designed so as to evolve plus stay true to the present lifestyle needs from the labor force across age group groups, sex, life phases and decades.

Believe and employ a holistic approach to well being and tap into aspects associated with physical health, preventive wellness care and of course mental health. Experts suggest that organisations should roll out a ‘Mental Wellness Guideline’ for the employees to help maintain and enhance their psychological well-being.

In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Srikanth Karra, CHRO at Mphasis, recommended, “Have special initiatives focused solely on mental wellness as the part of wellness programs that includes free counseling sessions, a wellness app promoting the formation of healthy habits plus a ‘No Panic’ handbook about managing stress and anxiety. On the HR front, extend medical insurance policy to cover all workers and dependents for Covid treatment, as well as add new policies concerning leave plus medical emergencies. A health calendar ought to be designed bearing inside mind the particular diverse specifications and needs of employees and be packed with applications on relevant topics and activities. ”

He advised, “Incentivize some activities plus challenges by rewarding vouchers, gifts etc. Offer special discounts upon gym memberships, fitness centers and also online fitness programs. Deeply care for workers and their loved ones and be time and again consistently invested in preventive healthcare. The company need to encourage all employees to undertake regular blood and health checks simply by partnering along with reputed labs across locations. The partnerships with these labs should enable unique offers and exclusive discounts on Preventive Healthcare packages. Provide access to Mental Health surveys, Health Risk Assessments (HRA’s), health Journals etc. which helps them to have entry to wellness news plus trends. This enables them in order to take informed decisions with regard to their well-being and to stay on top of their health requirements. Moreover, have access in order to Yoga and mindfulness videos by experts and guided meditation audio clips on wellness app that helps employees relax, rejuvenate and stay energized almost all day long. These video clips should be a click away plus employees can access them as and when they need all of them. ”

According to Ruchi Ahluwalia, Group Chief People Officer at Quess Corp, better health and wellbeing policies lead to higher levels of engagement; which in turn, results in better retention, increased productivity, happy customers and eventually happy families. She said, “A toxic workplace may cause a myriad of problems that will affect people both mentally and physically. Therefore , follow a holistic approach in order to employee health and health and wellness. Set the benchmark for employee precedence in the workplace. A safe functioning environment is created for that benefit associated with all workers. Even as we move into the particular post pandemic stage, a flexible work schedule ought to continue with regard to employees to prioritize their own work-life balance. Most importantly, we have tie ups within place that extend emotional wellness awareness, counselling plus emotional support to just about all employees 24/7. Introduce health care leaves which usually enable employees to take breaks and foster a stress free life. Focus upon stimulating mental well-being and a healthy emotional state for most employees. ”

Asserting that will for any organisation that strives towards creating a safe working environment, it is essential to follow a bottom-up approach that allows the employees’ voices in order to resonate with the managers and the leaders, Akshay Raje, Head of People and Culture at Scaler, explained, “These voices need to become the drivers of policy changes inside an company. With such an approach where the decisions are made basis the feedback plus opinions shared by the particular employees, any enterprise can truly nurture a secure and healthful work environment. Psychological safety in work enables employees to thrive. The particular well-being of an employee will be closely linked with health and productivity. Some statistics prove employees in good physical, mental, plus emotional health are more likely to deliver at work than employees who don’t. ”

He suggested, “Follow an open-door plan in which the decisions are discussed with workers. Online open house classes ought to be facilitated by founders every 15 days in order to keep people updated of latest developments on business front. This forum should allow an opportunity for people to share their particular challenges and grievances, in order to us develop initiatives that cater in order to their requirements. Initiatives like 14 days period leave policy per year, flexible work timings, hybrid function, extended Diwali and year-ender leaves to workforce are usually some examples. Conduct programs for sensitising the team on producing and facilitating a healthful and harassment-free workplace — specifically from a POSH policy perspective. Organise multiple such workshops on floor as well as regarding the remote teams. Additionally, recognise the need in order to offer stigma-free therapeutic solutions to employees with a good online counselling and psychological support platform that focuses on psychological well-being. Offer meditation plus yoga periods for our employees. ”