2020 taught us how quickly and unexpectedly things can change. Businesses were forced to adjust and adapt to stay open, employees lost their jobs and many feared what the future could bring for themselves and their families. As we transition into the new stage of this pandemic so much uncertainty is still ahead of us. Not because we can't anticipate what is happening in the market. It's because Businesses don't know how to respond to the trauma many of their employees have faced. Companies can't perform at their best if employees are undergoing physical, emotional, and mental stress.
There is a misconception out there that once everything gets back to "normal", everyone and everything will be the same. It will be like 2020 had never happened and this shared universal trauma called the COVID-19 pandemic will be nothing but a footnote in a history book. This is what we all hope for but hope is not a business plan. The reality is people do not recover from trauma so easily. Helping employees navigate the transition and overcome their trauma will be critical to a company's ability to not only survive in the coming years but to thrive.
A recent Paychex survey showed that 40% of employees have experienced mental health, performance, or attitude problems at work since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Employees are suffering from a whole host of different mental health issues.
Increased Anxiety | 31% |
Decreased enthusiasm | 24% |
Decreased motivation | 22% |
Reduced Focus | 21% |
Increased depression | 20% |
Decreased teamwork |
The reality is that most employees don't have the resources to address these issues. After all, they depend upon employers to provide benefits that will help them with life emergencies. These benefits include medical, dental, and vision. They often do not include any benefits for mental health. Now it's more important than ever for companies to provide this type of support. In fact, in the same paychex study, 60% of employees will make mental health benefits a priority in their next job and 80% of millennials will make it a top priority.
Even if they do have the benefits, most employees struggle to realize that they need help. Because of the stigmatism of mental health issues, many employees live in denial. A mental health issue can manifest itself in many ways. It can affect sleep, cause physical aches and pains, make us lose focus, and make us emotionally unstable. Employees need to know mental health does not define a person. It's simply another condition that needs to be treated like the cold or a sprained ankle. It's not a condemnation of us or our potential.
Amplio's Omipar product was made to help people understand if they need help. It was designed to help employees get a realistic picture of their overall health and wellbeing. We are a benefit that employers can provide right away to help employees see how their entire body is affected by the trauma of the pandemic. Not only will it help to identify issues, but it will also help track progress as employees recover from that trauma.