Posted by Health Wellness | Posted in Health And Wellness In The Workplace | Posted on 26-04-2009
Stress Management
Many simple wellness activities and practices can help employees understand the role stress plays in effecting health, safety, and productivity. It is essential to help employees understand simple stress management strategies for decreasing stress levels.
• Stress kit check out. Have stress management tools available for employee use during a scheduled break time. Consider offering relaxation music or programs including player and headphones; mat or blanket to lie on; neck pillow; eye mask; and stress massage rollers.
• Provide a stress management brown bag event at which workers can try different types stress management tools.
• Encourage staff members to take ten-minute relaxation/exercise breaks. Post reminders.
• Offer a comfortable employee break area.
• Establish a “quiet room” for meditation and relaxation, if possible.
• Work with Upper Management to keep supervisors informed about the effects of stress in the worksite. Supervisors are often the first step in assisting employees find different ways of managing work related stressors.
• Contact the Employee Assistance Provider (EAP) for a variety of stress management information and self-assessments.
• Provide stress management self-assessments to interested staff members. Follow these up with a stress management videotape, a brown bag presentation, or a area guest speaker.
Mental Health and Wellness
Emotions and mental health greatly affect overriding health and wellness. Every Corporate Health Promotion Program must incorporate some services, programs, resources or activities to address mental health problems.
Mental health topics can be sensitive areas for employees. Therefore, it is important to offer information in a variety of ways, workplace presentations being just one possibility. For example, put domestic violence resource cards in the restrooms to offer useful information in a private setting that does not embarrass anyone. Other considerations include:
• When planning to offer an oratory event or presentation a neutral class title will make sure potential participants won’t be put off by the name. By way of example, “Parenting in 2004″, “Positive Parenting”, or “Parent University” is much more appealing than “Stress and Parenting”.
• Be sure to allot sufficient time when hosting EAP/mental health seminars for a question and answer session so participants may ask specific questions. Always remind participants that individual help is available through the EAP and also through their health benefits. Offer written contact information for your EAP, but do so discretely.
• The Employee Assistance Program is an excellent partner and resource for wellness programming in these areas. The EAP can help learn ways to address mental health, stress, coping, and other related problems.