While the primary threat posed by COVID-19 is on people’s physical health, the pandemic is also taking its toll on people’s mental health and wellbeing. As news about the Coronavirus dominates the headlines and public concern is on the rise, people increasingly experience waves of anxiety, panic and fear. Psychologists refer to these feelings of loss, trauma and persistent uncertainty as an “emotional tsunami” and warn of the impact that prolonged stress caused by the pandemic can have on emotional wellbeing, interpersonal relationships, physical health and work performance.
In Free To Grow’s COVID-19 Organisational Health and Wellbeing Pulse Surveys (developed by Mindset Management in collaboration with a team of psychologists from many different organisations) where 12 707 employees participated, 91% indicated that they were experiencing anxiety. The results underline the immense impact that the pandemic is having on employee health and mental wellbeing.
Organisations have an opportunity to support their people and influence their motivation, sense of engagement and productivity positively by complementing the focus on physical wellness that most COVID-19 education campaigns have had up to now with investing in employee mental health and emotional wellbeing. Realising that organisations need toolkits to be able to do this well, Free To Grow has developed “Staying Strong”, a workshop which focuses on strengthening one’s resilience, optimism and ownership – a mindset that will impact employees’ work and lives positively far beyond the fear caused by COVID-19. Inter alia, the content of this workshop (which can be presented “face-to-face” physically or virtually, or via a DIY toolkit, with 16 high-impact short videos and related visual guidelines) includes the following:
Free To Grow’s outstanding offering is set apart from others by the following criteria:
- It is designed by learning and communication experts
- The language/delivery methodology is fresh and engaging, ensuring that messages “land”
- The content is relevant and practical, focusing on application rather than on theory
Organisations have a responsibility to assist their employees, not only with issues pertaining to physical health during the pandemic, but also with employee mental health and emotional wellbeing. Focus that is applied to employees holistically engenders trust, goodwill and increased productivity.
For more information on the Free To Grow “Staying Strong” offering for employees, please contact me on jonathan@ftgsa.co.za
