There is no doubt that the pandemic has had an impact on the mental health of people in the UK. For some it has meant time to slow down and refuel, whereas for others it has been a time of increased stress and anxiety.
As life returns to the new normal, it’s a great opportunity for businesses to put processes in place to protect staff and promote positive mental health.
We’ve taken a look at a number of different techniques you can use to create a positive and inclusive environment within your recruitment agency:
Educate yourself
To help you promote positive mental health within your recruitment agency, you first need to understand the different mental health conditions. Being armed with the information will help you if you’re approached by a member of your team.
Understanding how each mental health condition manifests itself will enable you identify problems and find meaningful solutions.
Speak to your team
It could be useful during this time to do an anonymous survey amongst your employees, to get a sense of how they’re feeling. Be sure to not question the results too much, but instead learn from what your employees are telling you.
Not only will you get useful information about the current mental state of your team, but it also demonstrates to your employees that you care about how they’re feeling.
Use all communication channels
Mental health can be really difficult to talk about, particularly in the workplace. Sitting individuals down for a chat and grilling them on how they’re feeling, won’t work for everyone (or potentially anyone!).
Instead think about the different communication channels you have. Depending on the size of your agency, it could be your monthly staff news bulletin, your Monday morning meeting or through your appraisal scheme. Finding ways to introduce conversations about mental health can help remove some of the stigma and open up conversations.
Deal with issues sensitively
If an employee comes to you and wants to discuss the mental health problems they’re experiencing, then it’s essential that you deal with the issue sensitively. This means conversations are respectful and of course, confidential.
Once you know about the problem (and now you’ve educated yourself), you may begin to notice traits of the condition within their work. Be sure to look for solutions that could help, rather than simply identifying the issue and leaving the employee to flounder.
Make asking for help commonplace
One of the most effective ways to promote positive mental health in your recruitment agency, is to make asking for help commonplace. Within recruitment we’re encouraged to be the best and to always compete, but sometimes that can prove to be isolating.
No matter the size of your agency, consider different mentoring schemes or open discussions, that allow opportunities for employees to ask for help. If you encourage employees to ask for help and work more collaboratively on the small things, they’re more likely to ask for help when bigger problems arise.
We don’t need to tell you that recruitment is a rewarding, but challenging industry that can put pressure on individuals. By opening up conversations about that pressure, you can help your business function more effectively and ensure that every employee feels well taken care of.
