Employers should pay attention to workers’ emotional health

BY FREDA MIKLIN GOVERNMENTAL REPORTER

On July 9, South Metro Denver Chamber’s Health and Wellness Council hosted a virtual meeting on the subject of “Employee Mental Health – Supporting Our Teams During This Complex Time.”

Forty people signed up to attend the presentation by Laurie Elliott, Vice President of Counseling at AllHealth Network (AHN). AHN is not-for-profit organization that accepts most funding sources and serves all ages from 11 locations in DTC, Highlands Ranch, Littleton, Parker, and Castle Rock. They also operate in 31 schools, seven police departments, the Douglas County Jail and the courts at the Arapahoe County Justice Center serving the 18th Judicial District. AHN offers mental health and substance usecounseling and psychiatric services for children and adults of all ages.

Posing the question, “Why is mental health an important issue right now?” Elliott explained that we are all at the effect of two unplanned events:

1. COVID-19, which has brought on quarantine, illness/death, job and financial losses, working virtually, home schooling, cancelled vacations, new ways of getting what we need, e.g., groceries and restaurant food.

2. George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis and racism in the spotlight, bringing with it protests, riots, violence, community cohesion and division, unrest, Black Lives Matter and its cousin White Fragility, which is the “feelings of discomfort a white person experiences when they witness discussions around racial inequality and injustice.” Elliott emphasized the importance of individual self-care during this unprecedented time.

She recommended staying on a schedule, taking fully-disengaged breaks from work when you aren’t busy, eating healthy, limiting alcohol and caffeine, moving around, exercising regularly, and most importantly, getting good sleep. If you wake up during the night and can’t get back to sleep after 15 minutes, leave your bedroom and do something else, then go back to bed and try again.

When your mind starts to review and worry about all the things that happened that day and all the negative outcomes that tomorrow may bring, think about something that has no emotions attached to it. Elliott said she learned how to say the alphabet backwards. For some, counting backwards by an odd number like seven works.

Choose something that requires the intellectual part of your brain to engage. That will quiet the emotional part that gets in the way of rest.

Focusing on the result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Elliott presented a timeline of a crisis (see illustration). She explained that during the heroic phase of the time we are all living through, we rallied, bought masks, put signs on the floor about social distancing, and generally prepared for what we hoped would be a short-term problem.

After the honeymoon phase, we moved to disillusionment, when we began to think, “When can I fly safely? When will my kids go to school? When can I go to a wedding?” During this phase, our well-being is “well below baseline.”

As we try to work through the stress associated with the uncertainty of our current circumstances, Elliott had these recommendations for employers:

1. Remember that 2020 has put everyone in a high state of prolonged stress, which can result in fear, anger, anxiety, depression, and exhaustion.

2. Stay connected to employees. Pay attention to how they are feeling and give them any resources they may need to cope, including those they may require for mental health.

3. Encourage employees to practice self-care and show appreciation for their work. Have lunch with them if it’s safe to do so. Encourage them to take stretch breaks and walks in the fresh air. Try to find something fun to share, like dog videos.

4. Model vulnerability and transparency. On diversity, equity, and inclusion, look at the subject honestly and be open with employees about it.

5. Be kind, give yourself and others grace. Reach out to give and receive support. Hand-write thank you notes for special efforts.

6. Look for warning signs that employees’ mental health is suffering. These can include increased absences, poor concentration and focus, worsening of chronic illness, reassurance seeking, reliance on negative coping strategies like alcohol, tobacco, and drugs, psychiatric illnesses like depression and anxiety, and trauma related symptoms.

Elliott shared that according to a recent study in the Harvard Business Review, a publication she follows regularly, roughly 40% of people at every seniority level of a company have seen a decrease in mental health. She also shared the phone number for the Colorado Crisis Line: 1-844-493-TALK or text TALK to 38255.

Closing on a positive note, Elliott reminded participants that, “We will emerge from this time in our history. Our daily choices and actions will determine the outcome.”

Fmiklin.villager@gmail.com