Supporting Employee Mental Health During the Holiday Season
December 15, 2023
The Thanksgiving-through-New-Year’s holiday season, portrayed in the media as simply a joyful time of family gatherings and celebration, can also be, for many, one of stressful social expectations, financial strain, and perhaps even feelings of loneliness and letdown. And holiday-related mental health challenges, as well as holiday cheer, may become evident in the workplace. Human Resources can play an important role in helping employees effectively cope with these challenges by paying increased attention to their mental health and well-being.
Here are some ways in which HR can provide support to their employees during the holidays:
Promote a healthy work-life balance: Promoting a healthy work-life balance is especially important during the holiday season, when employees may feel overwhelmed with personal commitments and increased social and financial expectations. Remind them of the importance of using their vacation days, and making time to de-stress. Encourage managers to allow flexibility in scheduling to accommodate employees’ personal commitments.
Encourage open, honest communication: HR departments can foster an environment of open and honest communication, one where employees feel comfortable discussing their concerns and challenges related to the holiday season. For example, consider establishing a channel for confidential conversations, such as an HR helpline, to give employees an opportunity to express their concerns, feelings of loneliness, or any other mental health challenges they may be facing.
Provide mental health resources: Offering mental health resources is an essential step toward supporting employees during the holiday season. Providing access to employee assistance programs (EAP), counseling services, or organizing mental health workshops can help employees cope with heightened stress levels. HR can also distribute educational materials on stress management techniques, self-care practices, and tips for maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
Organize wellness activities: To promote employee well-being, HR can organize wellness activities that help alleviate holiday stress. These can include yoga sessions, mini-retreats, stress-management workshops, or team-building activities that focus on building positive relationships between employees. Providing discounted gym memberships also contributes to employee health and well-being, and is a welcome holiday perk.
Encourage kindness: Encouraging team members to practice empathy and kindness, and embrace diversity can greatly contribute to a positive work environment. HR can provide managers with training modules on the importance of respect and civility in the workplace, emotional intelligence, and mental health awareness to help them better support their teams and help employees feel valued and respected during the holiday season.
The well-being of employees should be a top priority for every organization, especially during the holiday season. By prioritizing work-life balance, fostering open communication, providing mental health resources, organizing wellness activities, and encouraging a culture of kindness, HR departments can significantly contribute to employee mental health and overall well-being during the holidays, when their employees may need some extra support.