With World Mental Health Day fast approaching next week, now is as good a time as any to revisit the toll this past two and a half years have taken on your staff-particularly the youngest members.
In a new McKinsey Health Institute survey of 6,000 Gen Z respondents in 10 European countries, nearly one in four respondents report that their mental health had worsened over the past three years. The survey result was consistent with what respondents in the United States said in a similar survey from January 2022.
Specifically, nearly half of Gen Z respondents cite a high level of distress due to climate change, while 41 percent list distress related to the war in Ukraine, according to the latest McKinsey survey. More than a fourth said Covid-19 caused them high distress.
In the workplace, only 26 percent of Gen Z respondents report being comfortable talking about their mental health conditions with colleagues. The report shows that direct support for mental health needs is increasingly important to Gen Z (67 percent) when considering an employer.
“Given that Gen Z is expected to make up about a third of the workforce by 2030, it will be critical for organizations to consider raising the bar for providing mental health support,” says McKinsey Health Institute Global Leader Martin Dewhurst. “This can inform recruitment and retention strategies.”
Here’s how to make Gen-Z employees feel comfortable talking about their mental health issues at work:
Normalize short mental health discussion
It may take a big step for younger employees to bring their mental health concerns to you, so try to normalize these kinds of conversations by making them a part of your periodic check-ins (at least quarterly). “Add ‘where are you mentally and emotionally?’ to the list of questions beyond role and responsibilities,” suggests Jenn Lim, author of Beyond Happiness and CEO of Delivering Happiness, a company to create happier company cultures.
Provide easy access to mental health programs at work
It is one thing to offer mental health programs to employees at work, but it is another to provide easy access to these resources within your organization.
Make sure your employees know how to access these resources, and that there is no stigma or penalty around using them. Dewhurst also shares that business leaders should follow the World Health Organization‘s newly-released guidelines on supporting mental wellness at work.
Allow employees to take time off for mental health days
As businesses look for ways to ease the stress on their employees, many are utilizing mental health days as a key benefit to support both employees’ health and retention, suggests Dr. Corey Yeager, psychotherapist and author of How Am I Doing?: 40 Conversations to Have with Yourself. Reasonable accommodations may include giving individual workers flexible working hours, extra time to complete tasks, modified assignments to reduce stress, time off for health appointments, or regular supportive meetings with supervisors.
Xintian Tina Wang
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