Here’s What Employers Need to Know
Mental health is always a priority. Especially after 2020, we saw it rightfully take its place at the forefront of nearly every conversation around employee health & wellbeing benefits. While employers have made strides towards offering benefits that better support the mental health of their workforce, there’s still much more work to be done.
In fact, MetLife data suggests employee mental health is alarmingly declining. Compared to pre-pandemic survey data, employees are now more likely to experience negative feelings at work, including stress (12% more) and burnout (17% more). Poor employee mental health can have serious implications in the workplace, contributing to absenteeism, decreased productivity and costing employers billions of dollars per year (more here).
Candidly, we’re in the eye of a perfect storm of stressors in and out of the workplace. With financial pressures surrounding mounting costs of living; declining employee confidence due to a challenging job market; troubling geopolitical conflicts; and of course, an impending election, employees are faced with multifaceted stressors that many aren’t equipped to handle. Health coaches give employees the tools they need to weather any storm. This is non-clinical mental health support and it’s a saving grace during times of turmoil. In today’s blog, we evaluate just a few of the many ways health coaches can partner with employees to help manage impending stress.
Health coaching through financial hardship
Health coaches aren’t financial advisors. But quite frankly that’s not the only thing employees need when weathering particularly difficult financial situations. It’s the compounding stress and pressure that often accompanies the squeeze of rising costs that impacts the ways employees are able to show up to work, and their sentiment towards their jobs overall.
While health coaches can encourage clients to pursue helpful steps towards mitigating financial stressors – like strategizing and sticking to a budget – they’re focused on teaching science-backed techniques to help employees manage the very real and weighty pressures financial concerns can bring about. Incorporating positive psychology practices, like gratitude journaling, fosters a sense of appreciation and resilience that can shift focus away from challenges and promote overall mental wellbeing. Health coaches can also help implement behavioral change that promotes an overall healthier lifestyle, inspiring better mental health overall and making it easier for employees to cope with things out of their immediate control.
Health coaching to manage stress & burnout
Health coaches are an employer’s secret weapon when it comes to combating stress and burnout in the workplace. Motivational interviewing techniques help health coaches target the source of burnout so they can work closely with employees to develop personalized programs that mitigate the effects of mounting stress and stop burnout in its tracks. They’re also able to work on behavioral change that catalyzes better time management practices and enforces helpful boundaries to maximize productivity and prioritize wellbeing. Of course, regular sessions also work to build coping skills and activate a plethora of tools that help employees manage stress in real time.
Health coaching to cope with uncertainty and macro issues out of immediate control
When it comes to something as nebulous as living through stressors outside of our control – which can be anything from geopolitical conflict to political outcomes – resilience is absolutely key. Coaches help clients develop resilience by focusing on what they can control, like daily routines, health habits, and mindset. Through techniques such as mindfulness, stress management, and cognitive reframing, health coaches guide clients to stay grounded and maintain a sense of stability. No matter what. They encourage clients to prioritize self-care and build supportive networks, which can provide emotional strength during uncertain times. Together, health coaches work with employees proactively so they’re empowered to navigate challenges with greater confidence and reduce the anxiety associated with an unpredictable future.
At YourCoach, we don’t just talk about all of the above. We live it. These are real situations we’ve encountered with the clients we currently serve through our Industry Partnerships, and been able to successfully navigate them through. People often come in as a last resort, having tried other channels – and are overwhelmingly grateful that they have a dedicated health coach in their corner, meeting them where they are, when they need it as life’s challenges ebb and flow. We have many success stories, isn’t it time your employees were among them?
As we continue to navigate an unpredictable world, the role of health coaches will only become more essential in nurturing the mental health and wellbeing of employees and the overall success of organizations. If you’re an employer who’s interested in learning about how to offer REAL health coaching support to your workforce, send us a note at team@yourcoach.health.