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A recession is a significant and widespread downturn in economic activity. It can cause layoffs and increases in unemployment. A recession not only impacts people financially but can also impact someone’s overall well-being. This is an important time for employers to help support their employees’ mental health.
Impacts of Employee Mental Health
Employee mental health can impact both the individual and the workplace. This may include increased absences, reduced productivity, and workplace tension and conflict. These consequences, coinciding with a potential reduction in the workforce due to a recession, could be catastrophic for an organization.
Offer Support
There are many ways that employers can offer mental health support including:
- Talking openly about mental health support in the workplace. Destigmatize this subject by educating employees about mental health.
- Providing support through employee assistant programs (EAP). Mental health assistance can include mental health screenings, employee flexibility, and allowing mental health leave.
- Surveying the needs of employees. Polling employees can help employers know how best to provide help by targeting employees’ needs.
- Providing stress management resources to employees. Stress can contribute significantly to employees’ mental health. Employers may want to have one-on-one meetings to see how employees are doing, encourage work-life balance, and teach employees breathing techniques.
Download the bulletin for more details.
Additional Resource
NIS’s Mental Health Resources