Worksite Wellness Ideas: Stress Management and Mental Health

Stress Management

Many simple wellness activities and practices can help employees be aware of the role stress plays in effecting health, safety, and work rate. It is essential to help employees be aware of simple stress management strategies for decreasing stress levels.

• Stress kit check out. Have stress management tools available for employee use during a scheduled break time. Consider offering relaxation music or programs including player and headphones; mat or blanket to lie on; neck pillow; eye mask; and stress massage rollers.
• Offer a stress management brown bag event at which employees can try different types stress management tools.
• Urge employees to take ten-minute relaxation/exercise breaks. Post reminders.
• Give a comfortable employee break area.
• Create a “quiet room” for meditation and relaxation, if possible.
• Work with Senior Leadership to keep supervisors informed about the effects of stress in the worksite. Supervisors are often the first step in supporting employees find different ways of managing work related stressors.
• Contact the Employee Assistance Provider (EAP) for a variety of stress management information and self-assessments.
• Offer stress management self-assessments to interested employees. Follow these up with a stress management videotape, a brown bag presentation, or a community guest speaker.

Mental Health and Wellness

Emotions and mental health greatly affect overall health and wellness. Every Worksite Wellness must incorporate some services, programs, resources or activities to address mental health problems. Mental health topics can be sensitive areas for employees. Therefore, it is important to offer information in a variety of ways, workplace presentations being just one possibility. By way of example, put domestic violence resource cards in the restrooms to offer useful information in a private setting that does not embarrass anyone. Other considerations include:

• When planning to offer an oratory event or presentation a neutral class title will be sure potential participants won’t be put off by the name. By way of example, “Parenting in 2004″, “Positive Parenting”, or “Parent University” is much more appealing than “Stress and Parenting”.
• Be sur e to allot proper time when hosting EAP/mental health courses for a question and answer session so participants may ask specific questions. Always remind participants that individual help is available through the EAP and also through their health benefits. Give written contact information for your EAP, but do so discretely.
• The Employee Assistance Program is an great partner and resource for wellness programming in these areas. The EAP can help find ways to address mental health, stress, coping, and other related problems.