Leveraging technology to understand employee mental health challenges and providing tools to improve resiliency emerged as key takeaways in a joint HR Policy in India and HR Policy Global webinar on helping employees tackle stress and address work challenges in a post-pandemic world.
Dr. Sripada Chandra, Professor of Organizational Behavior at Indian School of Business, C A Venkatraghavan, HR Lead for Operations in India & Sri Lanka at Accenture joined American Health Policy Institute CEO Mark Wilson, in sharing their insights on how to develop better employee wellbeing strategies and provide resources to support mental health.
Resources for a more resilient workforce: Mr. Venkatraghavan encouraged members to take advantage of technology, especially in remote environments, to understand stressors for employees. Accenture has implemented programs through Thriving Minds and Wysa, a virtual mental health coach that helps build resilience.
Dr. Chandra highlighted the need for flexibility to try new ideas with employees.
Mr. Wilson shared initiatives by HR Policy and AHPI, including leveraging Total Brain, a data resource company, to understand the challenges employees face and provide tools to improve resiliency. Further, AHPI partnered with the American Psychiatric Association in implementing Notice. Talk. Act., a platform the APA created which trains managers to notice the symptoms of behavioral health conditions, talk to employees about these issues, and point employees in the right direction for help.
Members shared their approaches to improving mental health, including tailoring solutions for specific populations, helping remote employees, and providing resources to employee families and communities.
Dr. Chandra concluded the meeting by stating, “In moving forward beyond the pandemic and thinking about wellness programs there also needs to be a serious consideration of how we evaluate a company's success—employee wellbeing should be a factor in determining a successful company.”
