The Romans coined the idea of ”Mens sana in corpore sana” (a healthy mind in a healthy body) two thousand years ago, and in the last two years, the best companies to work for have been paying more and more attention to the first part. of that equation.
They have been supporting the physical health of their employees for much longer than that (as we discussed yesterday), but the tremendous impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has put the mental health of employees in the spotlight. The uncertainty, anxiety and isolation brought about by the abrupt change to a pandemic environment, combined with the very real new burdens created by having children at home and a host of new work for clients to do to help them stay afloat, They’ve emphasized more staff than ever, and it’s worth remembering that accounting firms are pretty stressful places to start, with heavy workloads and plenty of tight deadlines.
In this highly charged environment, Best Firms has been implementing resources to help its staff manage the pressure, such as online or in-person courses, meditation apps like Calm, and more. For example, in North Carolina, Martin Starnes & Associates reported, “Many times during the pandemic, MSA provided employee stress reduction and relief sessions. Employees learned how to de-stress through breathing techniques and other methods. Learned skills can be used at work and in personal situations, too.”
And at Texas-based Badger CPA, “We offer our staff three free counseling sessions with a professional counselor. We also pay and give our staff access to a website where they can watch mental health and wellness videos called RightNow Media.” . (The company also does more traditional annual health and wellness challenges every year; this year it’s the most steps taken in a month.)
There are many people you can turn to for help dealing with the stresses of modern life in general and our current period of high stress in particular; Many of the best companies provide staff access to mental health professionals, while BMSS of Alabama takes a slightly different approach: “Our corporate chaplain program provides our employees with a confidential resource for help during difficult times in their lives.” life”.
Of course, not all mental health problems require a visit to a therapist or chaplain. Some can be helped simply by getting away from work for a bit; We’ll talk more in later days about how many top companies incentivize staff with time off, but for now it’s worth noting efforts like New Jersey-based WilkinGuttenplan’s “Unplug Days,” where the entire company shuts down and goes offline. from work. Knowing that no one else will be working (and judging their absence) can take a day of rest and relaxation to the next level.
This is day seven. Click here to view other fees at 20 days for better firmness.
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