Company Health and Wellness : Employee Health Promotion Program Ideas: Stress Management and Mental Health

Stress Management

Many simple wellness activities and practices can help workers be aware of the role stress plays in effecting health, safety, and productivity. It is crucial to help workers 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 providing 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 workers to take 10-minute relaxation/exercise breaks. Display reminders.
• Provide a comfortable employee break area.
• Designate 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 workers 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 workers. Follow these up with a stress management videotape, a brown bag presentation, or a neighborhood guest speaker.

Mental Health and Wellness

Emotions and mental health greatly affect overall health and wellness. Every Worksite Wellness Program ought to incorporate some services, programs, resources or activities to address mental health problems.

Mental health issues can be sensitive areas for employees. Therefore, it is important to support information in a variety of ways, worksite presentations being just one possibility. For example, put domestic violence resource cards in the restrooms to support 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 make sure potential participants won’t be put off by the name. For example, “Parenting in 2004″, “Positive Parenting”, or “Parent University” is much more appealing than “Stress and Parenting”.
• Be sure to allot proper time when hosting EAP/mental health sessions 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. Provide written contact information for your EAP, but do so discretely.
• The EAP is an great partner and resource for wellness programming in these areas. The EAP can help discover ways to address mental health, stress, coping, and other related issues.