JOIN USCoronavirus Lockdown 3.0: Corporates boost employee morale with counselling push
Lockdown has led to several changes in people’s lifestyle, with some struggling to adapt to the sudden shift that came, for example, in the form of work from home. Now, pay cuts and layoffs are adding to professionals’ woes.
As discussions on morale and mental health make their way to boardrooms, many companies are collaborating with health experts to organise webinars and provide consultation services for the mental well-being of their employees.
Cab aggregator Uber has come up with its global ‘Employee Assistance Program,’ which provides counselling on stress and anxiety to its employees and their family members while maintaining confidentiality.
Brookfield Properties has organised an interactive counselling session, “Thriving in the New Normal”, in association with eminent clinical psychologist Dr. Marcus Ranney (GM, India, Thrive Global). This session is part of the company’s wellness initiative, ‘Positive Pulse’, where the company is hosting a series of engagement activities with experts.
Alok Aggarwal, MD & CEO, India Office Business, Brookfield Properties, said, “We had been conducting various offline engagement activities, including sports and entertainment meets, workshops, and inter-corporate tournaments among others. However, since it is not possible at the moment, while we ensure compliance with social distancing, we have taken the online route to continue with our journey.”
According to counselling firms, there has been a 35-40% increase in the number of cases involving stress and panic attacks in April over the previous months. Experts say that professional disquiet is one of the major reasons for the spurt.
Shipra Dawar, CEO and Head of Innovation of mental health app IWill, told DH that as most industries are working at a sub-optimal level, there’s steep financial anxiety and confusion related to management of work from home.
“About 20% of people are professionals, who are struggling with the anxiety of what the future holds,” Dawar said.
French tech giant Capgemini is conducting webinars, where it is helping employees to deal with anxiety and stress-related issues. The company has also started a Guided Meditation series in association with its wellness partner, which includes light pre-exercise, meditation and post-exercise.
Shraddha Iyer, Master Yoga Instructor, Sarva, said that amid the lockdown, individuals holding corporate jobs are facing many professional uncertainties. “It is important to keep a few things in mind to cope better. Every time you sway away from your daily routine, just take a step back and start again, reduce screen time and refuse negative content.”
Ceat Tyres employee wellness initiative Cofit-20 is giving regular consultation to its employees with recently appointed Chief Fitness Officer Deepali Athawale and renowned fitness trainer Vani Pahwa. The company is also sharing podcasts with its employees which are directed at their well-being.
Accor India has also come up with Accor Employee Wellbeing and Assistance Programme, which gives its employees 24/7 access to experienced counsellors.