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Members Let's Talk

Webinar Replay & Recap

Mental Health: Insights and Strategies to Further Support Your Workforce​

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In honor of May’s Mental Health Awareness Month, our May client webinar focused on how Virgin Pulse can support you and your organization this May and all year long. Check out our webinar replay, key takeaways, and highlighted ways Virgin Pulse can support your members’ mental health. 

Key takeaways

The mental health climate
In today's climate of mental health, compared to previous years, we're seeing greater awareness and an openness relating to mental health, a reduction in stigma, and more desire to act and support employees.  
  • Over the last four years, we've experienced a global pandemic, economic downturn, job security concerns, financial pressure, and more that affect our mental health. Now is the time for organizations to step up and look at psychological wellbeing, rather than psychological distress.  
  • Society wants quick fixes, it wants immediate solutions, but mental health is complex. It's a lot more complex than physical wellbeing. 
Social determinants of health
There are many social determinants of health that impact employee mental health. Key issues employers should put at the top of their list for action include:  
  • The complexity of mental health: It's not as simple as asking someone which chronic conditions you have, like diabetes or heart disease.   
  • Each age group has different concerns and worries, and it’s important to recognize those differences. Younger generations are worrying about their job security and their future. The older generations worry about affording retirement, and the middle-aged groups worry about supporting and affording their mortgage. 
  • While working from home offers a degree of flexibility, there is a downside: social isolation. We’re social by nature and we need that connection with others to help counteract the effects of loneliness and isolation. 
  • Business needs to become the center of good, sound communication and grounded information to help counteract misinformation and build trust.  
Cultural approach's core elements
If a business is to adopt a strategic and cultural approach to supporting employees, consider the following core elements: 
  • Starting from the C-suite and down, it’s important to have mental health on the agenda and create a psychologically safe place to work.  
  • First, organizations should assess their current state, then determine the effects, and identify the risks they create. For example, what are the effects of a hybrid workplace model, lack of knowledge or communications, and the pace of your work? Then, organizations need to become the center of support and education for their people because mental health is for us all. Next, all levels of management need to become empathetic leaders. Lastly, management should look to incorporate wellbeing solutions and support with a range of services available to meet their workforce’s varying needs.  
  • Leaders should ask “What can I do on your journey to better health?” instead of telling them what to do. 
Tips for managers
Within an organization, it’s essential to ensure that managers are set up to intervene: 
  • It’s important to create awareness, background, and business case for interventions with C-Suite leaders. For Human Resources, pivot to presenteeism over absenteeism, and track value on investment (VOI) over return on investment (ROI). 
  • It’s important to ensure all levels of the organization become empathetic leaders and possess key skills like empathy, curiosity, ability to communicate and listen, and support. 
  • Work with professionals to incorporate best practices, occupational health, and an employee assistance program. 
Best practices to consider
As part of any organization's approach, it’s vital to: 
  • Talk about health, not just mental health, to help reduce stigma. 
  • Encourage C-Suite leaders and managers to live by example and demonstrate ways to embrace healthy living to create more visibility and become examples to your employees. 
  • Have leaders and managers to be open and honest about having mental health problems. They could share their personal experiences and how they’re working to better prioritize their mental health. This openness can create a psychological place of safety where others can begin sharing their personal experiences.
  • Encourage employees with success stories to share their experiences with video testimonials to help inspire and encourage others.
  • Offer resources and education for your line management so they are set up to successfully support their teams.
  • Have a range of services available to your workforce to ensure they get the right support, from the right people, at the right time to meet their needs around sleep, mindfulness, exercise, financial, relationships, DEI, and more. 

Inside your Homebase for Health®

Anxiety, depression, and stress reduction member support 

  • Insight into their personal health and lifestyle choices by encouraging members to complete their Health Assessment and My Care Checklist, where they’ll learn their risks, get reminders and personalized recommendations to stay on top of their health & wellbeing. 

Inspire action with microlearning focused on mental wellbeing 

Healthy Habits

As part of our platform content, we offer Healthy Habits that support your members’ mental health journey.
 
Check out the Anxiety and Emotional Balance Content Channels for Healthy Habits like:  
  • Emotions and Decisions: Did you notice how your emotions affected your decisions?
  • Appreciate Yourself: Did you take a moment to appreciate one thing about your body or mind today?
  • Recognize Stress: Did you identify any signs of stress today?

Daily Cards

Ensure your members receive impactful Daily Cards that support their mental health and wellbeing. These cards take a micro-learning and small-steps approach to cue healthy actions in members.
 
From highlighting ways to boost your members’ moods to helping them shift their focus, our Daily Cards cover a range of topics that enable members to build healthier daily routines.
 
Contact your Account Management team to learn more about the Emotional Balance Content Channel. 

Journeys

Through practice and preparation, our self-guided, multi-step Journeys help your members build sustainable, healthy habits. Contact your Account Management team to learn more about the Emotional Balance Journeys, like these:
  • Practice Self-Love and Self-Acceptance: You don’t always have to do something drastic to get more out of life: Self-acceptance can be a game-changer. It might not come easy, but trust us when we say that the effort is worth it! With some practice and education to get you started, you can begin learning to appreciate all that you are. Through thoughtful exercises, you’ll nurture your ability for self- acceptance, self-compassion, and self-love. And you’ll walk through this world feeling just a little bit lighter.
  • Growing Emotional Awareness: If you experience many emotions in one day, you are not alone. We’re humans – and sometimes our emotions take over. Of course, some are more pleasant, while others can be intense, or confusing. It’s not always easy to identify and manage emotions. By practicing awareness, you can learn how to understand and deal with emotions all around – yours and those of your community. 

Elevate your Homebase for Health® to the next level

Coaching with Virgin Pulse and Workplace Options

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By combining our digital health tools with our one-on-one Coaching, our Coaches' high-tech, high-touch approach simplifies and unifies the wellbeing experience. Coaches provide individualized support and connection while guiding them toward their wellbeing goals. 

In fact, 69% of high-risk, inactive members are more active after completing 3+ coaching calls.1 

For your US-based members, check out our multi-modal Coaching Services.

For global members, learn more about Workplace Options, our global Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and Coaching partner. 

1 Source: January 2021-December 2021, Engage product only, Members completed at least 3 coaching calls on Get Active.   

Global Partner Ecosystem

Expand your collection of mental health and wellbeing tools by adding some of our curated digital health partners. Learn how Headspace Health, Koa Health, meQuilibrium, and RethinkCare can empower your members to better manage their mental health. In fact, 96% of RethinkCare members say it “helped me reduce stress.” 

Help member find ways to improve their mental health 

 

It’s important to offer tools members can use to reduce their anxiety, depression, and stress and their effects. Contact your Account Management team to incorporate ways to increase mental health support within your program.  

Want to see a demo of our multi-modal Coaching, curated mental health partners, or our global EAP & Coaching partner, Workplace Options? Request a demo today! 

See Virgin Pulse in Action
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