{"id":7255,"date":"2020-07-22T08:29:00","date_gmt":"2020-07-22T12:29:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.healthadvocate.com\/site\/?p=7255"},"modified":"2020-07-27T08:40:34","modified_gmt":"2020-07-27T12:40:34","slug":"combat-covid-brain-by-promoting-self-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.healthadvocate.com\/site\/article\/combat-covid-brain-by-promoting-self-care","title":{"rendered":"Combat COVID-Brain by Promoting Self-Care"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Jim Fickess | WorldatWork<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(This is the first in a two-part series about combating COVID-19 employee burnout. Next week, we will examine how the intensified reliance on four time-honored HR management tools \u2013 communication, training, leadership and reliance on front-line managers — can bolster your employees\u2019 and organization\u2019s well-being during the pandemic.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are you finding yourself struggling to come close to the exhilarating efficiency you enjoyed when the COVID-19 pandemic sent us home to work several months ago? And, are you seeing the productivity of your remote organization tailing off as well?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are not alone. A survey by SellCell, a comparison site for cellphones, found that 80% of the 2,000 United States workers it surveyed admit to slacking off. (Social media is the biggest distractor at 61% while 43% say they\u2019ve watched porn on company time.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No matter your distractions, you and your co-workers could be battling a condition recently identified by neuroscientists affiliated with INSEAD, an international graduate business school. Without going too deeply into neuroscience (as if I could), the pandemic has de-compartmentalized our lives \u2014 throwing once-separate activities such as work and home life into the same swirling abyss. We try to think our way through it, but our brains are swamped with ambiguous signals, undercutting our decision-making abilities. And, since this pandemic is unprecedented, our long-term memory is no help, pushing us to look outward for guidance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That faulty analytical thinking, paired with external sensitivity, creates what the INSEAD neuroscientists have termed \u201cCOVID-19 brain,\u201d a fragile, frazzled state that keeps our thoughts on edge and unfocused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What can you as an HR practitioner or manager do to re-energize you and your team\u2019s remote efforts as this pandemic escalates in most states? Several experts interviewed by Workspan Daily agreed that addressing employee well-being is the first, vital step and the focus of any assistance efforts, such as webinars and training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDuring these extraordinary times, we have to take care of both our physical and emotional well-being if we are going to be effective in how we care for our clients,\u201d said Mike Weiner, EY Assist Leader, Ernst & Young LLP (EY).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of those recommendations fall into a practice that is termed \u201cextreme self-care\u201d by Cindy Persico, vice president of the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) division of Health Advocate. (See Practicing Extreme Self-Care.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are overwhelmed with quarantine fatigue,\u201d said Persico, who is a certified EAP professional and mental-health counselor. \u201cWe are experiencing a roller coaster of emotions and we need to help people understand that it is normal. Let people know their emotions are typical and they are not alone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s time to focus on self-care,\u201d agreed Bernie Dyme, president and CEO of Perspectives Ltd., a national employee-assistance services provider. \u201cLet employees know we are all facing stress. Practice empathy. Accept personal views, which are based on their experience. Training around self-care and mental health should be baked into the culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is time to destigmatize mental health.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Persico suggested a couple of ways to avoid any lingering mental-health stigma when offering employee assistance. Use the term \u201ccoaching\u201d instead of \u201ccounseling.\u201d When publicizing an upcoming event, such as a webinar on combatting depression, frame it as \u201chow to help a friend who may be depressed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Avoid a \u201cpeanut-butter approach,\u201d said Jill Havely, Managing Director, Talent & Rewards and Midwest Region Leader \u2013 Talent Line of Business, Willis Towers Watson. \u201cWe need to be preparing people leaders for different needs of employees and how to address those needs, taking a holistic view of well-being \u2014 financial, physical, social and emotional.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No matter the employee and their unique needs, we all need to understand the organization\u2019s mission and vision for the future, Havely said. \u201cHelp them know what they are working toward. Knowing your role is energizing. If we feel we have something to look forward to, it\u2019s motivating, energizing and inspiring.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Encourage people to take time off. Many studies show that people are working harder and longer from home than they did in the office. \u201cPeople working virtually feel like they have to constantly be on,\u201d said Havely, adding that even a dreaded commute can give one some quiet time to themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That includes encouraging people to take PTO, said Deirdre Macbeth, a WorldatWork content director. \u201cThere has to be a line between personal and business life.\u201d When following stay-at-home guidelines, there is an inclination not to use time off, she observed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As COVID-19 had a significant impact on their employees, EY extended an opportunity for  people to take a partially subsidized two or three month leave this summer. This option was made available to help their people recharge, take care of themselves or their family this summer without impact to their job or career, Weiner said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Working from home can be lonely, especially if you live alone. (A record 28% of U.S. households are inhabited by single adults, according to the Census Bureau.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, it\u2019s important to stay in touch, the experts agree. Tom Gimble, founder and CEO of LaSalle Network, a national staffing business, said in a recent WorldatWork Expert Insights webinar, that he randomly calls a few employees each day to see how they are doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The experts also encourage virtual gatherings, such as lunches and happy hours. And, such events can foster another important tool in the COVID-19-coping tool kit: humor, said Perspectives\u2019 Dyme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou have to know how to have a good time \u2013 anything that can lead to fun,\u201d he said. Recently, the Chicago-based company sent terrariums to each of its 55 employees. It was followed by a Zoom session that covered the tending of the glass-enclosed gardens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere was a lot of kidding going on, mostly about how I couldn\u2019t do it,\u201d said Dyme with a hearty laugh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had people tell me that they look up at their terrarium in their window and it brings a smile to their face.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PRACTICING EXTREME SELF-CARE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n