Phenix Counseling

Leaders, post-election anxiety is real. I have fielded multiple client calls today on this topic. Everyone deserves time to process the outcome and as a leader, it's time to dust off a few leadership skills. Here are a couple of tips to support employees in managing post-election stress: Listen, Acknowledge, and Validate: Seek to understand, and recognize the stress and that it's normal without taking sides—empathy goes a long way. Promote available resources: If someone is showing signs of distress, remind them about any available resources your company offers such as the EAP, health benefits, and time off programs. Encourage them to reach out to them or others they feel comfortable speaking with (therapist, doctor, mentor, church leader, friends, etc) Set Boundaries for Political Talk: Encourage respectful interactions and focus on work-related topics. Highlight unity and nondiscrimination/harassment: Remind teams that unity, collaboration, shared company values, and goals help foster stability and a positive focus. Remind the team of company policies, and address workplace bullying, and demeaning actions, emotions, and thoughts. Space and Time: Give space and time to grieve and heal but also check in to show your support. These small efforts can ease tensions and show employees they're supported. United we stand, divided we fall. #SupportingTeamWellness #UnityInDiversity

As daylight saving time ends this Sunday, many may feel a shift in their mood. It's common to experience feelings of sadness or the "winter blues" as days get shorter. Is it just the 'winter blues' or seasonal affective disorder (SAD)? This infographic may help guide you on when to seek professional help. https://go.nih.gov/FgJ09ek

The return-to-office mandate is just ridiculous. When employers needed employees to adjust and uproot their personal lives and space to provide rent-free workspace for their employers it was OK. Now that everyone has adjusted their lives, both personally and professionally, to accommodate them, employers are demanding employees uproot everything again and come back to the office full time. In most cases for no good reason other than power, control, ego and lack of respect and trust for their employees. Employees who don’t succumb to the mandate no longer have jobs. Some employers are classifying it as a termination with cause for desertion if they don’t come back to the office. Even is the employee lives hundreds of miles from any office. Many employers are using this mandate as an excuse to target and wrongly terminate older workers or workers in a protected class. How messed up is this. It might take the cake for the most wrongful and one-sided actions by employers in mass. It is shocking how short-sighted, narrow-minded, ego-driven leaders are demanding 100% of employees be back in the office 100% of the time, at the expense of losing valuable and productive employees. They can’t see past their ego, to see the talent drain leaving the company that will have lasting impacts down the road.?

Imagine saving a team member's life simply by normalizing well-being check-ins. A manager friend of mine shared a powerful story. She noticed a significant change in one of her direct reports, who was clearly struggling with personal issues and showing signs of depression. Instead of brushing it off, she made well-being check-ins a regular part of her team's routine and shared company wellness resources. Her direct report later confided that these check-ins had become a source of healing during a dark time when they were contemplating suicide, crediting their manager's care and attention with saving their life. This story demonstrates how a manager’s proactive approach to mental health can lead to life-saving outcomes. Managers are often the first point of contact for employees experiencing stress, burnout, or mental health challenges. A mentally aware manager can help reduce absenteeism, which costs U.S. businesses an estimated $225.8 billion annually due to lost productivity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Research from the World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that for every $1 invested in mental health interventions, businesses see a $4 return in improved health and productivity. Here are two actions that you can take TODAY! Be sure to join Manager’s Resource Hub for more tips: https://lnkd.in/gEd5gF_v #worldmentalhealthday #inclusion #culture #workplace