Best HR Practices for World Mental Health Day: Supporting Employees' Mental Health with CHOYS

World Mental Health Day, celebrated on October 10, serves as a reminder for organisations to reflect on the mental health and wellbeing of their employees. With workplace stress, anxiety, and burnout becoming more common, it’s crucial that HR professionals and leaders take the initiative to promote mental wellness. 

Whether you're using CHOYS or not, there are several best practices to follow. However, if you are using CHOYS, it can help you take your mental health initiatives to the next level.

In this article, we’ll discuss key HR practices for World Mental Health Day, ways to leverage CHOYS’s unique features and specific activities that can make a real difference in your workplace.

Leveraging CHOYS for Employee Wellbeing

Even if you are not a CHOYS user, you can still have access to some of the features to support your employee's mental health. Here’s how CHOYS can be used effectively for World Mental Health Day:

Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Integration with CHOYS

CHOYS offers Employee Assistance Program (EAP), making it easy for employees to access confidential counselling services directly through the app. Whether they are dealing with personal issues, work stress, or emotional challenges, they have immediate support available. If your organisation isn’t using CHOYS but would still like to offer our EAP services, reach out to us, and we can help integrate these services.

PERMA Survey for Wellbeing Insights

CHOYS includes the PERMA Survey, a tool designed to assess an employee's wellbeing across five dimensions, Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment. HR teams can analyse these results to create more tailored mental health initiatives. If your organisation isn’t using CHOYS, you can still access this powerful survey by contacting us directly. 

Suggested Read: PERMA Model and Its Benefits.

World Mental Health Day Activities for HR

For World Mental Health Day, HR teams can organise activities that blend CHOYS features and other wellness practices to foster a healthy workplace environment:

1. Host Mental Health Awareness Workshops

Educating your employees on mental health is the first step to creating an open and supportive environment. Host workshops where experts discuss topics such as managing stress, recognising signs of anxiety, and how to seek help. You can also include sessions on emotional wellbeing at work, a key aspect of an engaged workforce. 

2. Set Up Creative Stations

Creativity can be a powerful tool for reducing stress and encouraging relaxation. Designate an area in the office for art, music, or writing, allowing employees to express themselves freely. You can tie this into other wellness initiatives like corporate fitness programs that focus on both mental and physical health.

3. Organise Outdoor Team Activities

Physical activity is known to boost mood and reduce stress. Organise team-building exercises like a company walk, yoga session, or even an outdoor boot camp. These activities help strengthen team bonds while promoting mental and physical health, aligning perfectly with your company’s workplace wellness programs.

5. Encourage Breaks, Vacations, and Work-Life Balance

Encouraging employees to take regular breaks and use their vacation days is essential for preventing burnout. It also fosters a healthy work-life balance, which is crucial for long-term engagement and productivity. For more insights on maintaining balance, check out our article onWhy Work-Life Balance is Important.

6. Team Physical and Mental Wellness Activities

Organise outdoor activities like group yoga, mindfulness walks, or team-building exercises that focus on mental and physical health. For ideas on blending physical fitness and mental wellness, check out our blog onCorporate Fitness Programs.

7. Financial Wellness Workshops

Host workshops that address financial wellbeing, which can have a significant impact on mental health. Offering financial literacy resources or workshops helps employees manage their finances and reduce financial stress. Promoting financial wellness in the workplace can also help you improve employee engagement, retention and satisfaction.

Read: What are the 5 C's of Employee Engagement?

8. Host Mental Wellbeing Workshops by CHOYS

CHOYS also offers Mental Wellbeing Workshops designed specifically for workplace environments. These workshops provide practical strategies for improving mental health, reducing workplace stress, and fostering a culture of openness and support.

For World Mental Health Day, HR teams can host a workshop led by CHOYS, covering topics such as mindfulness, emotional wellbeing, and stress management. By using CHOYS’s expertise, you can ensure that your team receives professional guidance.

9. Schedule Mental Health Check-ins

Use World Mental Health Day as a reminder to initiate regular mental health check-ins with employees. These can be informal one-on-ones or anonymous surveys. To help employees manage stress, consider providing time and stress management training as part of your wellbeing strategy. For more ideas on supporting employee engagement and wellbeing, readEmployee Wellbeing and Engagement.

11. Organise Financial Wellness Sessions

Financial stress is often overlooked, but it can significantly impact mental health. Host workshops or provide resources on financial wellness as part of your World Mental Health Day activities. For more details learn here:

• Why Financial Wellness is Important in the Workplace
• How to Promote Financial Wellbeing in the Workplace.

How CHOYS Users Can Use the Features of Mental Health Day?

Those already using CHOYS, have access to a suite of tools designed to promote mental wellness and support.

CHOYS Mood Tracker

The CHOYS Mood Tracker allows employees to log their moods daily, providing insights into their emotional wellbeing. HR can encourage the use of this feature to help employees understand their mental health patterns over time. The mood tracker can be particularly useful during mental health check-ins, helping to identify any long-term issues.

CHOYS Meditation, Breathing, and Sleep Features with Timer

CHOYS includes a timer for meditation, breathing exercises, and sleep. Employees can set timers for meditation sessions, focus work, or sleep routines, and the app will play soothing music to help them relax and focus. This feature is perfect for stress management during the workday or for winding down before sleep. To learn more about meditation in the workplace, check out our blogMeditation in the Corporate World.

CHOYS Habit Tracker

CHOYS also offers a Habit Tracker, where employees can track habits that are beneficial to their mental and physical wellbeing. Whether it’s practising daily meditation, exercising regularly, or sticking to a sleep routine, the Habit Tracker helps employees stay consistent with positive habits. This feature empowers employees to take control of their health and wellbeing by setting personalised goals and tracking their progress over time. Building healthy habits is critical for long-term wellness, as discussed in our article onEmployee Wellbeing and Engagement.

Conclusion

World Mental Health Day provides an excellent opportunity for HR teams to make a real impact on employee wellbeing. Whether through workshops, check-ins, or creative activities, HR plays a critical role in fostering a mentally healthy work environment. And for those using CHOYS, the app offers an extensive range of tools, from mood tracking to meditation, that can further enhance your initiatives.

This year, let’s commit to making mental health a priority, not just for one day, but all year round.