The error of many leaders is to take a breath and relax after a crisis and assume you can all just go back to normal. But you can’t. The old normal has gone, and the new normal does not yet exist in any coherent way.

Let’s expand the Shakespeare war analogy. In a war, much changes. Rules tend to be pushed to the side. There are casualties; people get hurt, some leave, some join. There is a strong sense of purpose and focus. Adrenaline flows as the tempo is high and the pressure is on. As the battle drags on, the initial clarity descends into confusion and chaos as the old military maxim of “no plan ever survives first contact with the enemy” holds true. You make do. You tire but press on, driven by the urgency. War is relentless, but your efforts pay off. The battle is won. Your flag flies. The bugle blows. The noise and action give way to a stillness. Now what?

You look around at the damage and disorder. Your mind is numb, and the exhaustion from the sustained effort kicks in. The single driven purpose has evaporated and leaves only the stench of uncertainty. The team dynamic has irreversibly shifted; there is a strong bond as you took on the challenge and succeeded together, but there is a distance too as the battle took its toll on you all but in different ways. Some excelled, some struggled. Some grew, some shrank. You are not the same individually or collectively. The army disbands, and each wanders off to their own corners of the world.

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Breaking away from the battle, let’s go back to our workplace and apply the same thinking.

Through great effort and teamwork you survived the crisis — brilliant, but as a compassionate leader, this is precisely the time when you are needed your most. Just when you thought you could sit back and congratulate yourself for navigating the storm, now is the moment when your efforts will need to increase. You will need to “re-build the garden” in order to retain and re-motivate your staff. There are four big areas of leadership focus that you must own and activate.

Celebrate. You must stop and celebrate your success. Far too often, we just press on after no more than a cursory recognition of our successes. No. Go large and have a party. Your team will need to let off steam, to vent any frustrations, to share their battle stories, to recognize the efforts of their colleagues and have their own efforts recognized too. This is the time for you, the leader, to say a massive, heartfelt, sincere “thank you,” for your success is delivered through the efforts of others. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

Purpose. Take time to remind your teams of your overriding purpose as an organization: what it is that you are here to do and whom you are here to serve. You will need to remind everyone of the value they add to the world and how important it is as an organization that your service continues. You may need to adjust your course to get back on track.

Lessons learned. But what did we learn? There is a powerful matrix of start/stop that you now need to assess.

What did we stop that must stay stopped?

What did we stop that we must now re-start?

What did we start that we will continue to do?

What did we start that we must now stop?

Additionally, reflect on what went well and what was less so.

Culture. So who are we now? How will we work together? Does our culture support our purpose and strategic intent still? Is our way of working still relevant? Our values? Our behaviors?

The garden is rebuilt. We can now thrive in this brave new word. And now that you’re back on course, you can stop and breathe!

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Our third annual survey on nurse mental health found that nurses continue to struggle with high levels of burnout, trauma and depression and experience suicidal thoughts at twice the rate of the average American adult. Perhaps the most disheartening finding was that, despite widespread attention given to the issue of clinician mental health over the last few years, nurses feel that the industry has made little in the way of substantive changes to make this a more sustainable career path. Two-thirds said that the healthcare industry’s stance on nurse mental health has not changed, and an overwhelming 95% said that their mental health was either not a priority or that it was a priority, but that there were inadequate measures in place to support it.

There is a silver lining to our findings. The things that nurses say would support their mental health are straightforward: access to fitness facilities and/or classes, wellness stipends and flexible scheduling. The call for new scheduling options has been growing for years, but it has reached a crescendo recently as nurses have faced chronic understaffing and watched other workers in highly skilled industries gain access to things like remote work, flexible hours and four-day work weeks.

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While “flexible scheduling” is a bit of a catch-all term, there are a variety of ways that hospitals could bring this to life. The first are alternatives to traditional twelve-hour shift direct patient care roles, the demands of which are often difficult for older nurses and those with physical limitations. These alternatives might include resource nurse, break nurse and nurse mentor roles; telehealth models; or seasonal weekend programs. All of these programs can be offered with different shift lengths and schedules to offer flexibility to retain experienced clinicians. Another option is by making it easier for nurses who only want to work part-time or are looking for extra shifts to pick those up more easily, a seemingly basic process that has nevertheless been stymied by the fact that most nurse staffing is done through archaic technology at best — and clipboards and phone trees at worst.

Float pools at both a facility and a system level can also play a critical role by providing flexible work opportunities and new clinical experiences to aid in professional growth and development. They can also provide unique scheduling and staffing options in alignment with seasonal trends by offering time off during summer months or low volume periods, promoting periods of rest and better overall work-life balance. Several health systems experimented with multisite float pools or internal agency models to cover surges during Covid-19 and prevent under-staffing by moving nurses from areas of low volume to areas with high patient demand through rapid up-skilling and cross-training. Maintaining and enhancing these flexible models are critical to cover future waves of the pandemic or surges from the flu or other seasonal diseases.

The bottom line is that there are a variety of ways that hospitals and health systems can start to offer nurses the kind of scheduling options that can make nursing into a profession that’s more compatible with mental health while at the same time solving many of their own staffing challenges. Given that fully 64% of nurses in our survey said they are less committed to the profession than they were pre-pandemic, the urgency for change on this issue couldn’t be greater.

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The pandemic and various new Covid-19 variants forced companies to allow working from home. They cast their nets out for a wider geographic reach when recruiting talent. Workers accepted positions they may never have otherwise considered due to the distance from their homes.

Now, those decisions are coming home to roost as some companies seek to reign back in their workforces and re-populate their deserted offices. And workers are pushing back. The question is, how much should companies demand of their workers in this talent market? And what of their contingent workforce?

Google and one of its staffing suppliers are facing such a conundrum. The Seattle Times reported Google Maps contractors working for a staffing provider and assigned to a Bothell, Washington location are being recalled to the office full time. Office-based Google FTEs are also being recalled, but at a more flexible three days per week, and the contractors are asking for the same consideration.

Commuting full time would be unaffordable, they say. Many are far-flung, living miles away from the high-cost Seattle suburb. One would be commuting over 140 miles daily. Another worker who spoke with the Times has a less lengthy but still burdensome 50-mile trip each way. Both were hired during the pandemic. In addition to the commute, health concerns remain.

While some could argue workers should have foreseen the eventual return to office, they claim they have not been given the notice period they were promised when the eventuality occurred — meaning they have had less time to formulate childcare and other solutions. Also, shouldn’t contingents be offered the same flexibility as employees?

We’re still in the middle of a significant talent crunch, with employers lamenting the dearth of skilled workers they need. Is now really the time to lay down the law with regard to returning to the office? For more than two years now, we’ve learned if nothing else that working from home has not been detrimental to productivity. In this particular case, it appears to be the staffing firm calling the shots. However, the end result could prove problematic for the contingent workforce program and the project directly should a percentage of its team quit all at once over this situation.

Timing aside, the Google Maps situation points to a lack of understanding management has of its workforce. Earlier this year, a survey conducted by Microsoft of 31,102 workers around the world indicated that about 50% of leaders say their company already requires or is planning to require employees to return to in-person work full-time in 2023. In the same report, 52% of workers said that they are thinking of switching to a full-time remote or hybrid job in 2022. What leaders are looking for stands in sharp contrast to what employees really want: flexibility.

While many companies are initiating back to the office plans, others are still availing themselves of the benefits a remote workforce can provide. And workers know they have options, they may prefer to work for top-shelf employer brands, but at the end of the day, they know their worth and will take their skills elsewhere to protect their health and wellness.

Staffing providers and contingent workforce programs would do well to listen to them and work with them to find a suitable middle ground. In addition, corporations need to craft a return-to-office plans that is suitable for all its workers. Hybrid, anyone? Otherwise, employers may find themselves spending considerable time and money replacing talent and, given the labor crisis, may be left out in the cold.

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Contact centers can be especially stressful places for employees who help customers on a daily basis. These environments can be intense and emotionally draining, and many advisors deal with customers experiencing distressing personal circumstances.

It’s clear that the mental well-being of our colleagues needs to be a business priority in 2022. But if your contact center has never had a well-being plan in place, it can be difficult to know where to start.

With all this in mind, Julie McIntosh, Chief Culture Officer at Kura, shares their top tips on supporting the mental health of employees in your contact center.

Hold check-ins with your employees. Many times, it can be hard to spot someone who may be struggling, especially if you have a remote or hybrid workforce. Your  people may not feel confident enough to approach you, especially about personal matters, so it’s important to check in with them regularly to see how they’re doing.

At Kura, we hold weekly catch-ups with our team members to check on their well-being. Our employees report finding this really helpful because they can work with their manager to address their well-being without having to be the one to bring it up.

You could implement regular check-ins in a number of ways to make it a no-pressure situation for your people. Video calling your remote employees will help to make the experience more personable. For office-based employees or remote workers who live nearby, arranging to meet at a café outside of the office can provide a more relaxing setting. Speak to your people to find out which environment they’ll feel most comfortable in (following whatever Covid guidelines are in place, of course).

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Host well-being sessions. It’s vital to check in personally with your people on a regular basis. But now more than ever, we need each other to get through hard times. At Kura, we started hosting live meditation classes via Zoom during the first 2020 lockdown, and it’s something we’ve continued as we’ve gone through periods of home and office working.

In these sessions, we practice meditation and breathing techniques — focusing on the breath is one of the most powerful ways to pause during our busy lives, and it can dramatically reduce feelings of stress and anxiety. Bringing people together to do these kinds of exercises can help your team to bond and make one another feel more comfortable. Strong camaraderie among your team is important because it makes them feel less alone.

Invest in an employee assistance program. It’s important to have an open environment where your people feel comfortable confiding in you if they’re struggling with their mental health. But investing in an employee assistance program will also give them access to expert advice, support services and counseling. Having access to professional counseling is important at a time when NHS mental health services are stretched thinly and waiting lists are long.

Kura has partnered with Pam Assist, which offers a huge range of well-being and mental health support to our employees. Our people can speak to mental health professionals confidentially, giving them the confidence to communicate openly and honestly with a trained expert. As well as telephone support services, our employees have access to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and eye movement and desensitization reprocessing therapy (EMDR) for a range of mental health conditions without having to wait for a referral from their GP or doctor.

Give your employees flexibility. Talking to customers on the phone all day, especially if it is a serious topic, can be mentally and emotionally draining. Allowing your advisors to rotate between your different customer service channels can help them to relax and recalibrate.

Have a discussion with your advisors to find out how best to implement this. You might find that an even split, with phone calls in the morning and live chat in the afternoon, is most suitable, or you could allow your employees shorter periods of working through emails or chats throughout the day to give them a break from the exhaustion of back-to-back phone calls.

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During the pandemic, focus on wellbeing, mental wellbeing, stress, burnout and safety were identified and addressed on multiple levels. Even with this focus, we saw record numbers of healthcare professionals leaving the profession, and tragically, suicide rates of nurses increased even more than the staggering data from pre-pandemic.

Using data from the Centers for Disease Control and the National Violent Death Reporting System, Davis et al. found that between 2007 and 2018, nurses were 18% more likely to die from suicide than the general population. Updated research from Mayo Clinic published in the November 2021 issue of the American Journal of Nursing used responses from a national survey on well-being, which included questions on burnout and depression. The authors found that 5.5% of nurses experienced suicidal ideation, approximately 1% higher than other workers. After controlling for factors such as age, gender, work hours, relationship status and burnout, it was estimated that nurses had significantly higher odds — 38% — of having suicidal thoughts than other workers.

In March 2022, Federal Health Officials said the US had entered the endemic stage of the Covid-19 outbreak. So, what, if anything, does this mean for the care and support of our healthcare professionals? Clearly there was a need for more support before the pandemic. In an endemic, does the support go back to “normal” too? Healthcare professionals take care of us in our time of need. Don’t we owe it to them to take care of them in turn? As we move into this endemic time, we need to continue focusing on their well-being, stress levels, mental health and safety — and I would add education on this list as well.

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Healthcare workers’ need for a focus on their well-being has increased. There are fewer nurses at the bedside, which has increased ratios for them to care for more patients. Patients coming into the hospital are far sicker with more complications. And the economy and other factors outside the work they perform impacts their mental health.  They also can’t “unsee” the devastating demise of their patients day in and day out over the past two years, often being the only person able to be with a dying patient, bearing that burden alone over and over again.

As employers, we can continue to help and address their needs. And their needs may differ, so having flexibility in programs to allow the healthcare professional to meet their own individual needs is important.  Access to these programs is also a consideration. This is by way of app, physical location, times available, etc.  Most insurance companies now provide wellness and mental health as part of their service offerings for enrollees. Listen to your employees.

Education is also a continued need for the growth and learning of our healthcare professionals.  This has been an area of great stagnation over the past two years as well. Medicine is constantly evolving, and healthcare professionals are at the frontline of each transformation.  Not having the necessary time to train and to have facilitation of new material and technology can add additional stress to the healthcare professional. We need to provide them the necessary time and training to be confident and proficient in their skills. As individuals respond and learn differently, there needs to be flexible training methodologies, which could include simulation, virtual simulation, webinars, coaching and rounding. Access to continuous education and learning for healthcare professionals provides improved patient care, improved healthcare professional morale and motivation, and a more skilled workforce.

We employers of healthcare professionals can have an impact on our healthcare community through this endemic. Let’s be there for our healthcare professionals and provide them the resources they need personally and professionally to continue to take care of us!

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Enacted as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed in 2020, this tax credit provides employers up to $7,000 per employee per quarter in refundable tax credits for the first three quarters of 2021, as well as up to $5,000 per employee for March 13 through December 31 of 2020.

According to Rob Tiernan, Vice President at human capital management and tax incentive firm HIREtech, the ERTC presents a unique opportunity for businesses. “Over the last two years we have all been through things that I don’t think anyone could have imagined. The creation of the Employee Retention Tax Credit and the subsequent changes and expansion of the program have given businesses a tremendous opportunity to help them get back on their feet.”

While the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act effectively ended the ERTC at the end of September 2021 for most businesses, the good news for staffing owners is that that they have up to three years from the filing of Forms 941 (Employer’s Quarterly Federal Tax Return) to determine if the wages they paid from March 13, 2020, to September 30, 2021, are eligible.

“If you have not looked into ERTC for your business, there is still time to go back to 2020 and 2021, but you want to act sooner than later, as there are some time constraints approaching,” says Tiernan. However, because the ERTC is so often misunderstood, many businesses that are eligible to receive a tax credit aren’t even filing.

Am I Eligible?

Most employers, regardless of size, can qualify for the credit if they either:

• Were fully or partially suspended due to a government order. The credit applies only for the portion of the quarter the business is suspended, not the entire quarter.
• Had a significant decline in gross receipts. This is defined as a decline of more than 50% for a quarter in 2020 as compared to the same quarter in 2019 or 20% of a quarter in 2021 (Q1 – Q3) as compared to the same quarter in 2019. Alternatively, for 2021, you can also compare the previous quarter to the one you are evaluating to the equivalent quarter in 2019. If you qualify under this method, the credit applies to the entire quarter.

There is an exception to qualification for entities of the government.

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What Wages Qualify?

In general, the wages that qualify for ERTC are wages/compensation that are subject to FICA taxes, as well as qualified health expenses (medical, dental and vision). The wages must have been paid after March 12, 2020, and before October 1, 2021. The credit can only be taken on wages that are not forgiven under PPP.

For businesses with an average of 100 or fewer full-time employees in 2019, the company can capture almost all the wages in both 2020 and 2021 for the time period(s) the company qualifies for.

For businesses with an average of 500 or fewer full-time employees in 2019, the company can capture almost all the wages in 2021 for the time period(s) the company qualifies for. For example, if you had an average of 490 full-time employees in 2019 with an additional 200 part-time employees, then almost the entire payroll will be eligible for the ERTC.

For businesses with an average of more than 500 full-time employees in 2019, the tax credit is for wages paid to employees not working. There is no limit on the number of employees or the size of your company that prevents you from taking the credit.

Retroactive Claiming

The good news for staffing firm owners is that the end of the program does not impact your ability to retroactively claim ERTC. Staffing businesses have a minimum three-year statute of limitations from the filing of the Form 941 to conduct a lookback to determine eligible wages. The IRS released guidelines explaining that to claim credit for past quarters, businesses must file a Form 941-X, Adjusted Employer’s Quarterly Federal Tax Return or Claim for Refund, for the applicable quarter(s) in which the qualified wages were paid.

Still Time to Claim Credit

If you have not taken advantage of the ERTC yet, you still have time to determine whether wages paid in 2020 and 2021 are eligible. If you think this might be the case, we suggest you talk with a qualified partner who can help you through the process.

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A record-high 11 million jobs are waiting to be filled across the U.S. This boom in available openings? You can thank the Baby Boomers.

According to Pew Research Center, the rate of retirement in Baby Boomers has accelerated since the start of COVID-19 with almost 29 million boomers retiring in 2020 – An increase of more than 3 million from 2019.

With 75 million Baby Boomers retiring by 2030, The Great Retirement is looking to supersede The Great Resignation as the biggest hiring trend for 2022. Here’s what you need to know:

How will Baby Boomers retiring affect the workforce?

One in four workers in the U.S. is a Baby Boomer, amounting to 41 million total employees. This trend of mass retirement will lead to an even wider workforce gap as companies race to fill positions left by retirees. As these workers also normally hold higher-level management positions due to their extensive working experience, the competition to find replacements will be tough with many businesses turning to recruiters to look for top talent.   

Why are Baby Boomers retiring now?

While Baby Boomers fall in the generation most at-risk for COVID-19, the main driving factor for retirement isn’t health-related. They’re looking for a better quality of life.

Famous for their strong work ethic and dedication (40% have stayed with their employer for more than 20 years), Baby Boomers commit to their jobs more than any other generation. After 40+ years in the workforce and a global pandemic, they’re re-evaluating their work-life balance. With quarantine rules keeping them at home but isolated, many are choosing to trade in their 9-to-5 for more time with friends, family, and to travel.

Those most likely to retire early? Women over the age of 65 are the group with the most retirees while the Hispanic Boomer population saw the biggest increase in retirement rates. Boomers residing in the Northeastern U.S. also saw a large increase in those retiring.

What can be done to prevent a workforce gap?

While Boomers may want to spend their golden years away from the office there is a silver lining to The Great Retirement: There’s a whole new generation (and two others) ready to work. Investing in these workers and supporting their development will be crucial to closing your workforce gap. Here’s how to attract and retain young employees:

1. Offer flexibility in the workplace

Gen X workers and Millennials are often working parents or caregivers to their parents or grandparents. With quarantine rules and distance learning changing often and suddenly, you’ll need to be supportive of employees who are pulling double duty working and taking care of their family during the day. Offering more flexibility to parents by letting them work from home and by measuring their performance on results (not hours worked) will help retain valuable employees who won’t have to choose between family and their job.

2. Close skills gaps with reskilling and upskilling

Younger workers, especially Gen Z, won’t have the decades of experience that retiring Baby Boomers have. Instead of brushing-off young talent for a lack of skills, take the time to train them on the skills they need. If your company doesn’t have a formal training program ask them to enroll in online courses like our Aspire Academy. There are dozens of training courses available at no cost.

3. Mentor, don’t manage

For many young people, a position in your company may be their first professional job out of college. They don’t just need a salary but need guidance on how to progress in their careers. In a recent survey, younger workers reported wanting feedback from their managers more frequently than their older colleagues signifying they need more support to know they are doing their jobs correctly. They also rank mentorship among the three most important aspects of choosing where to work. Setting up a mentorship program will not only attract top young talent but keep them engaged and loyal to your company.

Is your company feeling the effects of The Great Retirement? At Adecco, we pride ourselves on finding and connecting top talent with the right opportunities. Learn more about our staffing solutions and keep reading our blog to discover the other top hiring trends for 2022.

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Nurses enter their profession as a calling — a calling to better the lives of others, to make a difference to someone who needs care and to continuously learn and be challenged. Nurses, often independently, pursue further training and advanced degrees, seeking learning opportunities from colleagues and exploring a deeper knowledge of the etiology, techniques, and procedures to support the care of their patients and their families.

Unfortunately, nurse education has been severely impacted by the pandemic. Clinicals have been reduced, internships have decreased and many general orientations have been shortened to get more nurses at the bedside quickly. This decrease in educational opportunities has not only impacted the student nurses and new graduate nurses, but all nurses — yet equipment and procedures continue to change and evolve. Even the way we deliver care is changing (e.g. telemedicine and hospitals at home).

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While Covid-19 certainly has provided a huge learning opportunity and lots of challenges, we need to continue supporting the growth of nurses how and when it is convenient for the nurse. Supporting the nursing profession’s quest for continued learning and further education does not need to only be available in a traditional classroom or an on-demand monotone CEU class but should be interactive and specific to each nurse’s individual needs. Nurses need to be able to pursue their need or desire for additional training, and having a varied methodology for delivering clinical growth helps to keep the nurse engaged and allows for a variety of learning experiences that are more self-serving and more inspiring.

Despite the pandemic, the burnout and the lack of educational options, many nurses want to continue advancing in their profession and in their knowledge, and this advancement can look different for each nurse.  Nurses may be involved in hospital committees, join a professional nursing organization, obtain a specialty certification, or pursue an advanced degree. At Conexus MedStaff, we have celebrated and supported many of our international nurses as they advance their knowledge, some receiving Daisy Awards for their innovative ideas, many seeking specialty certification and some pursuing advanced degrees as a nurse practitioner or a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in nursing.

As organizations supporting our healthcare professionals, we need to dedicate the resources, time, flexibility and ability to meet the educational requirements and desires of our nurses. Through mentoring, supporting educational scholarships and engaging continuing education programs that meet the personalized needs of our healthcare professionals, we can make a difference in the nursing shortage by keeping nurses in nurses through engagement and advancement.

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For as long as COVID-19 has been dominating the headlines so has news of the Great Resignation, a phenomenon where workers have been quitting their jobs at record rates. With there being more open positions than workers available to fill them, there’s never been a better time than now to change your job.

And Americans are taking note. According to a new Career Arc study, almost one in four workers plan to resign in the next 12 months. Are you in that group? Do you want to be? Here’s how to plan your exit strategy and quit your job in 2022:

1. Understand why you’re leaving

If you’ve been asking yourself “should I quit my job?” you’re not alone. A recent survey reports that 73% of employees are actively thinking about resigning. While it seems disliking your current job is on-trend, ask yourself why you’d leave before making any major decisions. Are you experiencing problems with your current job? Has the pandemic shifted your values?

Career Arc set out to find the real reason everyone is quitting their jobs and found that close to one-third of respondents said they were leaving their current position to look for a role with better working conditions. 23% stated they wanted to shift careers while 20% noted that they were quitting because they wanted a remote job. By determining why you’re leaving first, whether it’s for the working conditions, type of job, or something else, you’ll know what you’re looking for in your next position.

2. Decide where you want to go

Now that you’ve determined why you’re leaving your current job and what you’re looking for in your next position, create short and long-term goals for your career. When starting your job hunt, look out for opportunities that fulfill both types of your goals – you’ll be more likely to stay with that company for the long haul.

Part of setting career goals involves determining what you need to do to accomplish these objectives. Look at your resume and the skills you possess and see if there are any gaps you can work to close, especially if you’re looking at changing careers. When these gaps are closed, you’ll know when to quit your job and start sending in applications.   

3. Look for job openings

Quitting a job without another lined up can seem daunting. If you need to leave your current position now, consider temporary work or partnering with a recruiter to find work in the interim while you continue your job hunt. You’ll still get a paycheck without a commitment and you can develop new skills that will make you stand out in your applications for more permanent work.

With 84% of organizations using social media for recruiting be sure to clean up your social media profiles before sending off applications. However, if you are job hunting before quitting, don’t post anything about looking for a new position. Keep your job search on a need-to-know basis as not to impact your current work.

4. Tips for when you quit

If you’ve been feeling burnt-out at your current job you may have had a fantasy or two thinking about how you’ll finally quit and what you’ll tell your boss. While it may be fun to think about going out in a blaze of glory, remember the importance of connections – 85% of jobs are landed because of networking. That means you’ll need to keep a friendly and professional relationship with your bosses and colleagues.

When speaking to your managers about quitting make sure to highlight the gratitude you have for the opportunity given to you (even if it’s not exactly the case), and that you’ll write a formal resignation letter for your company’s HR department. Be prepared for a counteroffer from your manager but feel confident in rejecting such an offer if there’s no chance the position will be in line with your career goals. 85% of workers who accept counteroffers leave their jobs within 6 months while 90% are gone within a year. ­­­­­­­­

Ready to join in on the Great Resignation and kickstart your job hunt? Learn more about how to resign and about the job-seeking process with our in-depth job seekers guide. Be sure to stay on top of all the hiring trends for 2022 by reading more of our blog posts, and check out our current openings for any positions that align with your career goals.

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Contact centers can be especially stressful for employees, who are speaking to customers and helping to solve their problems on a daily basis. These environments can be intense and emotionally draining, and many advisors deal with customers experiencing distressing personal circumstances.

It’s clear that the mental well-being of our people needs to be a business priority in 2022. But if your contact center has never had a well-being plan in place, it can be difficult to know where to start.

With this in mind, here are some of Kura’s top tips on supporting the mental health of employees in your contact center.

Hold regular check-ins with your employees. Sometimes, it can be hard to spot a struggling employee – this is especially true if you have a remote or hybrid workforce, which many businesses now do. Your  people may not feel confident enough to approach you, especially about personal matters, so it’s important to check in with them regularly to see how they’re doing.

At KURA, we hold weekly catch-ups with our team members to check on their well-being. Our employees report finding this really helpful because they can work with their manager to address their well-being without having to be the one to bring it up.

You could implement regular check-ins in a number of ways to make it a no-pressure situation for your people. Video-calling your remote employees will help to make the experience more personable. For office-based employees or remote workers who live nearby, arranging to meet at a café outside of the office can provide a more relaxing setting. Speak to your people to find out which environment they’ll feel most comfortable in (following whatever Covid guidelines are in place, of course).

Host well-being sessions. It’s important to check in personally with your people on a regular basis. But now more than ever, we need each other to get through hard times. At Kura, we started hosting live meditation classes via Zoom during the first 2020 lockdown, and it’s something we’ve continued as we’ve gone through periods of home and office working.

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In these sessions, we practice meditation and breathing techniques – focusing on the breath is one of the most powerful ways to pause during our busy lives, and it can dramatically reduce feelings of stress and anxiety. Bringing people together to do these kinds of exercises can help your team to bond and make one another feel more comfortable. Strong camaraderie among your team is important because it makes them feel less alone.

Invest in an employee assistance program. It’s important to foster an open environment where your people feel comfortable confiding in you if they’re struggling with their mental health. But investing in an employee assistance program will also give them access to expert advice, support services, and counselling. Having access to professional counselling is important at a time when NHS mental health services are stretched thinly and waiting lists are long.

KURA has partnered with Pam Assist, which offers a huge range of well-being and mental health support to our employees. Our people can speak to mental health professionals confidentially, giving them the confidence to communicate openly and honestly with a trained expert. As well as telephone support services, our employees have access to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and eye movement and desensitization reprocessing therapy (EMDR) for a range of mental health conditions without having to wait for a referral from their GP or doctor.

Give your employees some flexibility. Talking to customers on the phone all day, especially if it’s on serious topics, can be mentally and emotionally draining. Allowing your advisors to rotate between your different customer service channels can help them to relax and recalibrate.

Have a discussion with your advisors to find out how best to implement this. You might find that an even split, with phone calls in the morning and live chat in the afternoon, is most suitable, or you could allow your employees shorter periods of working through emails or chats throughout the day to give them a break from the exhaustion of back-to-back phone calls.

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