Mental Wellness in the Workplace: Awareness Through Newsletters And Webinars

Employee wellness is an important area of focus for most organisations. Employee Wellness Programs provide essential mental health services such as therapy, psychiatry or self-care for the organisations. Newsletters, webinars and additional resources can significantly promote the effective use of these services by raising education and awareness on topics related to mental health. 

Deloitte’s report on ‘Mental health and well-being in the workplace’ (‘22) revealed that limited measures or resources related to mental health is one of the barriers that hampers workplace steps to address mental health. Newsletters or webinars are engaging resources which increase the effectiveness of mental health interventions in the workplace. 

Another such barrier reported was the insufficient involvement and knowledge amongst the supporting team. Newsletters and webinars serve to educate employees, including the HR team, on current topics in mental health and provide updated knowledge on the same. 

Here are three ways in which education and awareness on mental health and wellness, through webinars and newsletters, can improve business: 

1. Increased employee engagement 

As per Deloitte’s report, 91% of employees who were aware of mental health resources found them to be very useful. Newsletters and webinars are valuable tools to communicate information on how to access and utilise workplace mental health resources.

Both webinars and newsletters provide employee-focused engaging content. Newsletters contain images, links, videos and are a visually engaging medium of communicating updates. The on-screen interactive format of newsletters increases readership and therefore, engagement. Post-pandemic, reports suggest that the use of webinars has more than doubled. Webinar features such as polls, surveys, chat, post-webinar engagement and cloud recording serve to increase engagement and active participation. 

2. Increased organizational trust 

Research shows that stigma surrounding mental health at the workplace is a barrier to social inclusion and community participation. While employees may not always feel comfortable in publicly discussing mental health challenges, they may be more likely to engage with resources that are privately accessible. Employees can access resources like newsletters or webinars anonymously As these private channels of engagement can increase feelings of trust among employees, they can help build an internal reputation for the business. 

Common information, tips and activities shared through newsletters and webinars serve as a reserve of shared knowledge. This can increase feelings of belonging and inclusion. With a greater feeling of shared purpose, employees are more likely to trust the organisation and feel favourably towards the work culture. 

3. Reduced attrition rates and presenteeism 

Newsletters and webinars provide useful, credible and scientific information, tips and exercises on mental health that promote a culture of wellness in the organisation. Information from such sources may not be common knowledge for the employees. Such resources encourage employees to take appropriate action towards their own well-being.  

The McKinsey Health Institute’s recent survey revealed that one out of four employees suffer from burnout symptoms, globally. Burnout can lead to lower responsiveness at work and higher attrition rates. Mental health resources such as webinars and newsletters that are circulated regularly promote employee well-being in the workplace. As a result, employees can better recognise signs of burnout and take appropriate action for their own wellbeing. In the long term, this reduces attrition and presenteeism.