If you’re an employer, you know how busy you are around this time of the year. And with the current political situation, on top of everything that companies are dealing with because of a global pandemic, many business owners – and employees alike – are working more hours just to accomplish the same tasks.

And on top of all of your end-of-year tasks, plus pandemic concerns, employers and employees alike are dealing with the recently-concluded open enrollment period. The open enrollment period is an employee’s opportunity to review and opt into, or out of, specific HR benefits to best meet their specific needs. These benefits include everything from vision and dental to mental and behavioral health treatment.

Most small and midsize businesses handle most of, or all of, their own Human Resources management. Especially in today’s trying times, it’s important that employees feel healthy and safe on the job. Here’s the issue: accounting for all of your own HR services while running a business is often too much for a single employer to handle. And yet, both the management of your company and the provision of HR benefits are critical cornerstones for any successful company. How are you supposed to help employees find peace of mind without losing yours?

Let the experts handle employee assistance

Employee assistance programs (EAPs) allow employers to do what they do best: lead. At Mazzitti & Sullivan EAP, our success depends on yours, as we help you protect and promote your most valuable asset: your employees. That’s why we offer a comprehensive network of solutions, to keep employees engaged and productive while you align your focus where it’s needed.

Employee assistance programs help you help your employees. From community resources to adoption counseling, relationship therapy to substance use treatment, EAPs help you definitively improve productivity and employee wellness, at the same time decreasing risk of workplace violence and employee absenteeism. Reach out directly for specific provider benefits, and to take the first steps toward placing all of your employees in good hands today.

Take time to celebrate the victories

Here’s another quick win when it comes to promoting employee peace of mind: celebrate workplace victories. It could be a small win, or a large victory, but the mentality is the same: this office takes the time to recognize exceptional work.

So often, employees are made aware of what management thinks of them. In fact, many employees are constantly working just as hard to impress management as they are to complete overall tasks. That’s why taking the time to recognize workplace successes is so important: not only does it offer a venue for the office to celebrate individual wins as a team, but it also offers those same employees peace of mind. There aren’t many better feelings as an employee than knowing your employers approve of your body of work.

Put systems in place for open communication

Especially during the current pandemic, employees are feeling the pressure. A heightened sense of stress has many employees struggling to keep up with daily demands, in particular for those employees working from home in less than ideal environments. As such, despite the commonality of the work from home environment, it’s never been more important for employers to put systems in place that promote open communication.

It’s an inevitable fact of virtually any workplace, even workplaces that are scattered as employees work from the safety of their own homes: employees will disagree. Employees will disagree about trivial items, which can usually be easily resolved. Employees will also disagree about more foundational points, oftentimes priority tasks that come to a standstill until issues are resolved. When an issue needs to be resolved in the workplace, employers at least have the benefit of having employees in the same physical location. However, current times require problem-solving to take place virtually, over a video conferencing platform.

It’s not always easy to help employees solve disagreements. However, the problem-solving process is critical to restarting workflow, restoring employee relationships and reintroducing peace of mind. Here are a few suggestions when mitigating an employee conflict virtually:

1. Listen first. Make it a priority to listen, obtain all the facts of the situation and ask follow-up questions where necessary.
2. Schedule more time for the conversation than you think you’ll need. Employee conflict resolution should take precedence over most other corporate activities. You’ll want to make sure you have allotted sufficient time to hear from all involved parties.
3. Always start with the positives. Begin any talking point or response with the positive aspects of the situation, to reinforce peace of mind before delivering criticism.
4. Respond according to employee personality. Take the time to word your responses to best accommodate how the involved employees listen and learn. Especially if you can tell that the conflict is emotionally frustrating for one or more employees, it’s important that your response first recognize the nature of the conflict itself.
5. Conclude by reinforcing individual employee value. Let your employees know that independent of this issue, both are individually respected as valued members of your team. Employees are likely worried that they’ve risked offending you or angering you by impacting workflow. Let them know that conflict resolution and employee satisfaction are more important than simply fulfilling a 9 to 5 occupation; their well-being and satisfaction are more important than output.

Confidential support, personalized resources and proactive benefits

Ultimately, employers are at their best when they can remain at the wheel. At the same time, employers must understand that their employees will often face conflicts that are deeper than simple workplace issues. When those circumstances arise, employee assistance programs are ready to help.

Advocating that employees ignore life’s issues hinders workflow and productivity, but more importantly it can damage peace of mind and quality of life. Mazzitti & Sullivan EAP is determined to help employees remain in control. That’s why we provide licensed therapy for mental and behavioral health issuers alike, all delivered through encrypted online communication. Reduce workers’ comp claims and increase daily productivity, all while helping your employees restore self-confidence and take back control of their own lives. If you’re looking to help employees restore peace of mind without losing yours, you’re looking for Mazzitti & Sullivan EAP.