May is Mental Health Awareness month. According to a recent survey by the APA 92% of workers said it’s important to work for an organization that values their emotional and psychological well-being.1 This survey also found that 57% of employees are experiencing negative impacts to their mental health due to work-related stress.
I encourage you to make the mental well-being of your employees a priority. The results of ignoring the issue could have an adverse effect on your credit union and its members. By providing a workplace where addressing mental health is normalized, you safeguard your credit union’s productivity and employee retention.The US Surgeon General has created the Framework for Workplace Well-Being 2 with the following 5 priorities:
Below is a list of actionable items to improve the mental well-being of your staff.
Protection from Harm includes physical and non-physical harm.
Protect your employees from harassment of ANY kind. This includes harassment from members* and volunteers. Keep up on regular harassment training and provide safe and effective reporting options.
Connection & Community
Cultivate a culture of trust by providing transparent communication. Tell your staff why certain decisions and policies are implemented and make sure you actively listen to their concerns.
Work Life Harmony
Avoid worker burnout by ensuring your staff takes their earned PTO/vacation time. Also, ensure you and your other employees respect that time off is exactly that. Don’t contact them!
Mattering at Work
Ensure your staff receives fair compensation. Financial stress has a huge impact on mental health. Ensure your credit union pays a fair wage by regularly checking the industry salary reports. We have America’s Credit Unions’ salary reports available on our website.
Opportunity for Growth
This is one thing many of our credit unions excel at! However, always ensure your employees are offered opportunities to learn through training, networking events, or mentoring programs. Here at the Association, we offer a networking program called @Lunch Networking, where we host multiple events throughout the year. We also offer an ongoing leadership series called the Ignite Series, which provides valuable learning opportunities for current & future leaders.
Resources
1 https://www.apa.org/pubs/reports/work-in-america/2023-workplace-health-well-being
2 https://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/priorities/workplace-well-being/index.html
*If you have a problematic member, see Heather Line’s recent training on FCU member expulsion rules.
