Ensuring the Safety of the Workplace and Attracting and Retaining Talent

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Providing support for mental health
HR professionals in Paychex have always been at the forefront of managing mental health in the workplace. Yet, the COVID19 pandemic has made mental health more complicated (Schäfer et al., 2020). Some of the workers lost their relatives and colleagues to the virus, which is disturbing. Witnessing the death of someone close can be devastating and make individuals more vulnerable to mental health illness. Returning to the office with such memories can be challenging for workers. Indeed, none of the workers had ever experienced such a pandemic. It was the first time they witnessed lockdowns, working from home, and new measures like social distancing. Making the transition can be challenging considering that, at the same time, the workers are expected to deliver to fulfill the goals and objectives of the organization. Paychex planning to ensure that all workers continue operating puts pressure on the workers to make the required adjustments. In essence, HR should be prepared to handle more mental health cases because of the effects of the pandemic than before (McKibbin & Fernando, 2021). HR is tasked with ensuring that employees receive the most appropriate care and support to make the transition smoothly.
Paycheck needs to promote companywide mental health resources. The company already has mental health programs in place. A majority of the employees have not needed it until now. The HR professionals need to remind the workers that such programs exist. The workers need to be aware of the resources available to them. HR should raise awareness regarding the issue and create a culture where it is acceptable to talk about the problem and seek support. In most cases, employees fear talking about their mental health challenges because of the possible negative implications in the workplace (Dewa, 2014). Some staff members may feel that opening about their struggles will jeopardize their jobs and promotion in the company. However, HR professionals need to assure the workers that it is okay to talk about mental health. Encouraging the workers to open up will allow them to seek treatment. The provision of resources would be made throughout the year. Paychex will set aside $1000 to facilitate access to mental health materials.
Additionally, Paychex HR professionals should consider organizing training sessions for the workers. Making a transition between working from onsite and home can be challenging for a majority of the workers. The company needs to train workers on how to manage the change. HR should ensure that the employees have all the support they need to work from home. More training sessions on coping with the pandemic are needed for all the employees (Carnevale & Hatak, 2020). The workers need to understand how to respond to the challenges facing them to allow them to manage their mental health. In the online training sessions, staff members will get an opportunity to ask questions about things they can do to deal with mental health issues and get assistance. The training sessions would be once every week. The sessions should take place for the next six months, then be held once every two weeks f...