The Key to Employee Engagement & Productivity
Let’s talk about building mental strength. We often hear about employee engagement, but there’s an important aspect that seems to be overlooked — the toll on our mental well-being over the past few years. It’s not just about realizing that we don’t want to work; something deeper has changed and it’s progressively getting worse.
Generally, people need to feel productive to experience happiness. When employees have high life satisfaction, they tend to be more productive, cheerful, cooperative, and innovative. However, many individuals have lost their previous mental balance, resulting in weakened connections to their jobs and employers. This isn’t something managers can easily fix because employees are often hesitant to share these struggles with their employers. Since it’s an inner condition, it needs to be addressed internally and individually with a trusted, experienced coach.
Even though the government has declared the pandemic over, the last three years have been traumatic for everyone in some way. We typically associate trauma with violence or loss, but it can also stem from a series of smaller, accumulating negative events without enough time to heal in between. These microtraumas can create thought patterns that don’t support us and unexpected emotional reactions, leaving us feeling disconnected from ourselves.
During the pandemic, we faced fear of death, uncertainty about the future, job losses, isolation, grief, political unrest, severed relationships, and financial hardship — all without sufficient time to process one before the next challenge arrived. Many people are now in a mental health crisis, while others find themselves in a mental health twilight zone. They may be functioning fine on the surface, but they experience high levels of irritability, emotional numbness, or a sense of personal powerlessness and purposelessness. They’ve lost their previous sense of life satisfaction, yet they can’t pinpoint why, and long-term happiness feels elusive. This mental fatigue often leads to a low, often unnoticed, chronic stress level that affects all areas of life.
This is where coaches come in. They assist individuals in the internal work, helping them build mental strength and flexibility. This enables them to withstand stressors and understand how to utilize negative emotions as a catalyst for personal growth. Through this process, individuals can discover new meaning and purpose in life. Since happy employees are the most productive, employers need to find ways to support their employees in this journey. Failing to do so may result in further deterioration of their mental resilience. It’s crucial to prioritize mental well-being and provide the necessary resources and support for employees. By helping employees build their mental muscle, employers can foster a more engaged and resilient workforce, leading to greater productivity and overall success.
At Symplexi Employee Development, we understand that a company’s success is directly tied to the growth and development of its employees. Our one-on-one coaching sessions are designed to help employees strengthen the mental muscle needed to navigate today’s work environment and the stressors that are a normal part of any company.
symplexicoaching.com • 541-321-2697
