Melissa Bolton Branch Administrative Specialist Precision Walls, Inc.
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Every company always tells you about how its benefits include an EAP program that provides mental health support. Everyone is always on board with this until they really need some help; they call the number on the EAP card and it explains that the service is really only a customer support line that you can get anywhere.
Someone dealing with a mental health scare or issue is not looking for a phone call; they are looking for a one-on-one person they can confide in and get the conversation out that they need. They are looking for that one person who actually cares to listen, for that extra day a week or month to just unwind and relax without worrying about losing their job; they are looking for support.
Being a human resource manager is not just pushing the pen, hiring, firing, doing reports, etc. The position is more of a counselor than anything. If the HR manager does not realize this or have experience with this, then you have the wrong person heading up your department.
Here are a few things you can offer instead of just an EAP:
• Mental health days. There should be at least one day a month employees can take off of work—without using their PTO—just so they can rest and refresh their mental status.
• Four-day work weeks. Every Friday off is a day for a break from all the stresses at work and out of work.
• Employee resource groups (ERGs). These are actual groups that employees can participate in for mental health discussions and issues rather than calling a 1-800 number where they are just another name over the phone.
• Open door policy. Employees should have the option to talk to the HR director about issues in a no-judgment space.
Make your employees feel welcome to open up about anything. All the gossip, laughing behind closed doors and managers telling others about certain employees' issues are doing nothing but making the issue worse. If you are that HR person or manager then you need to look elsewhere for a career. A human resource manager needs to be an amazing counselor who cares about each and every employee and is able to provide the means necessary for employees to feel like they are at the right company for not only their career needs but for their personal needs as well.
I take pride in knowing I have had the opportunity to walk the plant floor and know each employee by name and each employee's story; that way, I can help out at any time they need it. They feel like they can come into my office and cry to me if needed. This is what makes a human resource manager feel complete, in my opinion. I strive for this feeling from my employees, and everyone in the same position should as well.
A company should always have a human resource manager who can put everything aside and open their heart and mind to each employee and their situation.
Forbes Human Resources Council is an invitation-only organization for HR executives across all industries. Do I qualify?
