When someone gets hurt at your organization, workers’ compensation or volunteer accident coverage is often adept at delivering timely coverage. However, in today’s world, a comprehensive approach to health is crucial.

There are many reasons employees, organization members and volunteers may experience depression after an injury, including:

  • Social isolation
  • Challenges performing everyday tasks
  • Financial stress
  • Chronic pain and more

Mental health issues have also become more common in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention revealed that since the pandemic began, the following percentages of U.S. adults have reported:

  • Anxiety and depression symptoms—31%
  • Trauma/stressor-related disorder symptoms—26%
  • Started or increased substance use—13%
  • Seriously considering suicide—11%

It’s natural to prioritize the physical needs of employees, members and volunteers in a workers’ compensation or volunteer accident claim. However, it is also becoming more important to address mental and emotional health components, too.

Supporting Mental Health at Your Organization

Leaders in your organization can provide personal support to your employees, members and volunteers in very simple ways:

  • Add some personal touch to professional relationships. It is important to keep up with your employees, members and volunteers. Demonstrate you care by communicating beyond the necessities of tasks. Ask how family members are doing, things they’re looking forward to, interests outside of work and more. Showing interest in the personal lives of your people can remind them how much you value them and their contributions.
  • Eliminate organization-related frustrations. Your employees, members and volunteers have dealt with a lot over the past few years. Do what you can to provide training, good equipment and a strong commitment to support their efforts as they support your organization. While all frustrations cannot be eliminated, if you can help with any, do so.
  • Don’t ignore mental health. Talk about employee, member and volunteer stressors and their impact. Encourage self-care, therapy, healthy eating and an active lifestyle.
  • Implement a strong return-to-activities program. Bringing employees, members and volunteers back into your organization reassures them of their future involvement and makes them feel productive. Be sure to manage the expectations of supervisors and other members so the injured parties don’t feel guilty that they can’t work at full capacity.

Supporting the physical and mental health of employees, members and volunteers after an injury can make all the difference in their recovery.

 

For more information on workers’ compensation and volunteer accident coverage for your organization, contact Lockton Affinity.