How to Energize Your Anxious and Burned-Out Employees

It should come as no surprise that your employees are feeling anxious, depressed, and burned out. This also means that employee loyalty is again on the decline. As a result of the pandemic, many people on your team are rethinking their relationship to work.

On The Small Business Radio Show this week, Jessica Moser who is head of MetLife’s Group Benefits Small & Specialty Business organization reveals MetLife’s 19th Annual Employee Benefit Trends Study.

Interview with Jessica Moser of MetLife

Jessica talks about how MetLife’s 19th Annual Employee Benefit Trends Study (EBTS) found that after a year of managing the sustained pressures and tremendous impacts caused by the pandemic, employees are feeling more anxious, depressed, and burned out at work than they did around this time last year (after the first few months of the pandemic). The study also showed that as workplace struggles continue to mount, employee loyalty has been on the decline. This is in addition to the challenges that small businesses have in finding employees to fill many positions.

Jessica adds that “this was particularly true for small business employees, who were the least likely cohort to say they would like to be in their current role a year from now.” She believes that this may be in part because small business employees are also less likely to say that they feel their employer provides them with the tools necessary to cope with today’s new blended work-life world.

Jessica thinks that small business employers looking to boost employee loyalty can start by prioritizing resilience and well-being in their company’s benefits and insurance offerings.  She adds that “these programs can range from financial wellness offerings like disability and pet insurance, to robust mental health resources and increased paid/unpaid leave options.”

Furthermore, Jessica believes that “employers looking to maximize employee loyalty should also ensure that they are distributing clear and frequent communications around their benefits offerings” since typically, team members do not know what is available to them.

Listen to more results from the trends survey on The Small Business Radio Show.

Image: Jessica Moser

This article, "How to Energize Your Anxious and Burned-Out Employees" was first published on Small Business Trends