What should HR’s stance be on psychological well-being within the company?
Should it be viewed as just another perk on the list of benefits, or as a strategic area?
Today, the psychological well-being of employees has become an aspect as frequently mentioned and misunderstood as it is crucial for a company’s success.
A work environment that promotes mental health not only improves the quality of life of employees but also increases their productivity and engagement. But are we truly understanding how to address it from a corporate perspective?
In this context, people analytics methodologies emerge as valuable tools for Human Resources departments, allowing them to design effective strategies based on concrete data.
Understanding Psychological Well-Being and Its Impact on the Business
Psychological well-being refers to a state where an individual can develop their abilities, manage the normal stresses of life, work productively, and contribute to their community.
In the workplace, a high level of psychological well-being translates into more satisfied employees, less prone to absenteeism, and with better performance.
Investing in psychological well-being is not just an ethical issue, but also a strategic decision that can positively impact the profitability of the company.
Why People Analytics?
People analytics is the practice of using employee data to make informed and strategic HR decisions.
Through data analysis, companies can identify patterns and trends that would otherwise go unnoticed. The benefits of applying people analytics in HR include improved decision-making, customized strategies, and a proactive approach in talent management.
Within this methodology, it is crucial to have tools ranging from human resources management software (HRMS) to workplace climate surveys, satisfaction surveys, or other measurement actions.
Diagnosing Psychological Well-Being in the Company
The first step to improving psychological well-being is to assess the current situation of employees.
The People Analytics framework allows HR professionals to collect and analyze key data such as:
- Absenteeism rates
- Leave and turnover
- Productivity levels
Additionally, with tools like Mentiness that allow us to explore various key variables, we can obtain data from areas such as:
- Mental health and its potential threats
- Leadership
- Causes of stress
- Culture or climate
Thus, with the support of HR software data, we can identify trends that explain a high turnover rate may indicate problems with stress or job dissatisfaction.
With a clear diagnosis, it is possible to design more effective and specific interventions.
Developing Data-Based Strategies, Your Best Ally
One of the main objections from finance to these types of proposals is that they are “almost a matter of faith” or “difficult to demonstrate.”
To overcome this barrier, we propose the following steps:
- Define the objectives of the plan: What are the underlying KPIs of this idea? Reduce turnover, analyze satisfaction?
- Segment: conduct an evaluation that allows you to understand different realities
- Project the different phases over time with their stakeholders: What do you want to achieve this quarter? And for the next?
- Monitor: with your dashboard of variables, you can analyze how the wellness plan is performing, almost in real-time. This will give you control over the investment
- Implement actions at various levels: placing psychologists in the company to conduct therapy will not solve the underlying problems. Create a map of actions and available tools that range from:
- Therapy
- Individual or group training
- Training facilitated by AI or other technological tools
If you base your approach on people analytics, you will have information that saves you time and money.
How?
By avoiding generic strategies. Replace generic workshops with training plans, capacity building, or interventions that each group in your company needs.
In this HR digital editorial article, Rebeca Calvo, co-founder of Mentiness, explains this topic in a very simple way:
There’s an Elephant in the Office
And you, what do you do when you see that elephant in the office, called psychological well-being?