Making Mental Health a Priority in Field Service Leadership

Many employers experience a disconnect with their employees regarding mental health and the role they should play in providing support. Whether it’s stress, burnout, or general anxiety, anyone in the field service industry can experience mental health issues. An increase in mental health issues arising in 2020 allowed for more open and engaged conversations in the workplace.

As employees continue to navigate through their personal and professional lives, employers should be there to support them every step of the way, and here’s how:

• Create a safe workplace for open communication.
• Provide employees with beneficial resources.
• Offer support for accessing mental healthcare.

Why is mental health important in the field service industry?

Without the necessary support, your field service leadership performance can ultimately be affected by mental health issues. The CDC has found that some employee capabilities that can be affected include:

• Job performance and productivity
• Engagement with one’s work
• Communication with co-workers
• Physical ability and daily functioning

If your field service employees are experiencing any of the limitations listed, it could affect your company’s overall success. However, there are steps available to support your employees as they are managing their mental health, including:

Create a safe workplace for open communication.

There’s often a stigma surrounding mental health that prevents those who are struggling from speaking up. However, studies have found talking to a supervisor to change stressful things about work was most strongly correlated with the healthiest overall workplace health scores. By creating a company culture that encourages open and honest conversations, you’ll allow employees to work through their feelings and promote a healthy work environment.

Provide employees with beneficial resources.

The CDC recommends several actionable steps that support employees as they deal with stress. Actions could include seminars or workshops that address depression and anxiety management techniques or a self-assessment tool available to all employees. These resources will help make employees feel supported and can identify issues and ultimately solve them.

Offer support for accessing mental healthcare.

Employees can experience several barriers to accessing mental healthcare, including lack of insurance coverage, difficulty determining covered services, and difficulty finding providers. In addition to providing resources, your company can clearly outline what mental healthcare services are available to them and encourage them to seek help from qualified mental health professionals.

Ultimately, your field service company needs to actively work towards creating a safe environment for employees. This environment should encourage open communication and provide resources for dealing with mental health. By creating an inclusive work environment free of mental health stigma, you’ll see an improvement in your field service leadership performance.

RazorSync’s field service software will help you manage your team and inventory to ensure that you’re able to provide modernized, high-quality tech services efficiently. Contact RazorSync for details, book a demo, or try it free for 14 days.