Alexander Kulitski
, Every year, May is celebrated as mental health awareness month internationally. Mental health in the workplace has never before been a more poignant issue than during the transition to working from home during the global coronavirus pandemic.
The social and economic effects of the virus outbreak have left people drained. Rising unemployment rates, stringent stay at home orders, and self-imposed isolation have all led to a spike in anxiety levels and a sense of uncertainty about the future. It has been up to businesses to provide the much needed reassurance to their employees in these times of hardship.
The GetApp business software review platform by Gartner recently featured Smart IT’s efforts in helping address employee mental health and wellbeing. COO, Sergey, and Employee Engagement Manager, Alexandra, have implemented a company-wide virtual team-building programme to support employees working from home.
To reduce the distance between colleagues and give them a sense of belonging the programme features water cooler style video calls. Employees have shared recipes, conducted cook-outs and held cocktail evenings to casually chat with colleagues.
Friday evening has been a special day when the entire team gathers for online game tournaments, where two teams of usually 8 vs 8 players face off against each other in competitive video games played over the network.
Last but not least, Instagram has been central in community and team-building. Daily themed challenges have allowed us to diversify the daily routine. Over the course of two months, employees have received unique and crafty tasks as a benevolent distraction from work-related stress. Everyone was encouraged to share their challenge achievements in company social media and Instagram stories.
While hard choices have been made during these difficult times, the core of the Smart IT team remains intact, perhaps, a little stronger than before the self-isolation was imposed. The Smart IT leadership team remains committed to providing employees with opportunities to foster a sense of belonging and community.
As a company, Smart IT believes that looking out for employees and giving them the support they need is a top priority. The company’s leadership and empathetic employees continue to provide new ideas to support mental health and well-being initiatives to make the future that much more hopeful and brighter.
25 May 2020
WRITTEN BY
Alex is Founder and CEO of Smart IT and is the co-founder and executive CTO at MEDvidi. Being a serial entrepreneur, he is a keen investor in technology startups and runs several successful side projects besides Smart IT and MEDvidi. [email protected]
