Between overall pandemic-induced stress and professional anxieties over lost revenue and an uncertain business outlook, it’s not surprising that research firm Gartner determined, based on a survey of 5,000 employees, that 29 percent of the workforce described itself as depressed. But, 49 percent of them also revealed that they partook of mental health services provided by their employers over the last year.

Here, Gartner offers a few recommendations to employers who are eager to recruit and retain AV professionals by helping them navigate life’s challenges through mental health programming.

Don’t Stop Developing Services

According to Gartner, during the pandemic 87 percent of businesses provided flexible work hours to employees caring for family members and 26 percent gave employees paid time off for childcare and 21 percent for eldercare. Sixty-four percent of companies implemented new wellbeing programs and 34 percent expanded access to existing ones. This is a positive shift that needs to continue growing.

Make it Personal

Programs shouldn’t be one size fits all, but rather be tailored to the specific demands of employees. Along with this range of offerings, Gartner suggested HR leaders arm employees with the tools and resources they need to tackle personal challenges on their own. For example, encouraging employees to self-assess their well-being so they can benchmark themselves and put together a plan that improves their mental health by making use of their employer’s services.

Be Proactive

As the sudden onset of COVID-19 proved, an employee’s mental health can instantly take a turn for the worse. Businesses should establish more programs so that employees can better deal with unexpected events before they happen. Gartner also suggests empowering employees to discuss difficult subjects and providing easy-to-understand information that defines the level of involvement managers are expected to have when supporting employees who are struggling with mental health issues.

A version of this article was originally published by Commercial Integrator.