L&D’s Role as Chief Mental Health Officer Is Needed Now More Than Ever as Employee Happiness Dips

Glint, the people success platform that’s now part of the LinkedIn Learning family, recently released their latest data insights report, which found that more than half of employees reported feeling less happy at work after seeing co-workers furloughed or laid off. Roughly half also reported that their organization’s layoffs or furloughs had a negative impact on both their workload and sense of belonging. 

Under these circumstances, it’s understandable that employee morale and engagement is taking a dip. Clearly, it’s tough if you’re laid off, but it’s also challenging if you stay—riddled with survivor’s guilt and trying to juggle the responsibility of multiple jobs. 

In this environment, we believe L&D is in the pole position to help employees stay productive, focused, and prepared for whatever comes next. 

L&D has a proven track record of cultivating resilience

In March 2020, when the pandemic hit, L&D met the moment by supporting employees through a difficult transition. 69% of L&D pros found themselves playing a new role—Chief Mental Health Officer. Organizations around the world met employees' urgent needs by delivering learning content on adapting to change, working from home, and building resilience. And it paid off.

Learning spiked. We saw a 130% increase in the amount of time enterprise employees globally spent learning on the LinkedIn Learning platform from January/February to March/April 2020. Employee happiness also increased. 

As Glint reported during that period, “Overall happiness at work rose at the beginning of the pandemic, when organizations responded quickly to employees' new needs.” But now, as the pandemic persists, Glint data reveals a plateau or drop in employees' happiness in the workplace, particularly when it comes to their connections with their leaders and teammates.

We’re not out of the woods yet, and L&D’s role is just as important now as it was at the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis.

Chief Mental Health Officer is now part of the L&D job description

In May, 69% L&D pros said that supporting the mental health and wellbeing of employees is a new part of their role. If you thought as a learning leader that your responsibility to look after employee wellness was a passing moment, then the increasing pace of monumental change (and stress) indicates otherwise. The pandemic is aptly described as a marathon, not a sprint, and our endurance is continually being tested with issues that need our attention—#BlackLivesMatter, natural disasters, economic hardship.

Employee wellness is—and will remain—an ongoing priority. And L&D must continue to deliver the support employees need to feel secure and engaged today and prepare for the shock waves we can’t yet anticipate.

For instance, how can you help employees build their resilience muscle to manage through change? LinkedIn Learning Instructor Gemma Leigh Roberts says it’s all about ‘bouncing forward.’

“The current situation is inviting different thinking,” Gemma said in a recent LinkedIn Learning webcast. “It’s really important to bounce forward, which means taking that challenge, adversity, and obstacle, and using that information and understanding to get better in the future. Resilience is about taking things from the situation we’re now in to be happier, healthier, more productive, and more high-performance.”

Serving as the Chief Mental Health Officer for your organization isn’t a passing role. It's now part of the job description. 

Here’s an open learning path to support employee wellbeing

Looking for resources to help your employees or yourself?

We’ve opened up the course Building Resilience (through 3/31/21) and  encourage you to share with your employees and take some time for yourself as an L&D leader—because we’re here to support your wellness too.

What do you think? 

Let’s continue the conversation in the L&D Connect group on LinkedIn where over 3,500 of your peers are exchanging ideas, advice, and insights.