OPM Releases Tip Sheet Focusing on Employee Mental Health
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) released a tip sheet for human resources (HR) staff at federal agencies as employees prepare to return to the office following the pandemic. The release of the tip sheet coincides with May being Mental Health Awareness Month.
Robert Shriver, associate director for employee services at OPM, explained, “The U.S. Office of Personnel Management is dedicated to increasing the understanding of mental health to foster a healthy and supportive work environment. Awareness of mental health supports for federal employees is an important element of protecting employee well-being and sustaining a high performing federal workforce.”
The tip sheet released by OPM tells work-life coordinators to convey existing resources for mental health that are available to employees, such as utilizing the Employee Assistance Program (EAP). The tip sheet also focuses on helping employees phase back to a regular work situation.
The tip sheet explains that employees may be apprehensive about returning to the office and agencies should ease their concerns in a number of reassuring ways. The tip sheet states, “Put a plan in place to communicate and discuss agency defined procedures and processes regarding return to work protocols. Help empower employees and help alleviate potential anxiety by keeping employees informed on agency procedures.”
Furthermore, the tip sheet encourages HR staff and supervisors to be patient with federal employees as they navigate office procedures and try to create a work-life balance post-pandemic. HR offices are encouraged to ask for employee input with the understanding that everyone grieves differently with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The tip sheet continues, “While everyone grieves in their own way, it is common to experience difficulty concentrating, physical reactions such as headaches or lethargy and other side effects that may impact an employee’s performance in the workplace.”
For further questions or concerns, OPM’s Work-Life staff can be reached at worklife@opm.gov.
