We have all heard the term “balance between professional and private life”. It is a mantra, a slogan, a term which is intended to describe the capacity of an individual to balance balanced the requirements of work with the requirements of life in a tangible and quantifiable way. But work / life balance does not exist.
Work / life balance was a theory that seemed good on paper but which has rarely been reached. This was true long before the Pandemic Covid-19 and the social injustices and the economic problems it exacerbated. In fact, the technology that originally has concluded another phenomenon: the ever -increasing organizational expectation that individuals are available 24 hours a week, seven days a week.
More and more, we see work / life integrationno balance. Employees bring back “work” to the house, while bringing the “home” to work. This can harm the mental health and emotional well-being of employees and their families. Supporting them is more important than ever – and empathetic HR professionals and authorities can make a difference.
Many HR professionals may have the motivation and the desire to help their organizations approach mental health and well-being of their workforce in general and to support individuals in times of crisis. But they may not have the experience or training necessary to do so. This is where a new ShRM program will have a real impact.
Course, tools and resources
The ShRM Mental health and well-being initiative in the workplace and the Certificate of mental health ally in the workplace will provide tools and resources to allow HR professionals to be the link between employees in need and the support they deserve.
The online certificate program consists of a series of multimedia courses covering subjects such as current mental health problems, consumption of substances, suicide and prevention of violence, diversity and prejudices, effective communication skills and safety planning.
After completing the series, HR professionals will be able to support employees and their peers more significantly in the workplace, wherever this workplace is – physical or virtual, local or distant.
In addition, HR professionals certified by SHRM will be eligible to receive professional development credits for the rectification of their diplomas.
Promote a culture of well-being
The certificate has been developed in a partnership between Psychub, a complete multimedia platform for mental health education, the SHRM and the SHRM Foundation. I was honored to be part of this development process, as a mental health advisor to training that has experienced its own journey through mental health challenges.
I am even more honored to see so many people in this HR service profession to take the mantle to support those who need it and to promote a culture of well-being in their organizations.
No matter what or where work is, HR professionals have a vital role to play in promoting the well-being of mental health at organizational and individual levels. The SHRM and the SHRM Foundation can now offer empathetic human resources the resources and tools that will have an immeasurable impact on their organizations and the lives of the individual employees they serve.
Andrew Morton is the Director of Certification and Commercial Development Relations of ShRM.
Finn founded Learnopoly to provide unbiased, in-depth online course reviews, helping learners make informed choices. With a decade in financial services, he developed strategic partnerships and business development expertise. After a frustrating experience with a biased course review, Finn was inspired to create a trusted learning resource.