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Human Resources
Division of Administration

Mental Health

Tips for managers to support new hires and staff

Understand that employees may be feeling anxious and isolated about working remotely. Make yourself available to your staff to talk answer their questions and to reassure them about work and other issues that might come up.

Your team looks at the behaviors you model. During the pandemic, many of us canceled vacation plans, but PTO can and should be used to help you mentally reset and balance. Consider if and how you are taking PTO – even taking a day off for a staycation, home projects, or visiting a nearby outdoor space, can be beneficial for your mental health and wellbeing. Make sure your team knows that time off is a benefit, and they (and you) should not feel guilty for using it appropriately.

  • Stay connected with communication and meeting tools: Use virtual meeting options with video, like Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Skype, for regular check-ins and to allow teams to connect with one another "face-to-face."
  • Set expectations around which communication tools should be the default for specific purposes. For example, is email the default communication method on your team, or a tool such as Microsoft Teams?
  • Set expectations around availability. If some team members are working remotely, discuss the regular meetings and times they should expect to be online and available, and what work is expected to be synchronous versus asynchronous.
    • Working remotely can sometimes result in more meetings and longer work hours, as the division between home and work lives tends to get blurred.  Sometimes, longer days are needed and you might need to respond to an email or send information after 5 p.m. or on a weekend. Take the time to set expectations for your team – note when they might be expected to respond outside of normal working hours, and also pay attention to if and when it becomes a pattern. Help them to set boundaries between work and home life.

Working remotely can cause people to feel isolated, making it more important to routinely check in with your team, not only about their work product, but also to see how they are doing. Loneliness can lead to depression and other mental health issues. Be aware of significant changes you may see in your team member's personality or work product, because it may be a sign that a person is struggling.

  • When delivering feedback to a team member virtually, they can’t read your body language or tone as easily as in person.
  • Tips:
    • Set frequent, routine, casual check-ins with your team and individual team members. Doing so helps to build the relationship and to build trust. 
    • Take time to understand how each of your team member prefers to receive feedback – the communication medium, timing, etc. Set the feedback rhythm and aim for providing feedback as real-time as possible.
    • Pause before delivering constructive or tough feedback. Ask your team member how they are doing, what they’re working on, etc., to get a better sense of their current context. Consider asking: “Are you in a good place where I can give you some critical/positive feedback?” Asking for their consent before giving feedback can reemphasize the psychological safety you’ve created within your team. Feedback will be more meaningful and impactful if your team member is ready to receive it – and if you can time the feedback around that readiness, it will strengthen your relationship too.
      • Are they running from meeting to meeting that day? If so, they may not have time to process the feedback or resolve any stress response. When possible, schedule a time for feedback rather than trying to catch a team member between other calls.
    • Avoid surprises. Share your desired outcome early in the conversation.
    • Consider using the Situation-Behavior-Impact model: share details of the situation, the observable behavior, and what the behavior resulted in. Ask open-ended questions to understand, and show empathy.
    • End feedback conversations by asking “How did that feedback land for you” or “How did that feedback make you feel?” Asking these questions will help you to better gauge if your feedback was received, and if the feedback resonates with your team ember.
    • If possible, have feedback conversations via video calls rather than only via text or email. Text-based conversations are more subjective, and may feel less important.
    • Meaningful feedback can be positive too. While you may have heard about the feedback sandwich (placing negative feedback between two pieces of positive feedback), it can diminish the constructive feedback and intended outcome. You can also ask for a quick video call to share positive feedback – your team will appreciate it.
    • Hold open office hours that anyone on the team can attend.
  • Additional resources:
  • Working remotely can mean less facetime or visibility. Studies show the many positive impacts of gratitude, including in the workplace. Weave gratitude into your workdays with the following tips:
    • Be specific – Share your appreciation in a personalized way via a phone call, email, or handwritten note. Rather than saying “Great work on this project,” go more in depth for something like “I appreciated how thorough your data analysis was on Project X, especially given the quick turnaround our director requested.”
    • Share how the team member impacted the larger organization.
    • Integrate recognition into your regular one-on-one meetings.
    • Every month, quarter, or semester, ask your team members to share the accomplishment that they’re most proud of. Recognize these accomplishments within a larger team meeting.
    • Encourage peer-to-peer gratitude.
    • Work towards building a culture of appreciation.
    • Celebrate accomplishments outside of the workplace. Did a team member complete a graduate degree recently? Celebrate it. Did a team member win a 5K? Celebrate it. Big and small wins create connection experiences.
  • Additional resources:
  • For a new employee starting in a remote or hybrid environment, it can take more time and intention to build connections with you and your team, and the larger Vanderbilt community. Here are a few tips to help get to know your new employee, and help them get to know you and their colleagues:
    • During their first week or two, schedule one-on-one or small group meetings with their new team embers.
    • Schedule a regular one-on-one meeting with your new employee – not only to discuss the work, but to get to know them. Ask them about their remote routine and lifestyle.
    • Ask your new employee if they feel included and supported, and how you can best include and support them. 
    • Ask them what makes them feel connected or disconnected, and how you can help them to feel more connected.
    • Regularly pair up team members for projects or set up peer one-on-one meetings to help build relationships.
  • This is a great time to encourage employees to sharpen their skills with online training, to build new skills, and to support their professional growth and development. 
  • Spend time getting to know the various resources available to employees – those discussed in this toolkit and beyond. Regularly read myVU to learn about featured resources and new opportunities.
  • Check in with your EAP and health provider.
  • Awareness of current challenges

Zoom fatigue

Zoom fatigue is the exhaustion you feel after any kind of video meeting or conference.

  • If you’d like to dive into the research:
  • Curious about whether or not you might experience Zoom fatigue? Take the Stanford Zoom Exhaustion & Fatigue (ZEF) Scale.
  • Combating Zoom fatigue
    • Take breaks: . Trying to focus while in video meetings and then immediately switch back to your other work tasks can lead to burnout., To combat zoom fatigue schedule  regular breaks so you can disengage and clear your mind.
    • Minimize distractions: C Working remote can have additional distractions.  To help you focus during a Zoom meeting, pick a quiet location.    Movement:  Sitting at a computer all day  is not good for your health.  It is okay to step away from your workstation to stretch and move around.  
    • Consider the camera: Video conferences demand a lot of focus. It’s not as easy to read facial or body cues through a screen, and there is often a continuous rotation of faces on display. Employees don’t always know whom to look at or how to present themselves, worrying that they seem disinterested when in fact they’re overwhelmed. Understandably, you want to see employees’ faces during a meeting—but try to take a step back sometimes. Give your employees guidelines on when they can turn off the camera. Large group meetings may not always require all those faces in the Zoom Gallery view, giving everyone the chance to listen without feeling anxious.
    • Resist back-to-back meetings: Be considerate of your team’s time when scheduling meetings. You may prefer to finish all your meetings in the morning without a break, but that may not be the best approach for your team.  Back to back meetings can lead to staff exhaustion, which decreases their overall productivity.  Instead, space them out. This allows  employees the opportunity to work on projects so they don’t fall behind. In addition,  give more than 10 minutes between meetings. . Next, consider which employees need to be in the meeting.  Perhaps their time could be better utilized by completing other task.  You can  provide a summary those employees later.
    • Create “No-Call” Times/Day: Think about creating “no-call” time slots or “no-call” day. By declaring “no-call” times/day, this allows employees to better organize their schedules/calendars.

Self Care and Burnout 

  • Keep a regular schedule and set boundaries: Create and maintain a routine and work schedule. Set up a designated space for you to work, and if possible change your location from time to time as it helps with your mental health. Set up resonsable working hours to keep work life harmony.Stay connected: Stay connected with the Vanderbilt Community and co-workers using technology like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Skype and other communication options to avoid burnout.  Be open to sharing your feelings and concerns with members or your team.  More than likely they are feeling or have experienced some form of burnout.   T
  • Physical Activity:  This is good for your mental health and physical health.  Throughout the day, try some of these activities:  walking, stretching, yoga, and/or mindfulness.
  • It’s critical that managers/leaders identify the signs of burnout. Below are a few signs of burnout:
    • Physical
      • Loss of productivity
      • Headaches
      • Fatigue
      • Shortness of breath
      • Lack of sleep
    • Mental
      • Constant worry and anxiety
      • Inability to focus
      • Increased mental distance or apathy
    • Emotional
      • Feelings of negativity or cynicism
      • Irritability
      • Emotional fragility or heightened sensitivity
      • An increased tendency to start arguments or make harsh comments
  • Show empathy and be available: Understand that employees may be feeling anxious and isolated about working remotely. Make yourself available to your staff to  answer their questions and to reassure them about work and other issues that might come up.
  • Stay connected with communication and meeting tools: Use virtual meeting options with video, like Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Skype, for regular check-ins and to allow teams to connect with one another "face-to-face."
  • Encourage staff to utilize their PTO. Likewise, be the example for your team and take advantage of your PTO. Be transparent with your staff. There’s frequently an expectation that leaders must be ‘perfect’ and not show their struggles – but that’s unrealistic. 
  • Respect boundaries. When you send an email after working hours., you’re setting a precedent for what acceptable work hours are. Your team could feel pressured to respond – even if you don’t expect them to. That’s why you need to take a step back and observe your own behaviors to make sure they’re respectful of the boundaries you set for your team. So, the next time you’re tempted to hit ‘send’ on that quick note at midnight, pause. It can wait until tomorrow, or you can use Outlook to schedule “delay delivery” (under the Options tab).

Working remotely can cause people to feel isolated.  Make an effort  routinely check in with your team, not only about  work topics, but  to see how they are doing on a personal level. Loneliness can lead to depression and other mental health issues. Be aware of  changes you may see in your team member's personality or work productivity, as they could  be a sign that they are  struggling.

  • Self-care is finding the right match for you and doing it regularly. 
    • Keep a regular schedule and set boundaries: Create and maintain a routine and work schedule. Set up a designated space for you to work, and if possible change your location from time to time as it helps with your mental health. Set up reasonable working hours, to keep work life harmony Stay connected: Stay connected with the Vanderbilt Community and co-workers using technology like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Skype and other communication options to avoid isolation. Be open to sharing your feelings and concerns with members of your team. More than likely, they are feeling or have experienced some form of burnout.
    • Physical Activity:  This is good for your mental and physical health.   Throughout the day, try some of these activities:  walking, stretching, yoga and/or mindfulness.    
  • Mindfulness
    • Mindfulness allows an individual to bring awareness to their work, become more productive, make better decisions, and pay more attention to the important things.  Mindfulness can be practiced by spending quality time with yourself, focusing on your purpose, and bringing your awareness to work every day.  Vanderbilt’s Osher Center for Integrative Medicine offers a range of classes and trainings focused on your total health, mind, body, and spirit.   
  • Utilizing your PTO
  • Spending time outdoors
  • As a leader, creating self-care and employee wellbeing starts with you. 
    • Take breaks: It is easy to be caught up in all the task that must be completed, that we forget to take breaks.  Encourage your staff to take breaks to recharge throughout the day.Remind and Encourage employees to utilize their PTO benefit along with their other benefits as needed for self-care.
    • Celebrate victories: Take time to reflect on what your team hasachieved,  and celebrate the victories no matter how small it is.  This will build team morale.

Mental Health Resources

  • The Employee Assistance Program is available to all staff. Personal and family problems can impact the workplace by affecting the employee's focus, health, and other productivity concerns.
  • The Work/Life Connections-Employee Assistance Program (WLC-EAP) is like a travel agent for psychological support services. With experienced, trained EAP counselors, staff at Vanderbilt report that WLC-EAP is a great place to start to resolve personal or workplace concerns. Employees seek services from WLC-EAP to deal with a variety of issues (stress, emotional health, relationships, family, financial, alcohol, drug, and other personal concerns). WLC-EAP can also help an employee formulate a plan for expanding communication and personal interaction skills which may impact other workplace issues.
  • Talk about mental health issues
  • Mental health awareness guidebook
  • Guide for understanding and preventing suicide
  • Easy does it – Autism spectrum disorder
  • Behavioral health televideo services
  • Behavioral Health AbleTo

Boundaries and Expectations

Being clear with your team will keep everyone focused and working towards the same goals. Set clear expectations for:

  • work hours
  • availability
  • communication system
  • timely meetings
  • key projects and deadlines
  • scheduled meetings
  • responding to email
  • boundaries

What concrete directions do you need to move forward on your current projects?

How do you feel about your capacity and workload?
 
What clarity do you need on your priorities for this week?

For many employees, this will be their first time working in a hybrid fashion when campus is in normal operations. Their current home environments might not be conducive for remote work. As a result, during team meetings and one-on-ones there may be children playing or crying, and/or noises, dogs barking in the background, etc. Please encourage them that that this is part of the remote work environment and it is okay. (However, a remote or hybrid work arrangement should not be used as a regular substitute for dependent care.)

When scheduling team meetings and individual check-ins, be sure to put together an agenda or context verbiage and add it to the meeting invite in the notes section. This helps to ensure preparation and clarity for everyone. At the beginning of the meeting, quickly review the agenda and check to see if any pressing matters have come up that need to be addressed; adjust accordingly.

Set work schedules and boundaries together to support work-life balance and avoid burnout. Show your team that you care, trust their work ethic, and remind them on a regular basis that remote doesn't mean that they need to be online or available 24/7. Encourage your direct reports to take breaks. When working from home, it can be difficult to create space to stop working. Model this behavior by taking breaks yourself