Relocation and the Work Environment: Why Mental Health Matters

This year’s World Mental Health Day is focused on ‘mental health at work’. It is a major issue that more and more companies are realising can affect how the business performs on a day-to-day basis. At EER Middle East, the work-focused theme has dual significance as it not only speaks to how our own team is coping and what we can do, but also to our assignees and the role relocation and global mobility can have on mental health. It was even a topic covered at this year’s NEI Conference attended by our co-owner Marie O’Neill. So in honour of World Mental Health Day on 10^th October, we wanted to take a look at our experience with employee mental health, the benefits of taking action and what you can do to improve the experience of those relocating across the Middle East.

The Benefits of Good Mental Health at Work

Other than the altruistic desire to improve your employees’ mental health, there are substantial benefits for your overall organisation. Team members who struggle with mental health issues are far more likely to be absent and less productive, not to mention the impact it can have on staff turnover. According to the World Health Organization, “depression and anxiety alone results in the loss of approximately 12 billion workdays each year”. When your team can function at their best, they are more likely to perform at a higher level, come up with more innovative ideas and offer your clients and customers better service. The same principles also apply for employees who have recently relocated. Obviously assignees who aren’t struggling with their own mental health issues will feel more settled in their new environment, which will increase their productivity and creativity at work.

Our Experience

We know how important our team is at EER Middle East and so we consistently strive to prioritise employee engagement and to maintain channels through which those in need can reach out and office staples that encourage better mental health management throughout the day. Features like regular informal check ins and celebrating the important calendar dates of each culture represented in the office help us to feel more connected as a team. Promoting physical activities and providing nutritious snacks and meals in the office can also be very beneficial. With 14 nationalities working at EER Middle East, diversity has a huge impact on what we do. But it also underscores that we are a company of expats ourselves, giving most of us direct experience of the relocation process and which elements can be risk factors for mental health. We know how stressful it can be to move to a new location, especially one that might be very far away from friends and family. That is why we work so diligently to provide seamless support and immersive lifestyle guidance so assignees can feel settled and ‘at home’ as quickly as possible. We also want to stay ahead of any potential symptoms we might spot of relocation stress or transfer trauma, so we can assist where possible or liaise with the client in order to help the individual with their transition.

What Can You Do

If you would like to improve the way your company approaches mental health for existing employees and relocating ones, there are many ways in which you can adapt your environment in a positive way. Here are some key ones to consider:

• Remove the stigma associated with discussing mental health. Encourage your team to talk about their ups and downs and to feel comfortable sharing their struggles with colleagues or managers that will listen and take action to help.
• Watch out for the symptoms that could signal mental health issues. If you see someone becoming withdrawn, having difficulty focusing, showing anxiety cues or with a consistent short temper you might need to check in with them or highlight your concerns to a trained manager.
• Train your staff and leaders to be better prepared. Make sure they have all the resources and tools they need to understand what individuals might be going through and how best to help them.
• Encourage self-care. This can take many forms, whether it is suggesting restorative lunch break ideas to the awarding of ‘mental health’ days, stress reliving activities to inclusive team building days that bolster moral.
• Make them feel at home. For employees and assignees who might have recently relocated and could be missing home or be struggling with their mental health, take the time to connect with them and find out more about them – perhaps they have a favourite activity or food or hobby that they didn’t know they could still do in their new home that would cheer them up?

If you have any questions about the stress of relocation or how to improve your mental health provisions for assignees when relocating, please get in touch with our team today on +971 (0)4 421 1819 or info@eerme.com.