Hi, how have you been doing?
Although speeding through the year hasn’t been easy, you should know that you’re entitled to a break. Now that the coronavirus pandemic has entered its second year, more and more people find it difficult to build a safe space where they can express themselves in the age of social distancing. This comes as the pandemic continues to take a toll on people's mental well-being.
This reality that has made it vital for forward-thinking companies to focus more on providing mental health benefits to their employees. This year, PayMongo is providing all-expense-paid mental healthcare to its employees in partnership with Mind You.
"As with all our benefits, we curate them based on what our employees need. The pandemic is a unique experience for everyone and we expect people to deal with its effects on mental health differently. So we tried Mind You to see if it is something beneficial for everyone, and so far, our employees have been using it," Tiffany Ching, head of PayMongo's People Team, said.
The partnership provides PayMongo employees access to Mind You's preventive mental health platform, which offers psychological counselling, webinars, and educational resources on mental wellness. The benefit is an added layer of support for staff to have an avenue to destress and learn more about themselves.
Mind You was founded in 2018, as the Mental Health Act was passed into law instituting a national mental health policy in the country. The budding company resolved to provide mental healthcare from a place of empathy, but with the efficient sleeve of a modern health-tech giant.
Mind You specializes in both preventive therapy and counselling, streamlining them in partnership with companies to provide these services. It also hosts training webinars to company leaders on how to promote mental health awareness and implement practices that would benefit the enterprise as a whole.
Contrary to common misconception, therapy sessions aren't exclusively just for those diagnosed with mental illnesses. With the COVID-19 pandemic upending our lives as we know it, studies also show that pandemic-related burnout and stress are factors that could reduce employees' productivity. Creating a healthier work environment is essential to maximizing the current situation while guaranteeing the welfare of employees in such trying times.
"Based on the feedback we got from Mind You, the sessions helped employees sort their thoughts out and provided them insights on their mental health," Ching said. "It definitely helped with the general positive attitude of the employees," she added.
While it has become more evident how important it is for companies to invest in the mental health and the well-being of employees, another important aspect that affects performance is company culture. PayMongo strives to uphold the culture of optimism as the company continues to grow.
"One of the most important thing that startups need to be intentional about is culture. And of which is that we always encourage teams in the company to be intentionally optimistic. If you’re not intentionally optimistic yourself, you could easily feel that things aren’t working out. It’s important to keep a positive mind," says Francis Plaza, PayMongo Chief Executive Officer.
Building a positive work culture and helping lift the stigma surrounding the topic of mental health are vital ingredients in creating a productive workplace, studies show. In partnering with Mind You, PayMongo hopes to set the standard at which businesses provide mental healthcare to their staff. It is neither an ideal, nor measure of greatness, but a given.