The new year is a great time to re-set. In the agency world, it’s also a time when clients have new goals and a fresh head of steam, which can be great motivation – and potential sources of stress for our employees.
In other words, January is as good a time as any to make sure we’re keeping up to speed with our employees’ mental health. This is, of course, an evergreen initiative at JDM, but with mental health in focus, I’ll spell out some of the ways we look to keep a pulse on our employees.
Encourage Work/Life Balance
Work/life balance is a common concern, and at JDM, we’re committed to supporting our team in maintaining it. We utilize and encourage flexible schedules – if an employee needs to pop out quickly to go to an appointment, run an errand, etc., we just ask that they mark on their calendar that they are unavailable.
We also review metrics weekly. If we notice that an employee has started working a significant number of hours, we’ll contact the manager to see if it’s a short-term situation or a sign of a heavier workload. From there, we make adjustments as needed to help balance their workload.
Provide an Employee Wellness Bonus
Employees are encouraged to utilize the monthly employee wellness bonus. It’s given with no strings attached, and employees can use it for whatever they need to be well! We’ve had employees use it for gym memberships, massages, coaching, therapy, and (my personal favorite) retail therapy.
Conduct Weekly 1:1s
At JDM, all employees have weekly 1:1 meetings with their manager. These meetings are an opportunity to discuss workload, address questions, plan for upcoming projects, and set goals. We value 1:1s because they strengthen the employee-manager relationship, fostering trust and open communication.
If a manager notices an employee acting differently, they may initiate a conversation during their 1:1: "I’ve noticed some changes in your behavior/work output/engagement. Is there anything you’d like to talk about?"
If the employee says no, we ask managers to respect their boundaries and let their team members know they’re available if they want to discuss anything later. If and when team members are ready to talk, we coach our managers to listen actively, offer support, and, if necessary, involve People Ops to provide additional resources.
Promote Usage of People Ops Resources
When employees come to People Ops with questions or concerns, we listen, guide, and provide resources as needed. We can assist with something small, like deciding if a mental health day should be logged as vacation or sick time, or a more significant issue, like planning and coordinating parental leave.
As an HRCI-certified Professional in Human Resources, I stay current by attending courses on employee burnout, upcoming law changes, and DEI. Don’t be shy when reaching out—training helps prepare People Ops to handle a variety of situations, and we have plenty of resources available for employees to use.
If you’re working for a company that doesn’t actively promote these initiatives, consider bringing them as suggestions to your People team. And keep an eye out for JDM job openings if you’d like to join a remote-first company that puts a premium on employee well-being.
