The Federal Authority for Government Human Resources (FAHR) recently held the Human Resource Club’s fourth virtual session 2021, under the title "Psychological Well-being and Coexistence with COVID-19". The event, which was hosted by Ms. Salma Mahmoud, psychologist at the LifeWorks Holistic Counseling Centre, attracted more than 14,000 Club associates and those interested in the field from inside and outside the country.
Salwa Abdullah, Director of Projects and Programs at the Authority, explained that the Human Resources Club held 4 sessions during 2021, followed by more than 40,000 people from around the world. She noted that the last session focused on familiarizing participants with maintaining mental health in the work environment, how to overcome the psychological risks caused by COVID-19 pandemic.
She revealed that all previous sessions of the HR Club are recorded and available in the visual library, on the Authority's website (www.fahr.gov.ae), for those interested to follow at any time.
Salwa Abdullah said: “The Human Resources Club, which was launched by the Authority in 2010, is an important intellectual and knowledge communication platform that brings thousands of HR professionals and those interested in topics presented and discussed, including human resources, support services or general and emerging issues.
For her part, Salma Mahmoud, shed light on the concept of psychological well-being in the work environment, indicating that it is a state of happiness, satisfaction, setting and achieving goals, and the ability to build healthy relationships with others.
“If we apply this concept to the work environment, this means that the employee enjoys good health, happiness and motivation to complete his work, and has the ability to establish constructive relationships at work which positively reflects on his productivity,” she noted.
Factors that hinder achieving psychological well-being at work
The key-note speaker reviewed the results of a recent study in which more than 7,000 people from around the world participated, to discuss the findings focusing on the most important obstacles facing psychological well-being in workplaces due to the pandemic. The study identified a number of challenges in this respect, most notably, the fear of contagion of COVID-19, economic and social consequences of the pandemic, and symptoms of traumatic stress.
She talked about the PERMA Model represents, which includes five core elements of happiness and well-being. This model consists of a set of elements that contribute to achieving happiness for individuals on both professional and personal levels: Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishments.
Salma Mahmoud, alled on employees to direct their energies towards things that they can change, instead of wasting time on things they cannot. They must maintain a healthy routine, as it contributes to restoring order and balance to employees’ lives and also helps them organize their time and priorities.
How to manage and reduce anxiety and stress
She gave a number of tips that, if followed regularly, could reduce workplace stress. These include following the health and safety guidelines for the prevention of COVID-19, not responding to rumors because they negatively affect one’s psychological health and thus their productivity at work, to obtain information from reliable sources instead.
She concluded: “It is highly important to create effective communication with co-workers, as social isolation and poor communication are among the biggest mental health challenges we face during this pandemic. Employees must take care of their mental health, and increase their energy and positivity.”