Dr Perry Zeus established BCI (the world's first professional coach training school) in 1994.

Dealing with workplace mental health is one of the most significant issues facing the business sector as the pandemic and following deep recession has accelerated an already growing number of insurance claims related to psychological health.

Burnout, stress, and anxiety were already issues in the workplace prior to the pandemic and recession.

With the pandemic's mental health impact now into the mix work-related stress is reaching staggering high levels. Business leaders are now bracing themselves for continuing aftershocks and looking at ways to meet a dramatically heightened need for behavioral support services.

Long term mental impact of pandemic and recession
“There’s no doubt that the pandemic will be the most psychologically toxic disaster in anyone’s lifetime,” says Dr. Everly, who teaches mental health and resilience at Johns Hopkins. “This pandemic is a disaster of uncertainty, and the greater the uncertainty surrounding a disaster, the greater the psychological casualties.”

During this unprecedented time of uncertainty and fear, mental health issues among people will be exacerbated. Consequently, the pandemic spotlights the critical need to accessing workplace mental health support.

The latest Census Bureau survey showed that more than one-third of Americans have displayed clinical signs of anxiety, depression, or both since the coronavirus pandemic began. A key point is that only 50% of employees are comfortable discussing mental health issues.

A recent poll, conducted by the American Psychiatric Association, found that a third of employees worry about retaliation or firing if they seek mental health care. Psychological safety, the freedom to authentically be yourself at work, is increasingly recognized as a key driver of engagement and innovation. In the months and years ahead, that safety must include feeling comfortable discussing mental health issues.

Numerous studies show that the economic crisis is an important stressor that has a negative impact on workers’ mental health. Most of the studies document an increased rate of mood disorders, anxiety, depression, anxiety, distress, and low self-esteem all negatively affecting bottom-line performance. Fear of illness and financial security for self, loved ones and friends are key negative emotional drivers of behavior. Some relevant studies show that the long-term psychological consequences of collective traumas can last a decade or more.

These are sobering facts, indeed. The need for psychological support and solidarity will be high for years to come. A growing number of business leaders are now ensuring a full range of mental health needs are adequately provided to all their personnel. Any company that does not have a holistic (brain-mind-body) employee behavioral wellness program—one that includes workshops, 1to1 and group performance behavioral coaching -needs to immediately take this opportune time to implement one.

The role for leaders is clear.
As forward-thinking leaders take inventory of key assets, they are finding a better path that emerges from uncertainty to security. Rather than tweak the old rules to help business more productive to stem losses, smart business leaders are using this opportunity to develop new growth development models for their people —to enable a more resilient, caring and generative relationship between business and workers.

The need to rebalance priorities.
Business resilience and productivity, over time, is a function of caring for the major input to the business—its people.

Productivity boosting behaviors is not about using outdated training, executive and team coaching models of change. To perform at a consistent, high level requires the use of today’s, evidence/science-based, brain-mind-body approach using neuro-behavioral growth models and techniques.

Leaders who step up and embrace the challenge of creating work environments that meet these fundamental needs will set their organizations up for success and have the chance to make a substantial contribution not just towards their people’s long-term well-being but also to bottom-line performance, productivity and the organization’s future.
 

	Safe Haven Sign at Entrance Door

What is High Performance Behavioral Coaching?

• High Performance Behavioral Coaching falls under the umbrellas of behavioral health and performance enhancement. It provides unique insights into the brain-mind-body connection, brain plasticity, emotion, attention, peak performance and physical health.
   
• High Performance Behavioral Coaching provides a positive alignment to an organization that delivers a sense of security and allows organizations to be more capable of dealing with change via growth and/or disruption.

The Safe Haven Behavioral Model
The Safe Haven Behavioral Coaching Model is about:

• helping all individuals find their way along the right path of guidance and support they require.
   
• is a place where people feel secure and protected from outside dangers.
   
• is a space where people feel 100% safe and free to be themselves.

One or more qualified, performance behavioral coaches oversee the Safe Haven space and freely provide guidance and counsel on a private, one-to-one and group basis.  Workers report that it for helps restore hope, direction and confidence in both their working and home life.

In large organizations a team of performance behavioral coaches (full or part-time) provide encouragement, positive advice and importantly make no judgment on their client’s behavior.

The responsibility for overseeing behavioral health and performance for most smaller businesses is typically outsourced to a certified behavioral practitioner (external accredited performance behavioral coach) rather than an extra member of staff.

The performance behavioral coach provides performance and behavioral health resources and uses neuro-behavioral tools that increase everyone’s emotional, physical and mental well-being.

All personnel (leaders and workers alike) are encouraged by their performance behavioral coach towards what they can be with no limits or boundaries to what they can achieve. The performance behavioral coach is by their side in both the good times and tough times -empowering them to perform at the highest level, fulfil their potential and enhance their overall wellbeing and happiness.

High Performance Behavioral Coaching = Next Generation Coaching
High Performance behavioral coaching not only encompasses mental (mind) health but it takes a holistic, three tier, brain-mind-body approach. Yesterday’s missing corporate key for success was ensuring people were provided the brain-mind-body care and support they required to be their healthy (mentally and physically) best.

High Performance Behavioral Coaching:

•  - ignites people’s well-being levels, creativity, intuition, IQ, EQ, smart decision making and output levels that transforms management and the workforce to drive consistent, high productive results and a happier, healthier environment.
   
• - is a developmental program for all persons and not remedial focused. For example; it is used to ‘tune’ well-functioning brains to enhance a person’s mental abilities and allow them to perform at their peak.

Today, the exciting fields of neuroscience and the behavioral sciences provides us powerful, safe and easy-to-learn tools to generate changes in the brain-mind-body continuum that produces real, sustainable, measurable, positive physiological and mental changes. This “new alliance” between neuro-behavioral sciences and coaching places the Behavioral Coaching Institute’s students at the forefront in the world people development field by providing them with cutting-edge, proven, neuro-behavioral performance interventions, tools and accredited, internationally recognized credentials.

For over 25 years the Behavioral Coaching Institute has been the world leader in the development and delivery of workplace, behavioral coach training courses. The Institute's unique, online, High Performance Behavioral Coach training Course teaches students to understand the connection of the brain mind and body and how to best help all people develop to their next level and be more capable of dealing with change via growth and/or disruption.