[ad_1]
A young businesswoman is meditating to relieve the stress of her busy corporate life.
Yesterday we celebrated our 30th anniversary World Mental Health Day – An international event recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) under the International Federation of Mental Health.
The workplace is undoubtedly one arena where natural pressures and stressors can both create unique mental health challenges and fuel pre-existing ones.
This may go some way to explaining why mental health-related absence is the most common cause of absenteeism in UK workplaces. 2019 report From the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
The report found that anxiety, depression and stress were responsible for 54% of lost work days in 2018 and 2019.
Given this significant impact, employers and corporate leaders don’t have the luxury of focusing on organizational mental health just one day a year, or even rarely monitoring it.
Instead of Post-pandemic mental health crisis What is currently raging throughout Western society is something that organizations must pay full and sustained attention to.
It is also important to understand the complexities of the interplay between mental health and the workplace, and recognize that there are few simple one-size-fits-all modular solutions, but approaches that require careful craftsmanship and customization. Multiple drivers of mental health problems in working-age adults.
Different pressure points
These drivers can be broadly divided into two categories – those that arise directly from internal pressures associated with specific job roles, and those that are external to the workplace but are often reinforced by the demands.
With the recent global-Covid-19 pandemic disrupting the work/life balance, a dangerous intersection of both internal and external elements was at play.
To be sure, there have been undeniably historic and unprecedented changes in work practices, some of which, such as increased flexibility in working from home, have not been entirely negative.
However, especially in those dark days of spring and winter of 2020, when people are unable to attend the funerals of their loved ones and there is uncertainty about themselves, everything inside and outside of work is shrouded in fear and dread. Health.
Although Covid is a once-in-a-lifetime, if not once-in-a-century, event – there are other life experiences that always exacerbate mental health challenges in the workplace, but are often overlooked.
One example that typically flies under the radar is parenting. This is because something like the arrival of a baby is often seen as just a happy occasion.
However, raising children of all ages can pose a significant mental health burden in the workplace for some workers.
After the epidemic 43% parents They report that they are more concerned about the mental health of their children, which in turn, negatively affects the well-being and productivity of employees.
on average, 70% of calls to the health line BUPA, the leading provider of private healthcare in the UK, has a family-friendly aspect.
At the same time, the postpartum period (the weeks before and after giving birth) is a known risk zone for mental health problems, which can be exacerbated by work pressures.
Issues like perinatal depression or PTSD are mistakenly thought to only apply to women in the workplace, but they can. It also affects menThose who find it difficult to accept what they have experienced for fear of stereotypes and stigmatization.
Speaking about the interplay of parenting and workplace mental health, Gosia Bowling, National Mental Health Lead at Nuffield Health, says, “Like financial stress, worrying about our family’s physical and mental wellbeing can lead to sleeplessness, loss of concentration, stress and depression. Feeling. All of these symptoms can affect health and productivity, both in people’s personal and professional lives.
She continued, “Alert parents and carers with relevant staff support, at key times, should prioritize business. Adopting work practices and benefits that support your employees’ families can help reduce stress, support a better work-life balance, and yield additional benefits for workplace productivity, engagement, and well-being.
Appropriate signage should include access to online mental health forums in standard employee benefits for employees and their families with content based on cognitive behavioral therapy.
according to From LifeWorks ResearchA survey of nearly 500 recruiting professionals, employee support programs, mindset training and safety programs included a lack of awareness of these benefits or a lack of peer support.
Learning on the job
Table issues – such as line manager training on how to discuss mental health issues with staff and how to make the process of disclosing mental health problems as non-invasive as possible – should not be underestimated.
However, certain job roles may not receive enough attention as they have their own unique mental health challenges specific to that position.
During the outbreak, the heroism of key frontline workers, especially in the health sector, was given a lot of coverage and it should not be assumed that the consequences of such tragic experiences are not felt today.
However, some parts of the service sector are not without their significant problems.
Cura, one of the largest outsourcing services providers in the UK, wrote about the mental health challenges of call center work in a recent media release.
In particular, describing roles in which customer service agents receive the most complaints – the company urged managers not to feel undue stress and anxiety by considering tasks that rotate between calls, alternate lines of communication and administrative tasks.
At the beginning of this year LawCare 2021 “Life in Law” report It found that 69 percent of respondents working in the legal profession had experienced a mental health disorder in the previous 12 months.
That same year, the International Bar Association (IBA) “Mental health in the legal profession“ Reporters and legal experts have cited mental health as an ongoing global concern.
While there are various push and pull factors that cause mental health challenges in the workplace – there is a single connecting thread in terms of solutions.
Communication is key.
Whether it’s leadership shouting from the rooftops about employee benefits and other mental health support or line managers showing their openness to lending a friendly ear.
Equally important is that employees feel empowered to speak up without fear of being stigmatized and harming career advancement opportunities.
In this way, mental health issues can emerge from the stigma that, unfortunately, they hold all too often, and begin to find the warm glow of human compassion and improved understanding.
[ad_2]
Source link
