Zephyrnet Logo

How to tackle mental health stigma in the workplace

Date:

It seems some people always drown in work, whilst others surf on the wave. And we all know that one colleague who adds yet another project onto her/his plate, seemingly capable of succeeding a million things – whilst being that active friend and caring family member simultaneously.  Is she or he a superhuman, a robot – or just a fool?

Others’ (apparent) performances might leave us with an impression that has little to do with reality, and usually has no added value: that everyone beside ourselves is able to juggle competing demands of professional and private life.

The problem

That image of the “ideal worker” plays a huge role – it is the unhealthy expectation to prioritise our job over other parts of life. Others’ workload, activities or success intimidates, astonishes or pushes us to ‘do the impossible’, and makes us feel jealous, incompetent or failing at times. It is hard to accept we all have different needs, skills and desires, and therefore we might end up throwing ourselves heedlessly into work.

This might go all well for quite a while, but not forever: “Burnout is what happens when you try to avoid being human for too long. From juggling competing professional and private demands, our mental health suffers, and all our energy (physical and emotional!) literally burns out.

Shift of conception needed

The key to mental well-being and to addressing that burnout stigma at work is to shift the conception of juggling competing demands to juggling mutually reinforcing demands. But how?

Firstly, motivation matters. Whereas extrinsic aspirations (e.g. money, fame, image) remain unsatisfactory even after their attainment, people with ‘bigger-than-self goals’ (meaning, intrinsic aspirations e.g. personal growth, close relationships, community involvement, health) show greater well-being and satisfaction.

Secondly, it is not merely about finding ‘physical time’, but importantly about having (and making!) the cognitive space”. Why is that? Because it is the intrusion of work, i.e. the interference of work-related thoughts and worries during non-work settings, that leads to lower job satisfaction, less happiness, conflicts and frequent burnout.

The solutions

The possibility for employees to encourage healthy motivations and to make that cognitive space is rooted in the design of the job and the organisational culture at work. It is there where the power of the workplace lies; from managers and colleagues over process management to (remote) work infrastructure, everything weighs in to tackle mental health stigma at work.

Find below six ingredients to maintain a good work climate and make burnout everyone’s problem at the workplace – before it even materialises:

  1. Time management and physiological recovery

Just like our psyche needs to recover, we need to know how to manage our workload to find time for physiological recovery. One of the first things any psychologist will tell you is to sleep and get some rest. This can only be achieved by effective time management.

2. Psychological detachment and self-awareness

Create a culture with room for psychological detachment from work and self-awareness (remember that cognitive space!), and embed possibilities into the organisational structure and processes to sound another out. It is crucial to recognize and thematise early on when the workload is overwhelming – and to talk about alternatives of reallocating work without blaming or shaming.

3. Transparency

Be clear about everyone’s roles in the team, and set goals and boundaries. Transparent and concrete rules make projects and agendas predictable and organisable, which decreases everyone’s workload and ensures time for the recovery mentioned in point 1.

4. Be empathic

Remember to treat people as a human. Put yourself into the other’s shoes, and aim to be empathic in all situations. Recognising and appropriately responding to emotions is key to avoid conflicts and stress. If you or someone else struggles, don’t worry – emotional intelligence can (and should!) be trained and continuously enhanced.

5. Motivation and engagement

Dig for those intrinsic motivations.. Which aspects of work fascinate and satisfy for real? Additionally take and give yourself and others time off to ponder and reflect; sometimes, one needs to take distance to see light at the end of the tunnel, or to understand what truly (de)motivates. This ensures that motivation, inspiration and creativity are not lost over time.

6. Community

Never underestimate the importance of an encouraging community. The sense of belonging, of sharing a common goal and of being more to another than ‘just’ colleagues is crucial. A supporting and collaborative team spirit ensures everyone stays involved and respected.

The change starts with ourselves

Many of these things may seem obvious and ‘soft’, and are common sense. Most of those ingredients are encouraged by managers or the organisational culture in theory, yet superiors or colleagues may act and behave differently in practice. 

This is why all aspects of work have to be continually assessed as to whether structures and processes encourage competing or mutually reinforcing demands between professional performance and private mental well-being. Leaders should behave accordingly to set the right tone – not the least to build a well-functioning, harmonious, and sustainable team.

In order to do so, a responsible smart leader as much as any good work colleagues should not carry the burden on her/his shoulders alone but take care of him/herself first, find their own balance. And sometimes dare to ask for help before helping others.

PlatoAi. Web3 Reimagined. Data Intelligence Amplified.
Click here to access.

Source: https://www.eu-startups.com/2021/07/how-to-tackle-mental-health-stigma-in-the-workplace/

spot_img

Latest Intelligence

spot_img