Talking about Mental Health has always been a stigma in India. Michelle Riba, a psychiatrist, explains that many adults spend their waking life at work thus it is important for them to know whether they work at a healthy work space. Employers and employees, together need to be able to create a healthy, supportive environment for themselves.
Organizations perform best when their employees are healthier, motivated and focused. If you know someone at your workplace showing few of these signs, it is likely that they may be going through depression. Signs such as:
- Easily fatigued
- Changes in eating patterns
- Anger and irritable mood
- Frequently expressing negative thoughts
- Loss of confidence
At workplaces, if there’s any employee going through a psychological disorder, they may be hesitant to speak about their mental health issues for the fear of being misjudged and unnecessarily labeled.
Below are a few actions that can help employers have difficult conversations about mental health within their organization:
- Maintain An Open-ended Conversation: Encouraging an open-ended conversation allows employees to feel supported and comfortable in freely approaching the subject about mental health. Riba also mentions that offering a book, or sharing a related article may be considered helpful in maintaining a conversation and building trust within employees.
- Smashing The Mental Health Stigma: Phillipa Wilson suggests that catering to each individual’s unique coping mechanism and pointing them in the direction of support that will help their personal circumstances is key.
- If You Can Talk About Performance, You Can Talk About Mental Health: In any successful and evolving business environment, talking about performance and work-related grievances is the key to improvement. Talking about and being able to help a team member in their times of need, not only benefits the employees but also the managers.
- Providing Effective Mental Health Resources At Work: When an employee is going through a tough time, it is best to vouch for the availability of mental health resources at your work station. There should be opportunities present where employees can seek help not just from their supervisors but also check in with the organization’s Employee Assistance Services or get referred to an outbound psychologist/psychiatrist.
- Providing Extra Support: When an employee requires a bit of extra support while experiencing tough emotions, employers or organizations can help them with easing up their working hours and reducing their working deadlines. Employers can also increase supervision or support for their employees, provide more positive and constructive feedback. Employees can also get referral for meditation groups, mental health support groups or disability network groups.
Conclusion
Sometimes, there is one person who can help in shifting an entire culture at workplace in a healthy way. The first step in helping anybody could start by asking, “Are you okay?”
Mental health first aid and training of wellbeing at workplace is one way to ensure that your organization is aware of mental health and the facts around mental health. Thus, implementing better workplace wellbeing and encouraging employees and employers to communicate better is an imperative for a supportive and productive workplace.
