Create a caring, nurturing culture at work
- Wits University
Today is World Mental Health Day with an urgent call to action for employers: 'It is time to prioritise Mental Health in the workplace'.
"Employed adults spend more time working than any other activity during their waking hours ... For too many people, work fails to enhance our lives and detract from our mental health and well-being in ways that result in excessive distress and mental ill health ... The data consistently demonstrate: Prioritising workplace mental health is good for people, companies, and communities" - World Federation for Mental Health/World Mental Health Day 2024 - Theme: "It is time to prioritise Mental Health in the workplace"
The?World Health Organization (WHO) predicts?that mental health will be the?single largest global?crisis we will face by 2030. Exacerbated by the 雷速体育_雷速体育直播 pandemic, the world of work continues to change and mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety, are pervasive in workplaces globally.
Professor Karen Milner, from the Wits School of Human and Community Development, whose research looks at how organisations can help and hinder people’s mental health, says most of the fundamental principles established over decades of research on worker well-being, remain pertinent.
(Research: Milner and co-author Judith Ancer published their book Beyond Tea and Tissues: Managing Mental Health in the South African Workplace: How to optimise employee wellness and manage distress, trauma and mental illness in the workplace in 2021.)
Don’t band-aid toxic culture
‘The nature of your?organisation?definitely?does?affect both?physical and mental health and wellness in the workplace,” she says, adding that "some mental health issues are formed at the workplace."
While, to some extent, green spaces,?quiet areas, mindfulness pods and the like are important, it also means addressing toxic structures and?behaviours?in the workplace.
Her key message is "to not place band-aids?on?toxic culture”.
“It is?always?easier to introduce an external programme?to foster wellbeing, than to tackle what harm the?organisation?itself is causing.?The?organisation?must?take responsibility and see where the practices and policies?it has in place are causing problems and how they?can be fixed, before looking at wellbeing at an individual?level,” she says.
“Where the work itself is inherently stressful, more individualised interventions are necessary,” says Milner. “For example, providing employees with psycho-social support, opportunity for debriefing and if necessary, referring [them] to an employee assistance programme.”
The most typical way poor mental health manifests in the workplace is through depression, anxiety and burnout, says Milner.
Depression can manifest in different ways in the workplace. “Some signs for colleagues, managers and even the affected employees themselves to look out for include a person’s lack of interest in work and life, exhaustion and unexplained tiredness and high levels of?irritability without a real reason,” she says.
For some, it shows up as a headache and backache. People become withdrawn, and there are higher levels of mistakes and accidents.
Pause for support
And just how helpful are those coffee stations and pause areas really?
“Many organisations have wellness programmes in place which encourage employees to lead healthy lifestyles, and provide opportunities for relaxation through mindfulness, meditation, yoga and so on,” says Milner.
“There is certainly some research evidence that such practices can assist in reducing employee stress and improving their wellbeing, but again it is critical to emphasise that the responsibility for employee wellbeing should not rest on the individual employee alone – organisational leaders need to create an environment where employees feel that they matter, that they are cared for, that their work is important and valued and that their skills and abilities are being used effectively,” she says.
Coffee stations and pause areas can then help to reinforce the message that the organisation cares about their staff’s wellbeing. Allowing flexibility for healthy practices in the workplace is also key.
Presenteeism and unworkable woes
There are two aspects to mental wellbeing, explains Milner. One is general?mental wellbeing?of the healthy population, and the other is mental illness, which is a different concern.
“People with?a?mental health?illness?bear a considerable burden of unemployment. If their?mental health?could be?improved, they?might?be?able to work, and if accommodation for their mental illness can be made, their mental health may improve,” she says. “Secondly, for those who?are employed?but mentally unwell,?the?costs are?extremely?high for?organisations.”
These costs usually come in the form of absenteeism,?where people take time off work?because they are?ill. However, the concept of “presenteeism” also takes its toll as workers that are unwell – either mentally or physically – come to work, but are not productive. “This has a?high?rate of productivity loss,?too,” says Milner.?
Discouraging stigma
The first step in creating a culture of wellness and care in the workplace is to remove the stigma from seeking help. “There must be a culture of trust?which will allow people to reach out,” says Milner. The right help can make a person more productive, even in the case of?psychiatric illness, which can be helped?with medication.
“When there are psychological impacts which require?counselling, therapy and sometimes medication, it takes a lot to reach out.?Mental health?illness?creates?vulnerability. People believe a diagnosis will be?held against them, that they will be viewed as incapable or?not strong enough. There is no quick fix?for this, but an organisational structure that encourages?communication is?a good place to start,” she adds.
- Writer: Lem Chetty is a freelance writer.
- This article first appeared in?Curiosity, a research magazine produced by?Wits Communications?and the?Research Office
- Read more in the 10th issue, themed: #Mood how our mental health and wellbeing are impacted by the socio-economic, political, psychological, legal, ethical, cultural and technological interpretations of our world.