55 - Mental Health Awareness

Taking care of your team: why you can’t afford to ignore mental health at work

 

Welcome back to Blended!

 

Today, we’re talking about something that is often a strand that weaves through many of the issues we talk about here on the show, from burnout to bias – and that’s mental health. But today we’re focusing in on mental health, and putting the spotlight onto how it interacts with work. 

 

Almost 60% of the world population is in work, and we spend a lot of time there. We often spend more time in a workplace than we do at home, more time with our colleagues than we do our families!

 

That amount of time, the environment we’re in, the people around us, the culture – all those elements of work are going to massively impact us. And, of course, everything that happens at home, we’re inevitably going to take to work with us as well.

 

So it’s incredibly important to prioritize mental health. But, unfortunately, the numbers show we’re not doing a good enough job. Globally, an estimated 12 billion working days are lost every year to depression and anxiety at a cost of $1 trillion per year in lost productivity. Not to mention the impact on those people’s wellbeing.

 

So what we can do?

 

Our panel are going to be exploring what’s going wrong, as well as sharing some of the ways we can all protect and promote good mental health at work.

 

 

IN THIS EPISODE:

 

[01.21] Introductions to our Blended panelists.  

·       Mariana – Marketing Director at WSI and Kase

·       Prakash – Fulfilment Specialist and Founder of OTIM

·       Brandon – Founder of Warm Heart Life  

·       Debra – SVP, Marketing and Strategy at Halo Effect Management

“Mental health isn’t separate from work. It’s the foundation of what we’re doing.” Debra

 

[07.53] The group discuss healthy work environments – what they look like, why they’re so important, and how we define performance in a healthy environment.  

“We have no problem talking about our physical wellbeing. It needs to be just as easy to talk about our mental wellbeing... At my office, we all got standing desks and we didn’t have to justify it: sitting for hours a day, it’s not good for your health. And, to me, a collaborative space where we come together and laugh and catch up on life is just as important as that standing desk.” Mariana

“We need to be able to slow down and ask: ‘How are you?’ Actually seeing the person you’re working with, rather than just using them.” Debra

·       Work is a big proportion of our lives

·       Mental health does not equal mental illness

·       Focus on/acceptance of physical health, rejection of mental health   

·       Brandon’s experience of both healthy and unhealthy working environments, their impact, and how they could have changed the course of his life and career forever

·       Impact of leadership  

·       Importance of trying different things/working in different places

·       Communication

·       Tailoring environments – people work differently

·       Setting clear expectations and defining performance goals for individuals

·       Allowing teams to be safe in their honesty and communication

·       Recognizing burnout

·       Understanding individual’s holistic needs

·       Importance of timely feedback/regular check-ins  

·       Building trust

·       Carrying weight of unhealthy cultures into new working environments

·       Psychological safety

·       Importance of slowing down

·       Over-focus on productivity

·       Resilience

·       Stress/pressure

·       Individual responsibility vs team collaboration

·       Measuring KPIs for individuals and leaders

·       Visibility

·       Leadership vulnerability – trust, leading by example and giving permission

·       Advocating for yourself

·       Community

 

“It really comes down to individuals and, if you have the right few people around you, you can transform an entire team just by having the right conversations. It doesn’t have to be the corporate conversations where you’re giving all the right trigger words, talking to the C Suite... We’re all human.” Prakash

“We assign value to people via their productivity. Leaders are feeling the pressures, employees are. And we’re not having the capacity conversation. Are we actually setting realistic expectations for ourselves, based in reality?” Debra

 

[59.31] Brandon’s experiences with mental health, and his take on the importance of shifting your mindset away from negativity and towards positivity and problem-solving.  

·       Importance of talking

·       Personal development

 

[01.07.36] The panel explore responsibility, and the role individuals and leaders play in nurturing good mental health and creating positive working environments.  

“We have a responsibility to show up at work and give our best. And our best isn’t going to be the same every day, but we do have a responsibility to take care of our own mental health because, when we don’t, everyone around us also suffers.” Mariana

“I’ve had moments where being open about my needs and mental health has made me feel exposed… If we normalize being human, it makes it safer for others to do the same.” Debra

·       No one-size-fits-all

·       Creating safe spaces

·       Empathy

·       Authenticity

·       Utilizing HR and resources

·       Letting go of control/certain expectations  

·       Growth mindset

·       Vulnerability

·       Active listening

·       Leading with curiosity

·       Educating ourselves

“As a leader, you have a responsibility to be aware of the people you’re leading and to care for them… And, maybe this is a hot take. But if you feel like you don’t have the time to be aware of your employees wellbeing, maybe you shouldn’t be leading a team.” Mariana

“The best leaders are all trying to get better.” Brandon

 

[1.21.53] The group sum up their thoughts from today’s discussion.  

 

RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED:

You can connect with Mariana, Debra, Brandon and Prakash over on LinkedIn.  

Episode 53 - Burnout