Poor mental health at work is costing us a fortune. The charity Mind has just launched an online service – but will that really help you?
Metal Health at Work is leading the news agenda today, with even the young royals giving their blessing to our struggles.
Mind, the mental health charity, conducted a survey of 44,000 employees and found that almost half of them had suffered with poor mental health at work. And half of those had not dared tell their managers. That is a lot of unhappiness in the workplace.
Make it stop
I worked in a high-pressured work environment for more than 30 years. There were of course great times, but there were the dark moments. I remember one day saying over and over, “Please make it stop… make it stop…” and as that was the week the world went bankrupt, I didn’t have to wait long. It was time to find a new role for myself.
So I understand the misery of the workplace, the annoyances big and small, the politics, the power players, the bullying, the pressure and the ever-present job insecurity.
“Believe in the brand!” a company will command, while paying a wage that barely covers today’s living costs and treating staff as though they are an expenditure, not an asset.
Do you promise not to be ill again?
A young person I know went for a job at a company where bullying was rife and was asked directly in the interview, “Do you have any mental health issues?” “Not at the moment,” she replied, knowing that employees in that firm had to take sick leave – for physical or mental issues – out of their annual holiday allowance and upon return, promise the boss that they would not be ill again!
In my therapy room, a client’s work impacts strongly on their well-being.
When a client comes to me with anxiety and yet loves their work, I am pretty confident we can find peace. Work can be a life force for good. We may need to examine relationships that are impacting on their enjoyment of work, old habits or unhelpful thoughts might be getting in the way.
If they hate their work, then we will need to do a lot more thinking together to discover what they truly want.
Work takes up the bulk of your week, the bulk of your adult life. It should not be 40 hours plus of anxiety, fear, depression or boredom.
Something needs to change. It’s time to talk.
http://www.mind.org.uk/workplace/mental-health-at-work
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