By Adrian Wakeling, November 16, 2020, Health Europa.
It has become increasingly apparent that mental health is becoming a bigger player in the story of our working lives. After decades in a purely non-speaking part – one of those characters who move their lips in the background and form part of the ‘rent a crowd’ – workplace mental health is finally being given the chance to be heard and influence the plot.
Of course, many of the lines we hear have become a little over-familiar and well-rehearsed – for example, one in four of us will suffer from a mental health problem at some point in our lives; the longer you are off work with mental illness, the less likely it is you will return; and, as the World Economic Forum estimated, mental health disorders could cost the global economy up to $16tn between 2010 and 2030 if a collective failure to respond is not addressed.
As health experts are only too aware, there are many life events that can cause you to slip very quickly, and often without warning, from coping to not coping. These slips can be:
- Purely workplace-related: the HSE Management Stress Standards list six mental health stressors such as (too much) workload and (poor quality) relationships – for example, incidents of bullying or harassment can be very damaging psychologically;
- Related to your life outside work: you may suffer a family bereavement or the breakdown of a close relationship, or suddenly find yourself in debt; or
- A mixture of work and home factors: this interface has become increasingly blurred, especially during the period of lockdown, with people having to work and educate children at home or help shield the most vulnerable from the virus.
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