Right off the bat, I need to make one thing clear—I am a philosopher, not a psychologist. If you are after a clinician's view, please engage my wife Halaina Winter. Thus, what I am embarking on in this article is to speak to the issues that face all managers, how they can be approached from a non-clinical position, and how your approach to mental health can benefit or hinder your organisational strategy. I should also add that while 'R U OK' days are wonderful and it is vital you check in with your team and colleagues, please ensure you engage the right people rather than trying to deal with employee mental health issues yourself.
Caveats out of the way, everywhere you look well-being and mental health dominate the modern workplace. Depending on which data you read, anywhere from between a quarter and 60% of people in the workforce suffer from or have experienced a mental health challenge in their career. With such large numbers of people affected, it is without hyperbole to say that in one way or another all employees are impacted by mental health. It also means that managers are failing their staff if they imagine that well-being can be quarantined from, or is only a bolt on to, day to day operations.
While the overall numbers of people affected by mental health issues is a cause for concern, perhaps as alarming are the number of firms or individual managers who engage in well-being washing:
The research, conducted by Claro Wellbeing, found seven in 10 (71 per cent) workplaces celebrated mental health awareness days, but only a third (36 per cent) of organisations’ mental health support was deemed good or outstanding by their employees.
The survey of 1,000 employees, found that more than a third (35 per cent) of businesses recognised mental health on social media and through events, but just 30 per cent saw their employer as “considerate” of their mental health.
Cholteeva (2022)
To be fair, managers I speak with are not consciously trying to 'spin' the situation. That is, look like they are attending to their employees well-being while actually not caring. As evidence, managers will point to the numerous initiatives they have undertaken from 'R U OK' days (replete with food carts and yoga classes), to workshops on mindfulness, gym memberships, and paid mental health days. Yet whether it is deliberate well-being washing or simply well meaning managers who are missing the mark, the result is that employees continue to feel overwhelmed by life.
Talking with clinicians, it seems this is because while many people have good intentions, many wellness programs are treating the superficial or symptomatic elements of mental health, not the underlying causes. As with all areas of life, there is meaningful action and then there is merely paying lip service. For organisations the need is clear, invest in clinically proven interventions or expect more of the same.
The money, for the purely fiscally minded, is well spent. Knowing that a team member is resistant to returning to the office because of agoraphobia or illness anxiety disorder that has crept in during the COVID lockdowns, and not because of laziness, can make the difference between a successful transformation strategy or a failed one.
Net Present Wellness (NPW)
Given it is beyond any one article to provide a comprehensive set of treatment solutions for mental health challenges, not to mention that it is not my field, for those seeking a five word of less solution the answer is 'see a clinical psychologist'. For those who are engaging clinicians, where does your role as a manger fit in to the overall treatment plan?
