Business and people leaders who are compassionate and resolute play a crucial role in creating mentally healthy workplaces.
Having a healthy workplace has been described as “the right thing to do, the legal thing to do and the smart thing to do” (World Health Organization, 2010). This includes mental health, and interest in psychosocial health within workplaces has been growing rapidly in recent years.
Reports estimate that 45% of New Zealanders will experience a mental health condition at some stage in their lifetime and the mental health and wellbeing of employees is recognised as a significant workplace issue.
Businesses and regulators have now acknowledged that psychosocial hazards should be managed as a safety risks and that employers have work health and safety duties in relation to psychological hazards.
These obligations mean that managers and those in supervisory positions are often placed at the forefront of creating a mentally healthy workplace whilst also being called upon to provide support and assistance to employees with mental health conditions – both work-related and non-work-related.
In small and medium business, the owner/operator is often the person responsible for providing personal support to employees who are suffering mental health conditions during their illness and recovery.
World Mental Health Day was marked last week, the aim of which is to raise awareness of mental health issues. It is a timely reminder for all employees that mental health and wellbeing is an “all of workplace issue” and that owners, managers and supervisors may also be dealing with their own work or non-work-related mental stress.
People look at a manager as though they’re bulletproof, as though they’re superhuman in a way and can just carry on regardless of what happens. But we’re all human, we all have things going in life that makes it quite difficult for us at times too.
In relation to work-related mental stress, the He Ara Oranga: Report of the Government Inquiry into Mental Health and Addictions (New Zealand Government, 2018) that from workers compensation claims, the most common causes of mental stress included:
work pressure;
work-related harassment and/or bullying;
exposure to workplace or occupational violence;
exposure to a traumatic event;
other mental stress factors;
other harassment; and
suicide or attempted suicide.
These factors are not unique to employees and it is often those in leadership positions who feel great pressure and responsibility.
Accident Compensation Corporation New Zealand – As context for their Workplace Injury Prevention Grants in 2021, the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) stated that COVID-19 has pushed wellbeing to the forefront and shown the importance of reciprocal social support in the workplace. This attention to wellbeing, in addition to physical harm/safety, is generally new terrain for ACC. It is a further indication that the wider workplace health and safety conversation is moving beyond solely physical risks, to include psychosocial protection.
Employees should be encouraged to understand the work and non-work-related mental stress faced by their employer’s leaders and offer their support and empathy in tough times. This will lead to a workplace where ‘care’ is a core value that applies to everyone regardless of their role or title.
Disclaimer This article, and any information contained on our website is necessarily brief and general in nature, and should not be substituted for professional advice. You should always seek professional advice before taking any action in relation to the matters addressed.
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