At the moment we are bombarded by one horror story after the other. Social media feets are full with catastrophic news and problems. Reading this day after day has a negative effect on our mental health – mentale Gesundheit. While work can boost our mental health a negative working environment – das Arbeitsumfeld – can lead to health problems. And these can have an impact on the economy – die Wirtschaft. According to the World Health Organisation an estimated – geschätzt– 264 million people suffer – leiden – from anxiety and depression. This brought about – mit sich bringen – ca US$ 1 trillion per year in lost productivity.
Of course mental health issues can have many reasons, personal problems, traumas or financial struggles. But unhealthy working conditions can also lead problems. For example, increased attrition – die Abnutzung, Zermürbung – through unsastainable and overwhelming – erdrückend – work. Furthermore, nowadays there is a high prevalence – die Verbreitung – of mental health issues. They are now the norm among all organisational levels.
Take care of yourself!
In 2020, mental health support went from a nice-to-have to a true business imperative – die Notwendigkeit. Awareness – das Bewusstsein – for mental health issues has increased a lot over the last few years.Employers have responded to ideas such as four-day-weeks, mental health days or enhanced counselling – die Beratung – support. A healthy workplace requires – erfordern – both employers and employees to contribute – beitragen – to a healthy and safe environment – das Umfeld. Here are some tips:
- culture change – managers should lead by good example and not just relegate – etw. übergeben, verweisen – a problem to HR. Mental health issues are often connected to shame and its important to create a safe and open environment. Managers should be trained to navigate difficult conversations.
- sustainable ways of working – flexibility is a key word. For example, many workers experienced the advantages of working remotely – fern – during the pandemic. It leads to a better work-life-balance. It is important to promote – fördern – , to establish boundaries and to create norms around responsiveness – die Reaktionsfähigkeit – and urgency – die Dringlichkeit.
- deeper connection – it is important to check in with each other frequently. There should be regular opportunities to communicate a problem.
We hope this spreads the awareness of the risk of an unheathly workplace. Please, take care of yourself and stay safe!
