Mental health at the workplace
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Mental health at the workplace

Here are a few suggestions for organisations to achieve a healthy work culture

Mental health at the workplace

Studies claim that a constructive environment at the workplace can result in stable mental health and a feeling of satisfaction. However, things often get tough at the workplace, especially mentally. The result is the creeping in of mental health issues, which affects not only your work but also your overall well being.  
For most of us, work is paramount. Whether you are an artist, a teacher, a corporate employee or a media person,  your workplace demands total commitment, physically, mentally and emotionally as well. We often remind ourselves to be more productive at work, yet forget to achieve a work-life balance.

Delhi-based journalist Geeti said, "Even for journalists, it becomes difficult to be available all the time. An age gap between colleagues leads to communication gaps and misunderstandings resulting in strained
relationships at home and work. Additional pressure from the workplace also leads to frustration and anger issues."

According to WHO, depression and anxiety disorders have caused a loss of US$ 1 trillion to the global economy. The mental health of employees is not only important for themselves but also for organizations to produce

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greater outcomes. Here are some of the solutions which offices and employees can adopt to improve the surroundings. There are a few factors at the workplace that can affect your mental
health. Some of them may be external and some may be caused by your own. Let us explore a few of these factors-

Poor communication and management: every work requires proper preparation and management to produce healthy outcomes. Employees can suffer from mental stress if pre-plannings is not done and positive
results are expected in less time.

Poor communication can cause tiffs, limited participation, problems between employees, and pending tasks. Open-minded communication is the key to creating proper understanding and managing workload equally.

Bullying and psychological harassment: improper behaviour like stealing credits, threatening, being biased, unfair criticism, commenting on physical appearance and capabilities can cause harm to an individual's mental health. One can suffer from panic attacks, anxiety, loss of
self-esteem, less productivity, negative impact on conversations and can suffer trouble in the decision-making process.

Unsuitable task and safety policies: in many situations, employees are assigned tasks that are not suitable for them. They may involve physical
burden or personal risk. These risks may increase when an individual is not supported. Employees performing such tasks can experience extreme fear, lack of confidence, and issues like anxiety, panic attacks.

Lack of encouragement or support: low support from colleagues and seniors can make the employees feel demotivated, under confidence and unhappy.

Lack of resources- Organizations expecting more and providing fewer resources always create workload and workers can not give their best with fewer resources all the time.

Inflexible working hours: organizations with inflexible timings such as long working hours, no pay for extra hours can result in decreased quality of employees' work, health problems, and lack of sleep.

Experts say if these factors are prolonged, they may lead to terminal illnesses like depression or aggravate existing mental disorders.

A writer from Lucknow shared "When work gets overwhelming, it becomes difficult to achieve a work-life balance. Overexposure to screens and its ensuing fatigue makes it difficult to remain inspired."

What can an organization do?

  • Let people know that support is available for everyone.
  • Recognize and reward the workers for their involvement.
  • Provide ample resources to avoid overburdening.
  • Implement health and safety policies.
  • Involve employees in decision-making.
  • Promote recreation

Moreover, on a personal level, mutual respect, understanding sentiments, giving a patient hearing, and occasional compliments can go a long way in having healthy mental health.