Since the outset of the pandemic, we have been acutely aware of concerns regarding a significant increase in mental illness, instances of suicide and a general reduction in mental health and wellbeing. The statistics have long advised that one in five people are working with a mental illness. Statistically, this means that a member of your team is likely to be suffering with a mental illness at any given time.
They call it the silent killer because often people do not talk about how they are feeling and do not want to voice their concerns. We have all heard a story of someone who “seemed to be fine, they never said anything, they looked to have it all together” who has suffered from depression or devastatingly taken their life.
When researching for this article I came across a statistic, 38% of people surveyed by Sane Research had not disclosed their mental illness to their employer. Although disclosing a mental illness is a personal choice I found this to be a worrying statistic as the respondents also stated that they felt there was a stigma associated with mental illness. The research was dated 2011 so I disregarded the statistic believing that our workplaces had become better at normalising mental health struggles. Imagine my surprise when I received a link to download the Wellbeing Lab Workplace Report 2020, the data was collected through COVID-19 and it conveyed that only 16.6% of Australians feel safe sharing their struggles at work and mental health is the leading cause of their struggles.
I found this to be confronting and reaffirms that our colleagues need our support. When we build a bridge, the engineers design it with many pillars that all work together to hold up the structure, the same premise can be applied to our own teams. It is not only the role of the leader to provide support to the team we can all work together to achieve this. One thing that 2020 has reinforced is that we are all have different motivators, desires and values but we mostly agree the increase in workplace flexibility is a positive change.
I have been banging the flexibility drum for years, fortunately the pandemic has managed to propel us forward ten years in attitudes regarding the ability to work remotely. But the risk is losing connection between employees, their colleagues, supervisors, subordinates and the organisation and colleagues not feeling supported. Research has shown that loneliness is as deadly as smoking 15 cigarettes per day. Consciously creating connection is essential for remote working to be sustainable.
It is not enough to pay lip service to supporting the team, be aware that the workload can change, personal issues can arise, commitments can alter quite unexpectedly. An illness or death in a family will change priorities in an instant. When we have the support of the pillars to hold us, we can overcome whatever setbacks come our way. It may be that the pillars need to be stronger or need to listen a little closer when we are working remotely? The instance of mental illness and low feeling of wellbeing is on the increase, being mindful that most people are not comfortable to reach out and let employers or co-workers know when they are struggling is important and should influence your approach.
We do not need to understand the details of the mental illness and it unlikely you will fully understand unless you have experienced it. When we remember “You never really know a man until you understand things from his point of view, until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” as Harper Lee wrote in To Kill a Mockingbird, we can start the journey to genuine compassion.
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