Many western societies aspire to be meritocracies\u2014that is, a system where you and me and everyone who we know should be rewarded with a level of status, wealth, and power based on our own proven abilities, rather than being based on the wealth and status of our families, our race, our gender, or any other external factor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the past, research and criticism has focused on the obvious limitations of the system. For example, the fact that there probably aren\u2019t enough positions of status, power, and wealth to be shared equitably amongst those of us who prove our abilities. Or that, so far, people who don\u2019t have wealthy families, people who aren\u2019t white, and people who aren\u2019t men, haven\u2019t generally had as many chances to show their abilities in the places that matter and to the people who can lend a helping hand. Or, that it\u2019s simply a bit of a sham<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But there\u2019s a more subtle problem with a system that rewards us all based on merit. And it\u2019s this\u2014which behaviours, abilities, and characteristics are classed as being worthy of reward, and which aren\u2019t? And what do we do with the aspects of ourselves that aren\u2019t worthy of reward? Do we hide them? Do we pretend that we\u2019re only made up of the \u2018good\u2019 stuff? <\/p>\n\n\n\n And if everyone in society\u2014workplace societies included\u2014only exhibit these select behaviours, abilities, and characteristics, will that bring about the best, most balanced, most productive, and most healthy environment for us all? <\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, workplace societies traditionally value superior intelligence, skills, experience, education, knowledge, networks, ambition, and the list goes on. Our success, recognition, and level of pay are (usually) directly based on all those things. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s these values that put us on the \u2018treadmill of success\u2019 from the morning that we\u2019re first dropped at the school gates\u2014or earlier for children whose parents\u2019 hothouse them\u2014to the moment that we\u2019re ejected into our retirement, wondering what to do with ourselves now that there\u2019s nobody to tell us \u2018Great job! Here, have a Oof! Has anyone got a marshmallow that I can toast on that sentence, \u2018cause that was some white-hot cynicism. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sorry about that but stick with me\u2026 it\u2019ll all be worth it in the end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The point is this: <\/p>\n\n\n\n When our workplaces are meritocracies; when certain abilities, characteristics, and skills are seen as having merit and others aren\u2019t; and when we\u2019ve been conditioned to accept the established system since preschool and earlier; are we likely to disclose anything about ourselves that isn\u2019t considered to be a merit? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Like, for example, poor mental health. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Are we going to stride confidently up to our manager and tell them about our depression or send them a matter-of-fact email announcing our incapacitating stress levels? Or are we more likely to turn up to work and try to ride it out? <\/p>\n\n\n\n The staggering and increasingly expensive levels of presenteeism point to the latter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And as we focus all our energy on keeping that stiff upper lip, it\u2019s more than likely that our productivity will wane, our motivation will flatline, our self-confidence will shrink, our company loyalty will fizzle to embers (or even ashes), our work relationships will suffer, our mental health will deteriorate, and our exhaustion will mount. And if we can\u2019t get it together, we\u2019ll find ourselves at the epicentre of a negative spiral that affects colleagues and our organisation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you look at that scenario from a purely logical standpoint, rather than through meritocratic tinted glasses, it makes no sense at all. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Imagine if Burt, the Systems Analyst, fell of his bike on the way to work and broke his ankle. Then, bloodied, bruised, and hopping into the office, he made his way to his desk and started\u2026 analysing systems. Everyone would be shocked, right? Concerned crowds would gather. Someone would call an ambulance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But imagine if they didn\u2019t. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Imagine if day after day Burt just kept coming into work without seeking help or treatment\u2014wounds festering, leg swelling\u2014and acted like nothing was wrong. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, it\u2019s not directly comparable to mental health struggles. But untreated broken limbs and untreated mental conditions can both lead to permanent disability. And a system analyst probably needs their mental acuity more than they need a functional leg. So, which scenario is worse? <\/p>\n\n\n\n In the perfect world, the answer is simple. The meritocracy of the workplace should actively value openness, human vulnerability, and the courage that it takes to disclose personal struggles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But for smaller organisations and start-ups, it\u2019s hard to take a leap of faith into untested practices, especially those that could backfire financially. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Workplaces, after all, primarily exist to make a profit. And while mental health issues don\u2019t increase profitability, neither does openness, human vulnerability, or the courage to disclose personal struggles. Everyone knows that. Including all the people who are struggling. And we\u2019ve been happily ignoring mental health issues in the workplace for centuries, right? <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, we can begin to understand the catch-22 of introducing mental health initiatives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But is it true that openness, human vulnerability, and the courage to disclose personal struggles don\u2019t improve profitability? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Because when places like Barclays, Ernst and Young LLP<\/a>, Microsoft, and Unilever<\/a> start introducing policies and practices that put the good mental health of their people first, you\u2019ve got to ask yourself, \u201cAre they doing this out of the goodness of their multi-million-dollar hearts, or do the figures stack?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n The fact is, that everyone\u2014every single one of us\u2014yup, Barbara from accounting, that exec you see climbing into her brand new Merc\u2019 every day, the chap who handed you your Starbucks this morning, you, me, every single person on this list<\/a>, Ernst, Young, Bill Gates, and even Jeff Bezos (\u2026 even if he doesn\u2019t know it)\u2014Every.Single.One.Of.Us\u2014have experienced some form of poor mental health at some point in our life time. Probably multiple times. For some of us the experience might have lasted a very short time. For others it might have lasted for months or years or be ongoing. Some of us may have experienced burnout, stress, or a crisis of self-confidence, and worked through it alone, or with loved ones. Others might experience clinical disorders. And some live with recurring conditions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Think of any 6 people who you work with. Chances are that at least one of them<\/a> is experiencing the symptoms of a common mental disorder (CMD) right now\u2014that\u2019s problems like depression and anxiety, panic disorder, phobias, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Or maybe the one in 6 is you this week or has been for quite some time? Trust me, you\u2019re not alone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, the stigma doesn\u2019t exist because mental health problems are rare. It only exists because the meritocratic standards of workplace society, and all western society, has historically dictated that it\u2019s not worth talking about. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But that\u2019s changing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s changing very fast. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And the people profession will be in the driving seat of the mental health express. So, buckle up, because this is how you can stem the tide of poor mental health for your people. And make sure that your organisation reaps the benefits while you\u2019re at it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The first step to a successful mental health initiative is clearly outlining the costs of poor mental health in the workforce. Share the figures with leadership. Share them with everyone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Remember those self-sacrificing multinationals that we mentioned earlier? Well, maybe they\u2019ve been keeping on top of all the new research. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Findings by Deloitte<\/a> show that 28% of employees either left their job in 2021 or are planning to leave in 2022. And 61% of them cite poor mental health as the reason. While 300,000<\/a> people with a long term mental health problem lose their jobs each year, and that was according to pre-pandemic research. The costs of high staff turnover are eye-watering, at upwards of \u00a330,000 per member of staff. Surely, on that basis alone it\u2019s worth supporting good mental health.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n But that\u2019s not all. Mental health related absence is costing UK employers around \u00a356 billion a year. While the hard and soft costs, across all industries, and both the public and private sector, amounts to almost \u00a32,000 per employee. And if you happen to be an HR manager working in the private sector finance industry, then you\u2019ve got your work cut out for you\u2014the total costs per employee for your organisation is more likely to be almost \u00a34,000. Yikes! <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, by spending time and money now, you can save your organisation a lot in the long run. <\/p>\n\n\n\n OK, that\u2019s the bosses convinced. What\u2019s the action plan? <\/p>\n\n\n\n An open culture doesn\u2019t mean that you have share everything with everyone. The downsides<\/a> of which had to be learned the hard way for the tech giants of Silicon Valley. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It just means that organisations should support a culture of internal trust and honesty, demonstrated by open dialogue and the sharing of experiences. Microsoft claims that this happened organically for them, with leaders spontaneously sharing their own experiences of poor mental health or struggles and encouraging others to do the same. \u201cIt has naturally become pervasive in the culture,\u201d says Sonja Kellen, senior director of global health and wellness at Microsoft, \u201cIt\u2019s been gratifying to see the sheer volume of people to speak up.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n The main takeaway here, is to lead by example, or people won\u2019t feel like they can speak up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Studies in the US show that 66% of people feel comfortable talking to family about their own mental health issues or 56% for friends. But that figure drops to 28% for talking to managers, 28% for colleagues, and only 25% for both HR and senior leaders. Which means that HR might have some way to go in creating a culture of company-wide openness and trust, especially if they\u2019re having trouble doing the same for their own department. And it also means that the people who are most likely to be able to make necessary changes, are the least likely to know that the changes are necessary\u2014try and say that one five times, fast. <\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the most important steps to a workplace that supports good mental health is the destigmatisation of mental health problems. And that begins with and is maintained by mental health awareness training<\/a>. Not only does it combat the stigma, but it also helps people to recognise their own mental health issues and be more aware of the symptoms in others. As a result, people can use positive coping strategies or actively limit their personal stress triggers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n HR professionals can also appoint mental health champions for people to talk to, either in their own department, or in every department. And they can arrange workshops to keep momentum and awareness throughout the organisation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But make sure that a culture of openness does not extend to gossiping about others, which can become a form of bullying and shouldn\u2019t be tolerated. Professionalism and confidentiality (unless explicitly waved) are vital to a successful mental health program. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Introduce a mental health at work plan, outlining policies, procedures, and best practice. But a written plan can only support positive action, it can\u2019t replace it. Because putting mental health policies in place without promoting a health-positive culture and training, will only lead to a workforce who takes advantage of the policies, rather than valuing and respecting them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Eventually mental health and wellbeing policies can be incorporated into every aspect of the organisational approach and vision. <\/p>\n\n\n\ncookie<\/s> pay rise\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat\u2019s a good workplace to do? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Highlight the costs of ignoring mental health <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
A culture of openness <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Training for all <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Supportive policies and procedures <\/h2>\n\n\n\n