Allia is committed to transforming business for social good, and that includes tackling the mental health crisis head-on. This Mental Health Awareness Week, we wanted to reflect on how conversations around mental health have progressed, and where there still needs to be work done.
Awareness for mental health has greatly increased in modern times; conditions that weren’t even named let alone recognised have become familiar with the general public’s understanding of mental health issues. However, that understanding still has a long way to go. As many previous campaigns have stated, we do need to talk about mental health, but having the conversation is the most important part. Research by Mind showed that 34% of UK respondents they surveyed stated they would prefer to not talk about their mental health rather than risk an awkward conversation, rising to 45% among 16-24 year olds. This clearly shows that despite growing up with a more comprehensive understanding of mental health conditions & causes than any previous generation, feeling safe to speak up is still an immense challenge.
As a company, our vision is to transform businesses for social good, and that includes improving mental health support at the workplace. Businesses lose out when failing to adequately support employees with their mental health; WHO estimates 12 billion working days are lost every year to depression and anxiety at a cost of US$ 1 trillion per year in lost productivity. Whether facing a lack of support or control over workload, job insecurity, discrimination, or failing to utilise employees’ skillsets, there are many factors in the workplace that can risk mental health deterioration. Only with thoughtful and considered support can businesses help their employees.
Mental health issues can arise in many ways through work, particularly for founders of start-ups, who will often work long hours by themselves to grow their business. This isolation can long-term be interlinked with poor mental health, therefore having support networks in place both in the personal & professional worlds is vitally important. The latter is something that not only needs to be provided, but also made to feel approachable; as previously stated, making people feel confident talking about their mental health is a massive problem. Community groups of fellow start-up founders exist nationwide and will be happy to chat, whilst co-working office space can offer regular chances of face-to-face interaction with like-minded people, as well as the obvious business benefits that brings.
The modern working landscape has created new challenges that can exacerbate these issues, with working from home leading to a constant feeling of being “switched on”. Creating separation between the workplace and your personal life is commonly advised as an important measure, whether that’s by not having your work email on your phone, taking regular breaks away from your work-setup at home, or by going on a walk at the start and end of the day to mentally switch on and off from the working day.
To conclude, there are many problems both old & new that can impact mental health issues at the workplace, and businesses must make sure they are providing practical, personalised support. Balancing general awareness with tailored support is a difficult line to tread, but one that must be done well so we can take care of each other. Remember that if you need to talk to someone, there will be people in your network who can listen and understand what you’re going through. Reaching out is a difficult step that takes a lot of bravery, but it is one very much worth taking.
