Mental health is a growing concern for businesses. This year, everyone from employees to recruitment to bosses and even the Government have taken notice of the impact mental health can have on a workplace. PA Life readers have revealed that, despite more and more companies embracing and valuing mental health, 44% still donโt feel comfortable discussing their psychological wellbeing in the office.
PA Lifeโs Toby Cruse was joined by PAs and specialists Tara Jackson, Sally Russellย andย Jennifer Corcoran,ย who are particularly supportive of mental health issues to discuss what more needs to be done to give peace of mind to troubled workers facing negative company culture.
Many workers find it uncomfortable discussing mental health in the workplace, including just under half of our readers. Do companies need to do more to change office culture?
JC: Yes, undoubtedly a lot needs to be done across the board to enable people to feel comfortable when broaching the subject. ย ย We are all human โbeingsโ and the focus needs to be on this versus on the โdoingsโ.
TJ: Itโs important to create an open and caring culture that makes staff feel supported and looked after. This can be done in a number of ways, but itโs important to do it regularly and from a number of different angles. For example, having a strong mental health policy and encouraging regular breaks and a good work/life balance can make all the difference.
Brits in particular are often embarrassed to bring up mental health problems. Do you think thereโs still a nationwide taboo?
SR: I would say the taboo is absolutely still in existence but the national wide campaigns and discussions are most definitely bringing light to the subject. I think people find it difficult to admit to themselves that they are struggling with mental health issues and therefore even harder to talk to others about it.
JC: Itโs worldwide for sure. I grew up in Dublin with a mother who was diagnosed with manic depression and I definitely felt the stigma until well in my 20s.
PAs can end up blurring the line between work and personal hours when dealing with employers. Have you found this adds more mental strain than other positions?
TJ: Being in a role which requires you to be โavailableโ or โonโ more than others is particularly stressful and adds on more mental strain to the individual as a whole. Itโs so important to be able to fully switch off, get a digital break and allow the body and mind to relax. When you are expected, or even feel like you are expected, to be available and donโt get the time to do this it doesnโt allow for proper down-time and as a result can leave the individual in a more stressed state, which affects all body functions โ mental and physical.
SR: Yes, this can quite often happen as some managers are heavily reliant on their assistants, it is dependent on the relationship between the manager/assistant as to how it can affect you. Fortunately, not every manager is like this, when you have a good relationship it can be totally different, so, if thereโs occasions where thereโs a late email or text you realise itโs urgent and donโt mind dealing with it immediately.
The phrase โman upโ has been heavily criticised recently because of the pressure it puts on male workers to ignore their feelings, while Taylor Swift has been gaining praise for encouraging women to stand up for themselves. Do you feel like mental health problems are regularly linked to gender perceptions?
SR: No, I donโt think this is true at all. I do recall in my youth the phrases โman upโ and โboys donโt cryโ but my belief is that mental health problems can affect anyone, at any age, regardless of gender. Society has changed, and perceptions have changed, and how we treat mental health issues has improved especially within the workplace.
JC: Mental health affects both women and men. ย Suicide is one of the largest killers among young men so we need to get rid of all this stiff upper lip nonsense. As I said before we are all human beings and unhelpful stereotypes help nobody in the end. Itโs good to talk and offload.ย Iโve personally lost a great friend (Katrina Browne) to suicide and donโt want to lose any more because they were too afraid or ashamed to speak up and discuss their feelings.
Have you found more people openly talking about their mental health since the growth of social media, or are most still uncomfortable bringing it up?
JC: Yes โ social media and blogging have definitely opened the floodgates which is brilliant. Social media can often get a bad rap but this is definitely one of the myriad of benefits.ย Mental health affects 1 in 4 of us so itโs so important to finally get this topic out in the open and rip off the band aid.ย Letโs be social on this topic!
SR: I have found people who suffer from mental health are still uncomfortable bringing the issue up on social media. This could be because there is still a stigma attached to mental health illness and people are worried about being judged or discriminated against by people they know. Society in general has stereotyped views around mental health illness and how it affects people โ partly due to a lack of understanding around the issue.
And finally, where is the appropriate place to discuss mental health in the office? Who are the appropriate people to talk to?
SR: People shouldnโt be made to feel that conversations about mental health need to take place in tucked away corners or in secret, the more that people are open about their mental health the better it will be for everyone.ย But equally, if someone is having a particularly difficult time it is important to have a space that they can discuss their worries in comfortably, it might be a meeting room, but itโs important that it feels private.
TJ: Ultimately the health of an individual is confidential to them, whether itโs physical or mental. If there is an HR department this is a good starting point to discuss mental health. Additionally managers/directors should be aware of any issues as it is their responsibility to ensure staff are cared for and treated in the right way, they are also the ones who can help with spotting any early signs, and can step in, referring the individual to someone who can help so the situation does not get severe.
JC: I went to a former boss for help following the attempted suicide of a family member but did not receive a very encouraging or favourable response.ย In hindsight, I should have approached someone else but I didnโt.ย It definitely weighed on my mind over the years especially when I saw fellow colleagues getting compassionate leave for family members with physical illnesses. Be brave, stand up and speak up for what is right and together we can dispel this terrible stigma. ย ย โWhat do we live for if not to make life less difficult for each other.โ George Eliot
Tara Jackson is a holistic self-care coach on a mission to help career focused people who put everything else above themselves discover how important self-care is, so that they can feel less stressed, have more energy and live a life that they love.
Sally Russell is currently working for the Mayor of London and has collaborated with five members of the Wellbeing Network, ranging from PAs to HR managers, to deliver the best response. Sally was a finalist in the 2015 London PA Awards and an award winner in 2017. She continues to mentor young people at the GLA, working with them to achieve their goals.
Jennifer Corcoran is the founder of My Super Connector, and has been coined the Queen of social media. With a personal understanding of the effects of mental health, Jennifer now counts Businesswoman Awards Social Media Consultant of the Year โ South England, a Rising Star from WeAreTheCity and Pitman Trainingโs Super Achiever of the Year amongst her lengthy list of accolades.
