Do’s and Don’ts of Mental Wellness in the Workplace
How does one address burnout in the workplace? As a leader, what does self-compassion look like for yourself and your teams? We got you covered for all things workplace mental health-related!
Q: What can I do as a manager to support my team in developing proactive habits to promote their own mental health and resiliency?
Thinking about the fact that we are coming out of the pandemic, navigating what seems like a litany of ongoing changes, and being immersed in this digital age, my sense is that the last thing we all need is another item on our to-do list. I would therefore encourage managers and leaders to guide their team members to examine their daily habits and routines, and look for opportunities to embed micro changes in their day so that they are able to set better boundaries for themselves and cultivate a sense of mindfulness. Engaging in regular mindfulness practice will enable them to respond mindfully to stressors or challenges instead of reacting to them. Examples of setting healthy boundaries include making it a regular habit to taking lunch/wellness breaks and vacation time, and feeling safe to do so.
I would encourage leaders to inspire their team members to take a moment to pause, reflect on what it is that they need, and give themselves permission to engage in an activity that nourishes them. The acronym RAIN is often used as a helpful tool to guide people as they build their mindfulness practice. It can also be helpful to follow up on the RAIN practice by identifying tangible things that one can do about the emotion and asking “how do I do it from a place of self-compassion?”:
R : Recognizing what you’re feeling in that moment while suspending judgment
A : Allowing yourself to feel a specific emotion while practicing non-judgment
I : Investigating the emotion in a more in-depth manner by asking yourself “where is this feeling coming from?”
N : Nurturing with self-compassion
In the workplace, having a room of refuge or sanctuary for staff to decompress and take a moment to pause or reflect can contribute towards people’s mental health. Helping employees learn to tap into the power of curiosity and rediscovering a sense of awe in their own lives can also increase their resilience. Overall, mental health support is more accessible and palatable if it is presented as a more extensive program that people already know, trust and are engaged in. If possible, weave mental health components into policy instead of adding more programs into the organization, and build practices into existing routines. For instance, some of the companies that I have come across have a daily company-wide routine where the whole company pauses in the middle of the day to engage in a guided meditation practice. Most importantly, meet people where they are and, from there, guide them towards the appropriate tools and support.
Most importantly, we cannot give what we don’t have, so the work starts from within. Leaders who are able to cultivate self-care in themselves are, in turn, taking care of the wellbeing of their team members. Leaders who can model those self-care behaviors and set boundaries to preserve their own mental health will then create a cascading effect on their direct reports and team members who will, in turn, be inspired to also do the same by engaging in self care behaviors that align with their routines.
Q: With burnout being a prevalent state in workplace, what techniques do you use to manage workloads or, so that employees can engage in rest & recovery activities?
A: Indeed, a report entitled “The State of Workplace Burnout 2023” by Infinite Potential stated that the age group most impacted is getting younger ie 18-25 age group and those in entry level jobs, suggesting that burnout is being experienced by those younger AND earlier in their career. Burnout also tends to impact people who work from home over 80% of the time and women are still impacted more than men.
Burnout is a complex and individualized phenomenon, and therefore there is no one-size-fits all solution and requires more than merely wellness programs to address this nuanced condition. It was formerly viewed as a more individual condition, but recently it is recognized that it is more of a systemic and organizational issue that calls for intervention that is multifaceted, incorporate input from employees, and embedded in the company culture, and addresses burnout on both an individual as well as organizational level. Awareness and education are generally the first step, followed by mobilizing systemic changes, making shifts in the workplace environment, and addressing any individual components that may be contributing to burnout. Preventative measures such as having regular check-ins and conversations about wellness are importance in order to prevent burnout before it becomes a full-fledged phenomenon. Other strategies include asking ourselves “how can I inject a sense of purpose into my work” and also inspiring our employees to do the same, such as dedicating a certain amount of the workday for employees to engage in an activity that imparts a sense of meaning/purpose for them.
In order to address burnout, it is important to bust the myth that business equals productivity, and leaders can model healthy boundaries by setting firm boundaries such as out of office notifications while on vacation, or only sending email during work hours. I also encourage organizations to inspire employees to intentionally build in strategic disengagement whereby they dedicate time out of their day to allow their minds to disengage from explicit task, and instead be encouraged to wander and be creative which can lead to new insights and ideas.
While the recovery activities that people choose to engage in may differ from one person to another, and may even vary depending on the life stage that we find ourselves in, the overarching principles around resting and recovery are more able to transcend different seasons of life. For instance, hobbies that we used to enjoy in our twenties may differ from what is accessible to us after being parents and having to care for young children. While the method of recovery may differ, the values and principles can remain consistent. The key is to be able to make space for these activities e.g. music, exercise, expressive arts, or any hobbies that fill our cups, and to give ourselves permission to engage in them. Finally, part of the work around self-care is to build boundaries to preserve the time dedicated to these activities so that we can continue to have access to rest and recovery. Self-compassion also plays a key role so that we give ourselves permission to have down time.
Q: As a leader what does self-compassion practice look like for yourself and your teams?
As with other principles addressing mental health, the first step is to encourage leaders to look within themselves and cultivate a sense of self-compassion so that they can extend that quality to others around them and their teams. Self-awareness is a gift and can be quite powerful in recognizing and making space for self-compassion which is also key to addressing compassion fatigue in certain workplaces eg healthcare.
One of the doorways to self-compassion is the cultivation of mindfulness which is defined by Jon Kabat-zinn as an “invitation to live your life as though it really matters in each timeless moment”. Research has shown that engaging in mindfulness practice for 12 minutes a day is sufficient to result in significant benefits in one’s mental wellbeing. I would encourage leaders to inspire their team members to take a moment to pause, reflect on what it is that they need at that moment, and give themselves permission to engage in an activity that nourishes them. The acronym RAIN is often used as a helpful tool to guide people as they build their mindfulness practice. It can also be helpful to follow up on the RAIN practice by identifying tangible things that one can do about the emotion and asking “how do I do it from a place of self-compassion?”:
R : Recognizing what you’re feeling in that moment while suspending judgment
A : Allowing yourself to feel a specific emotion while practicing non-judgment
I : Investigating the emotion in a more in-depth manner by asking yourself “where is this feeling coming from?”
N : Nurturing with self-compassion
Another way to access compassion and mindfulness is the cultivation of awe which serves as an antidote to the crisis of meaning which connects us to the greater collective and enables us to derive a greater sense of meaning and deeper purpose. Awe narratives can be created via music particularly live music, being in nature, visual designs, spiritual moments, social interactions where exceptional kindness or altruism takes place, and meaningful group activities that help us transcend ourselves and solidify our identity.
Q: As a Leader where does someone begin, when they suspect a mental health challenge in a colleague or team member?
I think the key is to be mindful about creating safe space or psychological safety so that the colleague or team member is able to open up more which will, in turn, allow the leader to assess and plan accordingly. Maintaining healthy boundaries is important as leaders meet with their colleague or staff as leaders aren’t therapists, so making it clear that the purpose of checking-in or assessing is to determine next steps and to connect the colleague to appropriate resources, if necessary. It is also important to be intentional about following up with the team member, which in turn, reinforces psychological safety and builds that bilateral trust between leaders and their team members.
In general, there are some guidelines that may be helpful in terms of recognizing declining mental health in employees, though it is important to recognize that mental health concerns tend to be quite complex and the presentation of issues vary on a case-by-case basis. Some of the common signs include changes in work performance, behaviors and mood that deviates from the employee’s usual demeanor, which would warrant the need to make time and space to create safety to have conversations about mental health and connecting the employee with the appropriate internal and external resources.
The following resource by the WHO entitled “Guidelines on Mental Health at work” provides organizations, managers, and employees with ways to improve the implementation of evidence-based interventions for addressing mental health concerns at work. It may be a helpful resource for leaders to refer to in order to generate ideas in terms of how to approach the team member they are concerned about, signs to look out for, etc.
Guidelines on mental health at work (who.int)
Q: What advice would you give to employees whose leaders say they support mental wellbeing but their actions create the opposite (high stress/demand environment)?
While there isn’t an easy solution to address this discrepancy between what leaders say and the actual actions being taken, the following guideline may provide some insight into elements of organizations that are related to overall readiness for psychological health as well as common barriers that are standing in the way. If there are internal employee resource groups or a platform where these guidelines can be discussed, then those may be a starting point in terms of addressing the employees’ concerns. Being as clear and specific as possible in their communication with their leaders is key.
Another potential starting that may foster further discussions on this topic is the ISO 45003 ISO - International Organization for Standardization which is being put forth by the International Organization for Standardization, a global standard on psychosocial health & safety, psychological injury. The ISO 45003 provides guidelines for reducing mental health risk at work by addressing psychosocial risks and hazards in the workplace. It serves as a toolkit for organizations to manage psychological health and safety in a similar fashion to how we manage physical health and safety, and can be useful in serving as a stepping stone to addressing organizations’ reluctance to tackle mental health due to organizations feeling uncomfortable around addressing mental health related concerns. Common psychosocial hazards addressed by the ISO 45003 include work overload, conflict/coping with change, bullying, harassment, lack of role clarity and a sense of control, perceived lack of support, microaggression in the workplace, perceived lack of recognition, and low sense of connection.
Some of the practical next steps that can be considered include identifying which risks and hazards apply to your organization, gathering evidence (look at absence/incident data, staff surveys, job descriptions, exit interviews, etc.), working closely with HR to address policies that need to be looked at, and connecting the dots between all the things that an organization may be doing already but may require a more concerted response based on the above findings. The key is to address the identified risks and hazards in a similar manner to how other occupational health and safety issues are being addressed.
Another resource that may be relevant here is the MORPH =Measure of Organizational readiness for psychological health.
crm1234_coast-mental-health_morph-report_pr.pdf (d3mh72llnfrpe6.cloudfront.net)
Q: How has the flexibility of the hybrid work model contributed positively to peoples’ mental health?
I think increased flexibility as a result of the hybrid work model is beneficial to people’s mental health because it is more aligned with people’s expectations towards work post-pandemic. As we all had to pivot and learn to be flexible and creative in order to continue to do our jobs and make things work during the pandemic, people have now redefined their values and shifted their expectations towards work and have re-prioritized work-life balance. This is particularly important because we have all had to be innovative and be flexible during the pandemic in order to adjust, and not having continued access to this flexibility and accommodations at work which has become our new normal would be demoralizing to many. The increased flexibility also allows people to be able to fully integrate and embrace different roles that they have in addition to work, thus allowing people to show up as their whole, authentic selves and truly thrive in different areas of life, all of which contributes towards psychological safety at work which, in turn, enhances people’s overall mental health.
Q: We are living in a whole new world post pandemic. What is a key unlearning for one to focus on in this changing environment?
As we all navigate this new world as we are coming out of the pandemic, I think one key takeaway is that we are now immersed in a relationship economy rather than a knowledge economy. Within this digital era, we are constantly surrounded by information and knowledge is oftentimes just a click away; however, many of us feel more disconnected than ever even though we now have more means than ever to connect digitally. In the heart of this pandemic of loneliness, I would argue that we are longing for a sense of deep, meaningful connection that are not easily cultivated via digital means and requires that instead of channeling the bulk of our energy into knowing and doing, that we start thinking about the importance of simply being and asking ourselves “who do I want to be?”. The pandemic, by nature, has made us all pause and engage in more self-reflection, and realize that our old normal has been hyper focused on being seemingly busy and on doing and knowing as much as we could. While there is certainly a time and place for them, I think after the “great reset” induced by the pandemic, having clarity about our identity is key as it will then trickle down to the values and behaviors that are aligned with that identity. This requires some unlearning around the tendency to fill our schedules with doing and knowing, and instead taking a moment to pause and reflect on who we want to be when we are engaging in certain actions. This will then guide our values and actions and result in greater alignment in terms of our authentic selves and how we show up in this world.
In the workplace, people are more focused on the importance of meaningful work and values matter a lot more than before. Therefore, members of the workforce are more cognizant of whether there is congruence between personal values vs organizational values, and are more willing to leave a workplace if there is a perceived lack of alignment. Members of the workforce are also expecting greater transparency and accountability from their organizations, and a safe space to fall forward and learn from their mistakes instead of being held back due to fear of making mistakes
Q: How can we address the stigma surrounding mental health in the workplace and encourage open conversations about mental health and well-being?
First off, it is important to recognize that stigma around mental health in general tends to be nuanced, subtle and very much engrained in our societal norms and mindset that oftentimes it can be challenging to recognize it in the first place. In order to address stigma about mental health, the first step involves doing some internal work around deepening our awareness and examining our own biases and beliefs about mental health. To begin the work of breaking down stigma, it can be helpful to utilize the power of storytelling and sharing lived or living experiences at the leadership level about mental health struggles which then helps set the stage for more open and candid conversations throughout the organization. It is helpful for leaders to lead by example and engage in self reflection about one’s personal biases about mental health. This will allow one to truly lean into vulnerability and develop the ability to have uncomfortable discussions about stigma. Finally, it is important to point out that, in reality, stigma may not be completed eliminated, the impact of stigma on workplaces can be addressed and mitigated so that we are in a better position to address it.
The following online tools may also offer relevant strategies in terms of ways to tackle mental health concerns and stigma in the workplace:
The Working Mind program which is made available on the Mental Health Commission of Canada website offers an online tool that addresses and works towards reducing mental health-related stigma via an evidence-based program:
The Working Mind - Mental Health Commission of Canada
Manager’s Toolkit – Leading in a Hybrid Work Environment - Mental Health Commission of Canada
Q: As a service provider, I found that disclosure of mental health issues at the workplace is rarely a good idea for the consumer or the organization. Comments?
Unfortunately, I recognize that this is part of the reality in some workplaces where it may not be safe to disclose mental health issues. I also find that workplaces vary greatly in terms of their values in terms of diversity, equity and inclusion which directly impacts their policies and mindset on mental health challenges in their employees, so certainly I would suggest using your own discretion in terms of the company culture and level of safety in disclosing sensitive and personal information in each workplace. Having said that, I think this ultimately sheds light on a more systemic and societal issue of how we look at mental health issues, myths and misunderstandings about it, and the stigma that is quite entrenched in our society. Psychoeducation around the nature and realities about mental health challenges is key, but there is still a lot of work required around helping people take a look at their own unconscious bias against mental health issues and the meaning and connotations that people associate with mental health. I would also recommend an online resource called The Working Mind The Working Mind - Mental Health Commission of Canadawhich is one of the many offerings by the Mental Health Commission of Canada where one can find tools and resources to address stigma related to mental health.
Q: How do you create psychological safety in a team?
I view the idea of creating psychological safety in the workplace as a shared responsibility that needs to be an organization-wide effort involving leaders as well as individual employees. Psychological safety is about building bilateral trust where people feel safe and comfortable enough in the workplace to be able to show up as their full, authentic selves and are able to speak up without fearing repercussions or negative impact on their careers. When leaders are able to ask questions by coming from a place of compassion and curiosity, seeds of psychological safety are being planted. Some of the tools to create psychological safety include asking which one of the following three universal triggers of stress can I help you with: loss of control, uncertainty, and lack of information. Leaders who are able to address these potential roots of stress in employees are playing a pivotal role in creating psychological stress in the workplace
This calls for a systemic and holistic approach and the establishment of psychological literacy across the organization where everyone would have the opportunity to be educated about psychosocial hazards and risks, as well as ways to manage them. It’s also about recognizing the fact that at the end of the day, we are all humans with the same need to be heard, seen, and validated for who we are. When we lead and practice with this in mind, we then exude a quality of psychological safety that will create a ripple effect throughout the organization. Other ways to strengthen psychological safety in organizations include leading from the inside out and from our hearts. Part of the work in being authentic is recognizing that we work in progress, and dropping perfectionism and asking instead “what is standing in the way of me putting my best foot forward?”. This echoes the idea that in order to connect with others, we must connect with ourselves first.
I find the National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace (by the Mental Health Commission of Canada) Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace - CSA Group offers a good starting point for looking at tools to guide organizations in promoting mental health and preventing psychological harm at work. You may want to tweak it so that strategies can be customized to fit with the culture and nuances of your particular workplace.
Another online resource is the Action Guide for Employers Psychological Health & Safety (by the Mental Health Commission of Canada): An Action Guide for Employers
Psychological Health & safety - An action guide for employers - Mental Health Commission of Canada
Guarding Minds at Work also offers useful tools for employers to assess and address psychosocial factors known to have an impact on organizational health and financial bottom line.
Guarding Minds at Work (workplacestrategiesformentalhealth.com)
Q: A lot of university students didn’t get the full experience due to the pandemic. What can employers do for such students entering the workforce?
My sense is that university students or Gen Z members of our workforce not only didn’t get the full experience at school due to the pandemic for obvious reasons, but they are also entering the workforce with a different mindset and expectations towards work than generations before them. It is important to consider the milieu and larger cultural context in which they grew up whereby the internet has been part of their world from the beginning, and online phenomena like fake news, truth vs misinformation, etc. have been part of their reality and things they have had to grapple with from the beginning. This has therefore resulted in a generation that is very much attuned to values like authenticity, sense of agency, and whether there is alignment of values between what a company claims to have vs what is actually being implemented in reality. Gen Zs are also less likely to tolerate toxic work environments and more likely to be astute about asking companies about their values, company culture, flexibility, and policies around diversity, equity and inclusion during job interviews. I think employers who are mindful of these unique values and mindset of students entering the workforce, and are proactive about providing insights and solutions to address them, are in a better position to both hire and retain people in the long run.
Q: How can team members navigate a situation where senior leaders are not open to having a discussion about creating a safe space in the workplace?
Every workplace is unique in terms of culture and existing policies so I would use that as a starting point for conversation. Having said that, I would suggest exploring with senior leaders what it is that they are reluctant to have a discussion about, eg is it due to a lack of time, financial constraints or perceived feeling of overwhelm in terms of potentially having to make changes? I would start by meeting them where they are at, addressing their concerns and then approaching it from the angle that creation of psychological safety does not necessarily require spending money on new programs etc., but rather building some new practices and mindsets and embedding them into existing policies and practices. The following guidelines may also provide some insight into this phenomenon:
MORPH : Measure of Organizational Readiness for Psychological Health
crm1234_coast-mental-health_morph-report_pr.pdf (d3mh72llnfrpe6.cloudfront.net)
Another approach would be to address the above concerns the same way one would tackle other health and safety risks. Here, the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) 45003 ISO - International Organization for Standardization offers guidance for reducing mental health risk at work by addressing psychosocial risks and hazards in the workplace. I find that the guidance provided by the ISO 45003 on the management of psychosocial risks and promotion of well-being at work to be quite helpful to organizations in terms of ways to approach mental health issues. For instance, the ISO 45003 proposes that some of the first steps may be identifying which risk or hazard applies to your organization out of the list provided, gathering evidence (by looking at staff surveys, job descriptions, exit interviews, absence/incident data, etc.), looking at what is already being done under existing occupational health and safety in the organization as a starting point, working closely with HR about policies, and the necessary adjustments and changes that need to be made based on the above exercises.
Q: As a manager, how do you deal with stated mental health issues by one or more of your staff members? We’re not equipped to deal with this.
First off, I would point out that managers are not therapists and therefore, their jobs are not to treat the mental health issues presented by their staff members. The idea is to connect on a human-to-human level by creating space and a sense of trust and safety for staff to reach out and be vulnerable about their struggles, which will allow managers to then assess the situation and be able to determine next steps forward, resources that would be helpful to the employee, etc. When meeting with employees and addressing their mental health which can be a delicate and difficult topic for some to open up about, it is especially important to be coming from a place of curiosity and compassion, rather than judgement or trying to prescribe solutions. Remember, managers do not have to have all the answers or to necessarily be the ones coming up with the solutions, but it is more about setting the stage so that there a safe space/platform for employees to feel comfortable enough to be reaching out and working collaboratively with mangers to identify solutions that work for their particular situation/set of challenges.
The following online resources may be of help to equip managers with the information and mindset to tackle mental health issues in employees:
Guarding Minds at Work Guarding Minds at Work (workplacestrategiesformentalhealth.com): provides tools for employers to assess and address psychosocial factors known to have an impact on organizational health and financial bottom line
National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace by the Mental Health Commission of Canada -Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace - CSA Group provides a set of voluntary guidelines, tools and resources intended to guide organizations in promoting mental health and preventing psychological harm at work
The Antidepressant Skills Workbook by Dr. Dan Bilsker & Dr. Randy Paterson Tools - Antidepressant Skills Workbook - Psych Health + Safety (psychhealthandsafety.org): addresses depression using a cognitive-behavioral framework, and can be a useful resource for other types of mental health struggles as well
Q: As a leader how do you deal with an employee who appears to be struggling with a mental health issue that is affecting the workplace but does not acknowledge it? What does support look like for Mental Health First Aiders?
I would suggest meeting employees where they are, and starting with the reluctance for that employee to acknowledge their mental health struggle. While every individual’s situation and struggles are unique, there are typically some common reasons for someone to not want to disclose or acknowledge their mental health struggles, including stigma associated with mental health, perceived lack of psychological trust and safety, concerns about confidentiality and fear of repercussions and implications for their career advancement, just to name a few. Again, creating psychological safety is key; as well, it can be helpful to provide validation about how it can be challenging for anyone in their situation to have to open up. Where appropriate, it can be quite powerful for leaders to lead with vulnerability and open up about similar challenges that they may have experienced in the past which then gives permission for the employee to do the same. It can be helpful to broach the subject by starting with factual information, such as your observations about any recent changes that seem a bit off about that employee compared to their typical or baseline behavior or work performance eg changes in their demeanor, shifts in mood, increased irritability, appearing to be more withdrawn and disengaged, less willing to partake in social activities compared to their usual selves etc. Sharing these observations can then lead to further check-ins or more in depth conversation about their mental wellbeing.
The following online tool may be of relevance to provide managers with strategies in terms of ways to approach mental health concerns in the current work environment and to address stigma associated with mental health.
Manager’s Toolkit – Leading in a Hybrid Work Environment - Mental Health Commission of Canada
For Mental Health First Aiders, it may be helpful to take a look at the following resource put forth by the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) 45003: Guidance for reducing mental health risk at work by addressing psychosocial risks and hazards in the workplace. I find that the guidance provided by the ISO 45003 on the management of psychosocial risks and promotion of well-being at work is often helpful to organizations in terms of ways to approach mental health issues.