Mental Wealth by Emi Golding

Author:Emi Golding [Emi Golding and Peter Diaz]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Morgan James Publishing
Published: 2020-04-14T16:00:00+00:00

#3 Poorly executed activities

Another thing that can make workplace mental health programs fail, or even worsen the mental health of the employees, are well meaning but poorly executed workplace mental health activities. One common example we’ve seen is kind-hearted managers and HR directors deciding to promote mental health with an annual event, usually round October, which is Mental Health Month in most parts of the globe. The typical activity is to put on a morning tea (if we feed them, they will come). They scatter a few brochures around the place about counselling services, and perhaps someone even says a few words about mental health. Everyone stands around, talks with each other about how important the topic is, and perhaps mentions a cousin of theirs who was depressed, or worse—has schizophrenia. Management then pats themselves on the back and no one mention mental health again for another year.

Now, in some organisational cultures, that works out just fine. But in many workplaces, particularly those with a stigmatised view of mental health, or where employees are already disgruntled with management for some other reason, that kind of thing can be seen as very tokenistic, and that works against the ultimate aim of the activity. We’ve heard employees say, ‘Management don’t care about our wellbeing. Sure, they put on a morning tea, but if they really cared, they’d do something about our sixty-hour work-week’ (or our pay rate, or KPIS, or whatever else their grudge may be). And they’re right.

Similarly, running a short education program as a one-off to ‘tick the box’, rarely provides the type of change an organisation would benefit from. To get real results, you need to give it some time, attention and resources on a consistent basis. Not necessarily huge amounts, but enough, and at the right times. As you’ll see in part two, integrating our workplace mental health activities within the organisational systems is vital.

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