Well-being for all
“Nothing is great unless it’s also at peace.”
Someone close to me recently shared a work experience he had a few years ago. He was struggling with some personal issues and as a result, knew he had some work to do to support his mental health.
What didn’t help, however, was the environment he was working in. It lacked psychological safety.
The Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) defines a psychologically safe workplace as “one that is the result of every reasonable effort being made to protect the mental health of employees.”
Over coffee a few weeks ago, my friend expanded. “I look back and think if only more patience was given, more clarification on what I could do better was shared, more acknowledgement for my contributions and more of a safe space was created for me to raise my concerns, I would have been more capable of being myself. Less likely to have doubted myself, resulting in anxiety and stress at home too.”
Thankfully he’s now thriving but his experience inspires us to be better when we’re with each other from Monday to Friday. If we think about mental health at work, it’s paramount to create a supportive culture that is based on mutual respect, consideration and clear communication. When we learn that 47% of Canadians consider their work to be the most stressful part of their daily life*, we all have to get better at making it easier to get the best professionally and personally out of every day.
When serious mental health illness occurs, professionals are available and standing by to support. Yet, how do we ensure that we best support each other day to day?
Think about your workplace and ask yourself if it’s psychologically safe, and if not, what you can do to promote greater well-being. The impact we have on each other is profound – we spend most of our waking hours pursuing collective goals by working together to do so, after all. Thus, the opportunity to fuel well-being within our work environments truly are endless and thankfully, within our control. The most inspiring leadership skill is one that positively engages, embraces and empowers everyone. We all have a role to play.
But where do we start?
First, by knowing what could impact well-being. The World Health Organization** maintains the following are some things to look out for (remember that all workplaces are different and unique risks may be present):
Inadequate health and safety policies
Poor communication and management practices
Limited participation in decision-making or low control over one’s area of work
Low levels of support for employees
Inflexible working hours
Unclear tasks or organizational objectives
Next, commit to setting the right tone by challenging your approach when working with others. Thankfully the MHCC has created a National Standard to guide suggested well-being best practices with 13 factors to address in order to create greater cultures of care. It’s important to understand what your top risks are, engaging in dialogue with others to understand what’s happening (or not) and building the right action plan.
Third, openly discuss the outcomes of your findings and establish an action plan. Remember to keep it personal because nothing is more personal than someone’s well-being. “What can I do to make it easier for someone to work well, without distraction and sharp focus?” should be the ongoing question you work on. Psychological safety is about enabling someone to flourish – regardless of the business we’re in, how we handle our work relationships is as important as the work we’re doing. Maybe even more.
And last, stay committed to assessing well-being risks because new ones can pop up. Mental health like physical health ebbs and flows and despite our best intention when establishing our action plans, the work environment is ever changing and with change comes new opportunities to raise the bar on well-being.
Good mental health at work is about nurturing an environment where people can put their best mind forward without worry. As Mary Ann Baynton, Program Director for the Great-West Life Centre for Mental Health in the Workplace, points out, “Work should be a refuge from the stressors of life – it shouldn’t be another stressor.”
So let’s commit to embracing supportive leadership values (regardless of the positions and roles we maintain) and check in with ourselves from time to time to see what we can do to be a more enabling colleague. We all deserve to make the most of the day with enough energy at the end of it so we can enjoy our passions at home and within our communities. Let’s build each other up and help fuel positive well-being that extends well beyond the workplace.
The rest will play out naturally.
My gratitude to JC and JT for your thoughtful edits and to MI, keep shining bright.
Referenced sources:
*Government of Canada, July 2016
**Mental Health in the Workplace, May 2019
