Why mental health in the workplace is a Dickens of an issue
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”
In 1859 Mr Charles Dickens wrote those immortal words that echo through the centuries, that retain their relevance with every cycle of history, and words that continue to remind me for every step forward we take we seem to take at least another one back, at least.
We are wise enough to know that mental health is out of control across the world but remain too foolish to take the steps necessary to begin helping ourselves and each other.
It is the spring of hope as increasingly organisations such as Cigna, or Bupa, or Deloitte, or the Global Business Collaboration for Better Workplace Mental Health, or indeed the PRCA, highlight the issue in a way that has not been done before.
But for at least 1 in 4 of us globally or 1 in 3 in the UAE according to recent research by the University of Sharjah, Zayed University and the United Arab Emirates University, it remains the winter of despair for those impacted by mental health, with not nearly enough being done by workplaces to tackle mental health issues.
The best of times, we’ve never had so much research that can help us help, there has never been a stronger business case for investment in this space. The worst of times, not only do employers fall short, toxic leaderships and workplaces still abound.
However, as the immortal Sam Cooke sang, a change is gonna come.
Consider Cigna’s research that showed 88 percent of UAE employees are stressed out, one of the highest rates in the world, and likewise that 50 percent want to quit their jobs. Where do we go with that? Because it cannot be sustained, we’re reaching a tipping point, if it goes North much more and hits 100 percent what then? Companies will be forced by the market, to change because those that don’t will simply no longer be able to attract talent. No staff, no output, no profit, no bonus for the board, no pat on the back for the CEO, that doesn’t seem like a complicated equation.
Another facet of Cigna’s research – which I’m sure is borne out by PRCA’s data, is that it is the younger generation, the Millennials and the Gen Zs, who are leading this desire to walk out on toxic environments. That means ‘the Great Resignation’ isn’t a flash in the pan, it is a generational shift.
Businesses, all sectors, all industries, stand at a crossroads. They can continue to treat their teams like batteries, using them up and throwing them away, but they should be warned there are fewer and fewer batteries in the market.
It is understandable after 2020 the desire of boards and management to make hay while the sun shines in Q3 or Q4 of 2021, but profit at all cost comes with a price, and it’s a price that increasingly employees are not willing to pay.
There will be leaders who will treat these words, and this warning, with the incredulity that Dickens wrote off. For the rest of us let’s hold onto the belief that an epoch in mental health is coming – it is.
