Will we face a mental illness epidemic next?
By: Daniel Florian
Tags: Work From Home, Mental Health, Burnout, Remote Working, Flexible Work

Photo by Nik Shuliahin on Unsplash

A special edition on the mental health effects of WFH during lockdown:

NN: Now is the time to tackle the mental illness epidemic

WHAT IT SAYS: Lockdowns are taking a toll on the mental wellbeing of workers, compounded by bereavement, personal grief and the broader temptation to “doom-scroll” bad news streaming through social media.

WHY IT IS IMPORTANT: Enforced remote working has taught managers more about their employees’ family hinterland. They ought to have a new appreciation of the strains imposed on staff when close relatives fall ill.

BUT WAIT … I have long taken my mental health for given and only recently attempted to be more mindful. Sharing your state of mind with colleagues makes work much more human. Financial Times 🌐, 13 November 2020.

Vivek Murthy: Work and the loneliness epidemic

WHAT IT SAYS: Loneliness is a growing health epidemic. We live in a technologically connected age, yet rates of loneliness are high. Companies need to design a culture that supports connection.

WHY IT IS IMPORTANT: If we cannot rebuild social connections, we will splinter apart. Instead of coming together, we will retreat to our corners, angry, sick, and alone. Small steps can make already make a difference.

BUT WAIT … I liked the idea that even small initiatives such as the “Inside Scoop” can foster a feeling of connection. And this article is only one part of a series of seven articles, so there is plenty of food for thought in here. Harvard Business Review 🌐, 26 September 2017.

Markus Albers: So können Arbeitgeber:innen ihren Teams durch die dunklen Tage helfen

WHAT IT SAYS: Companies no longer ask wether WFH works (it does) but how it can work well. This includes taking care of the mental health of employees, not only but also because this makes employees more productive.

WHY IT IS IMPORTANT: According to John Havens, flexible work arrangements cannot be successful if companies do not feel responsible for the physical and emotional wellbeing of their employees.

BUT WAIT … An important aspect of employee benefits in a flexible work setting is that needs vary extensively: One employee might need access to a co-working space, another a yoga trainer. Companies need to be flexible, too. Rethinking 🌐, 11 November 2020. 🇩🇪

Deborah Grayson Riegel: Talking about mental health with your employees — without overstepping

WHAT IT SAYS: Three tips for talking about mental health with employees: Talk about health holistically and build up psychological safety, don’t try to “fix” issues, really listen to your employees.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT: Talking about mental health can feel tricky or even terrifying. And it becomes a vicious cycle — the less people talk about it at work, the more the stigma grows.

BUT WAIT … These easy tips may help but I wonder whether the psychological safety required for people to speak about mental health can be built remotely. Third party service providers might be an alternative. Harvard Business Review 🌐, 3 November 2020.

Pilita Clark: Hurrah for the companies giving staff more time off

WHAT IT SAYS: Some companies like Unilever, Chegg (and Dropbox) have done company-wide days off in recent months to give staff a break during a tense period.

WHY IT IS IMPORTANT: A business-wide day off sends a signal that leaders understand the existence of burnout, a serious side-effect of the pandemic, no matter where people work.

BUT WAIT … I am bad at takix^ng holidays, so it’s great to be told to put down your mobile phone for a day. The important things seems to be “company-wide”: it’s very comforting to know that everybody is taking a day off. Financial Times 🌐, 25 October 2020.

Ulrich Hegerl: “Make a plan”

WHAT IT SAYS: Writing down a weekly plan — for work and leisure — can help to create structure and prevent anxieties that come with shorter days. Sport or reading a book that you wanted to read for a while may also help.

WHY IT IS IMPORTANT: WFH is different in that there’s probably no one who will tell you what to do next all the time. But the good thing is: there’s probably no one who will tell you what to do next all the time.

BUT WAIT … I am a big fan of planning and time boxing 🌐 and have started to do this regularly when I became a remote worker in 2017. Next year, I will try the “Ein guter Plan” 🌐 planner which includes many mindfulness elements. Tagesspiegel 🌐, 28 October 2020. 🇩🇪