I spotted this article on Linked In today and wanted to share it because I have increasingly been having mental health conversations with clients, colleagues and family over the past months.
As Josh says :
“It is an understatement to say that we’re living through an extremely difficult time. Covid-19 has not only taken lives, it has changed the way everyone lives theirs. Even now, as the rate of infection slows and lockdowns begin to lift, the impact of this pandemic on our world hasn’t eased. And the reality is that this will continue to be felt for many years………..we do need to be very conscious of the mental impact all of this will continue to have – on ourselves and our teams. With such drastic change comes discomfort and, for most people, challenges to adapt and stay mentally healthy.
The human race is, by our nature, social. To be healthy, we rely on interactions and, in modern society, our everyday freedom. While this is not possible, we all need to make sure we’re as careful with our mental health as we are our physical health. This is especially true in business.”
As a society, and especially in the current climate, we need to do more and demand more of ourselves and each other – both in work and in the UK as a whole. And we need to drive cultural change so that, as our lives and workplaces change, everyone is supported. Josh suggests three ways we can all contribute as business and as employers:
- Businesses must take this opportunity to drive cultural change to make mental health understanding instinctive. Whether our offices are open or closed, there is a place for wellbeing apps and other support services. But this is exactly what they are – they support mental health but they do nothing to change the way it is handled within the business.
- Leaders need to step up.If this pandemic has taught us anything, it is that brilliant leadership is about authenticity, honesty and openness. Whether it’s a political leader like Jacinda Ardern, or a business leader like Jack Dorsey, the leaders who people gravitate towards are those who stand up and are counted, and do so not for fame or fortune, but because it’s they believe they should.
- We need to hold ourselves to account.Some organisations are doing great things – developing a culture where employee wellbeing is an instinctive responsibility for all working with them. Others are paying lip service or, even worse, are doing nothing.