5 Things That Affect Mental Health at Work

Mental health at work is one of the most talked about topics in September, which is suicide prevention month.

Is it possible to maintain mental health at work?

The answer is yes, as long as the human side is a priority between leaders and employees. But how so?

You may have heard the famous expression: “You shouldn’t mix professional issues with personal issues. From the company’s front door to the inside, the focus is on work.”

However, we workers know that life is not like that. We are unique beings, whose minds divide thoughts about personal, love and family life with professional, financial and career issues.

If only there were a way to put on a mask and simply pretend that one side or the other isn't important at any given time of day!

But this mask does not yet exist, which means that we need to learn to deal with our emotions in order to be able to reconcile all responsibilities and live well in all scenarios of everyday life.

Mental health at work is directly related to this point: learning to deal with internal and external problems, better understanding your own reactions and having self-knowledge to face difficulties, without becoming overwhelmed by them.

It is much more an internal process, with oneself, than with external issues.

Data on mental health in the country

In 2020, the Ministry of Health carried out a survey that gathered information on the mental health of Brazilians during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a survey, it was found that there was an increase in cases of anxiety at 86.5%, in addition to the presence of post-traumatic stress disorder, at 45.5% and a proportion of depression, in its most severe form, at 16%.

Therefore, it is a fact: the pandemic situation directly affected the mental health of Brazilians, who had to deal with a totally uncontrollable issue – the situation of a disease spreading throughout the world – while enduring all the sudden changes happening in society.

Do you fit into these numbers?

Unfortunately, this is the new reality for Brazilians. And the impact of mental health at work has been extremely strong.

What happens if there is no care for mental health

How do these numbers reveal themselves in our daily lives? Through a reduced willingness to work or even do things we enjoy, feelings of loneliness and constant fear, excessive tiredness and lack of motivation, in many cases culminating in physical symptoms.

These and countless other factors contribute to a life with more problems, both in relationships and in work production, and especially with oneself.

After all, mental health is just as important as physical health and cannot be ignored!

5 Things That Affect Mental Health at Work

At work, you need to train your patience and resilience to deal with people who are completely different from you on a daily basis. However, in addition to this factor, there are other, even more important, aggravating factors that affect mental health at work. See:

Competition between employees

Establishing healthy competition to achieve goals and recognize achievements is interesting. However, when one employee is pitted against another, causing conflict, this competition becomes harmful and greatly hinders well-being and mental health.

Bad environment

Working in an unhealthy environment, without all the necessary structure to carry out your role, also affects the employee's productivity and mental health, as they end up spending the most important hours of their day at work.

At this point, it is also possible to talk about the organizational climate. Working with a cloud of pressure over your head, with fear of expressing your opinion and constant fear of making mistakes, is also linked to anxiety attacks and other emotional problems.

Abusive leadership

Company leadership needs to be responsible for, among other things, motivating employees and establishing ways to not only improve their productivity, but also improve their well-being.

When an employee has to live with an abusive leader, who shouts, does not accept opinions or justifications, is always in a bad mood, and likes to lead through fear, their mental health is in great danger.

Low pay and recognition

Low wages are proportionally related to mental health problems at work. Professionals who are willing to work and, due to low pay, are unable to achieve their goals, are likely to develop emotional problems.

Just like that employee who is always doing the best he can, and never receives any kind of recognition for his work.

How to improve mental health in the workplace

No job is perfect and that's perfectly normal. After all, this environment is made up of people who are prone to making mistakes.

However, it is necessary to establish measures to ensure that each employee's mental health is respected and maintained. This can be done through awareness-raising lectures, greater flexibility in working hours, recognition policies and pre-established metrics to improve the environment.

On the other hand, each employee needs to set limits for themselves and understand to what extent they can accept certain attitudes, or not.