Working for mentally healthy offices
It has been almost a year since WHO put the spotlight on mental health in the workplace in conjunction with the 2017 World Mental Health Day, but there is still much to be done in Malaysian workplaces to create a mentally healthy work environment, say experts.
TECH outfit Google is famed for its efforts to keep its employees happy and motivated – providing all kinds of perks from paid lunches, massage rooms to free haircuts, and even a staff vegetable patch in the company garden. But when they conducted a study on how to increase productivity further in their teams, Google discovered that the secret to success is simple – they just have to “be nice” to each other.
As the study – called Project Aristotle – revealed, successful teams are those with high “psychological safety” or sense of mutual respect and openness with each other at the workplace.
Psychological safety is easy to create at the workplace, says organisational psychologist Hetal Doshi, but based on the organisations in the country that she has worked and ran mental resilience programmes with, many Malaysian companies not only do not have a good level of “psychological safety” but are also inflicted with a poor mental health.
“I’m sure you have gone to an office or company where everyone is so moody and irritable and they get triggered so quickly by little things. If the aura and energy in the company is bad, it just shows that it has a poor mental health.”
It is almost a year since the World Health Organization put the spotlight on mental health in the workplace in conjunction with the 2017 World Mental Health Day. However, there is still much to be done in Malaysian workplaces to create a mentally healthy work environment, say experts.
As Hetal puts it, based on Project Aristotle findings, many Malaysian workers may not be motivated or productive.
“The most simple indicator of their stress and mental health issues is on the road – when you are driving, you can see that no one wants to be nice.”
And people are getting triggered so easily on the road, she adds, which is a main sign of an unhealthy mental health.
She points to changes in the nature of work as a major factor.
“How I would diagnose it is change. Change is the most stressful episode in life that people can face.
“Most organisations are currently going through major restructuring due to technological changes. Any given company now will be letting go of staff or asking their staff to take on new roles and additional roles – often roles that they have never been exposed to.”
She adds, a majority of people aged from 40 to 60 are extremely stressed because they feel that they are not equipped for the digital age and digital economy.
“They may feel incapable and once self-esteem at its core is questioned, it can lead to stress and depression.”
On the other hand, the younger generation may feel unhappy at work – many may feel that their pay is too low for their workload, says Hetal.
“Generally if the money that you get is constricted, you’ll feel constricted. On top of that, many of them might have high social expectations – they have been told that they can ‘be anything they want to be’, ‘do whatever they want’ or ‘go wherever they want’ - and when the reality does not live up to them, they can become stressed or depressed,” she says.
Combined with the changes in social roles and relationships – divorce rates in the country have increased and many young people are not living with their parents anymore – it is not surprising that many Malaysians are stressed, she adds.
As the National Health Morbidity Survey 2015 showed, there has been an increase of mental health problems among those aged 16 and above – from 10.6% in 1996 to 29.2% in 2015.
A human resource manager at a local company undergoing restructuring here agrees, confiding that she has seen a spike in medical claims for antidepressants from its staff in the last few months.
“It is worrying, and we are looking at reviewing our medical benefits to include mental health,” says the manager, who only wants to be known as Sue.
Ultimately it’s about providing “psychological safety” in the workplace, Hetal reiterates, and that is not something difficult to do: “Employers need to assure their staff that they will be safe with whatever issues they have and he or she will be trusted in the process. The problem is that the bosses themselves are under pressure and may also be stressed out.”
Basically employers need to make their employees feel appreciated and recognised for their contribution, says Malaysia Mental Health Association president Datuk Dr Andrew Mohanraj.
“Employers must realise that this will win them employees’ loyalty and result in an increase in the company’s productivity through their dedicated work,” he says, noting that this can be done with an open and respectful communication in the workplace.
“A working environment that promotes a culture of participation, equality and fairness – such as an inclusive environment and one that that has no place for bullying or humiliation in the name of boosting performance – will go a long way in minimising grouses that can lead to psychological stress.”
Sometimes all it takes is the right furniture to create workplace wellness, says Dr Mohanraj.
“An ergonomic work area or work station, for example, can go a long way in preventing psychological stress in the work place. Phsycial health and mental health are two sides of the same coin. When one side is affected, there is consequence on the other side as well. This intertwined relationship between mental health and physical health is what can be very confusing and often overlooked at the workplace.”
Let’s be clear about one thing, he notes: “Stress is not a medical condition. In fact, a little stress can help in better performance and increase the competive spirit and boost imagination. However, excessive or prolonged stress can result in anxiety and depression, which in turn can result in physical conditions like heart disease, back pain
and headache.”
Dr Mohanraj also points to an interesting development in the work environment that is gaining popularity these days worldwide – Mental Health Day Off.
“Mental Health Day Off has been recognised in many societies and corporate cultures as a strategy for emplyees to motivate their mood and be recharged to improve productivity of the organisation.
“In countries like the US, Canada and New Zealand, it has been long established where an employee can take a day off just to rejuvenate psychologically. I think such a concept must be encouraged in Malaysia as well. If an employee can take a day off for having fever or flu and choose to stay at home rather than coming to work on that day when the employee is feeling overly stressed out as a result of work, why not?”
Echoing the suggestion for a specific day for people to take time out from work so that they can recharge themselves, Hetal says with clear policies in the company employers can ensure that their employees do not abuse it.
Crucially, companies must create an environment which is cognizant of mental health in the workplace, says Dr Mohanraj.
“It will be useful to invite mental health professionals to speak at the workplace. This will also help in reducing stigma in mental illness.”
Bigger companies can consider providing psychological support for their staff, he adds, through some sort of Independent Employee Assistance Programme, which offers an anonymous helpline for staff in crisis, or an avenue to talk about workplace bullying or sexual harassment.
“This can help protect the employee from severe psychological stress that could end up in depression an even suicide,” Hetal agrees. Most of the time, she says, employers only take the initiative after a tragedy – such as the suicide of an employee – occurs.
National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye also recommends talking about mental health openly at the office to create a mentally healthy work environment.
“Talk openly about mental health to reduce the stigma. This will enable employees who are affected to reach out for help for early intervention. This can be done by having talks by mental health practitioners at their offices, or have a ‘brown bag’ session during lunch hour to encourage open discussion among staff.”
Companies can also have a monthly mental health assessment, he adds.
“But they have to make sure they can provide a good support system – perhaps have a counselling unit or engage external counselors.”
Ultimately, says Lee, employers need to create a good, relaxing environment at the workplace.
“Employees should also be allowed to take a short break or even nap, as research has shown that taking time out increases productivity. They can also organise weekly leisure activity such as yoga, karaoke session, bowling. It is a good way to de-stress while at the same time strengthen the relationship among staff. With a stronger bond and relationship, staff will find it easier to open up when faced with an issue.”
Malaysian Employers Federation Datuk Shamsuddin Bardan agrees that it is important to introduce workplaces that are friendlier to the employees with enough recreational facilities.
“It is important to create a workplace that is conducive for employees to work – a workplace where employees always look forward to come to. But employers obviously cannot do it alone. The government, employees and employers should work closely together to create a country and conducive workplaces to prevent employess from suffering mental health.”
Shamsuddin believes it is most crucial to create and establish “work-life balance” culture in the organisation where both the interests of the employers and employees can be addressed adequately.
In countries where there is a clear distinction between work and home life, like in the Nordic countries, you can see that the people’s wellbeing and happiness levels are high.
Among the measures that companies can consider, he says, are flexible working hours, especially for working mothers with very young children.
“Providing a creche at the work place can go along way in employee satisfaction and provide relief to working mothers which in turn reduces stress that can be translated into poor productivity.”
Lee proposes for staggered working hours or flexibility of working from home for certain hours in a week.
“Most people spent a great amount of time caught in the jam while traveling to work and back home. Getting caught in traffic can be very stressful, and it may affect mental health in the long run,” he says.
Hetal, however, feels that there is no real work-life balance.
“Just ask a student if he or she has school-life balance. It’s strange right? So, it is important to create a good work environment so people can have a good life at work,” she notes.