Be mindful of your mental health
An HR professional wrote a blog earlier this month as part of a series of reflections and resolutions. It was 43rd in a series of 45 and contained 766 words. But the repercussions of those 766 words have far outweighed the reaction to any of the other 44 blogs and 30,000 words put together.
Why? Because the writer had the courage to put their head above the parapet, even if anonymously, to talk about mental health.
Even though it is something that 25 per cent of people in any profession will be affected by, mental health is something we like to keep quiet about. It’s something we’re embarrassed to admit and hide at all costs. We don’t ask for help early enough for fear of the repercussions, despite the fact you would get treatment for a broken leg or flu immediately.
If you’re a manager, if you suffer with mental health issues, or know someone who
does, you may like to read this week’s blogs from The HR Juggler as they explore mental health at
work further. There will be blogs from all sides – from those offering support, as well as from those with mental health issues.
You might also want to explore the support mental health charity Mind can offer. After all, you never know who is or who will become a member of the 25 per cent club.
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As a director/manager you must also be aware of the mental health of your staff. Especially in an uncertain economic environment when stress runs high. I had one individual that was talking of harming himself and others. His line manager approached me on this, and I quickly had to learn about legal rights of individuals and at what point I can barr a person access to the workplace, contact the police, the archaic HR process and medical resources to care for the individual etc etc…obviously sacking this individual on the spot would have been the wrong course and would probably have resulted in tragedy. The shocking part of this story is that this had gone on for weeks before the line manager notified me. He waited until the individual was following him and sitting in a parked car outside his house. Now my staff know that mental health issues do not get better ocver time or go away when ignored…they need to be addressed quickly and sensitively.
Keep me up great work.Thanks for sharing!