Jun 22, 2020
Coined ‘the black dog’ by Winston Churchill, the way depression and mental health
issues affect the men of our nation has been brought into the spotlight in the
last few years. Born of the trope of the stoic Kiwi bloke, New Zealand men have
often felt like they have to deal with mental health issues on their own, and
the effects of this have been near-disastrous.
1 in 8 Kiwi men will experience some
form of depression in their lifetime, and our suicide rate for men is almost
three times that for women.
Talking about it is the first step in us reversing these statistics. Today we’re going to look at how workplaces have an effect on men’s mental health, and what employers can do to help mitigate these.
What Causes Mental
Health Struggles?
Mental health issues can be caused by a range of issues, including:
- The
end of a relationship
- Family
difficulties
- A
death to someone close
- Ongoing
unemployment
- Bullying
- Financial
issues
- Physical
injuries or restrictions
These are only a fraction of the
reasons – in fact, sometimes there may be no reasons at all. It can affect anyone regardless of age,
background, or gender. The way depression affects men is different from
women - we’re not saying that women aren’t affected, but men are less likely to
speak out about their experiences.
Kiwi men feel that they aren’t allowed to admit when they are feeling weak or vulnerable. This has led to our shocking suicide statistics - something we have only started properly addressing in the last few years but a positive step forward in the right direction.
Provisional suicide deaths by gender and rate per
100,000 population between July 2007 and June 2019 (source: Ministry of Justice)
Depression in the
Workplace
One area that needs addressing is
depression in the workplace. Mental health struggles in the workplace can stem
from a range of factors, including:
- A poor work/life balance
- Imposter syndrome
- Lack of connection to the business they work
for
- Workplace bullying
- Performance struggles
- Feeling trapped in their current role
Depression can manifest itself in many
ways. While you do your best to monitor your employees’ mental health,
only looking for the obvious symptoms will mean many can fall through the cracks.
Mental health struggles manifest themselves in many different symptoms,
including irritability, tiredness, weight fluctuation, or even just feelings of
emptiness.
There are many symptoms to keep an eye out for.
Main Causes of Workplace Stress in 2014 (source: BusinessNZ Wellness in the Workplace 2015)
What You Can Do to
Help
A recent study found that over a quarter of respondents felt depressed at
work and 12% had experienced workplace bullying. Any employer who cares about
their staff will create an environment that removes the causes of depression.
However, creating a positive workplace
to reduce mental health struggles will also benefit your business - it’s
estimated that lost productivity due to poor mental health costs businesses
$1,500 per employee annually.
There are simple changes that you can
make to your business to help support your staff - you may find that these
benefit your business too.
Promote a
healthy culture
An overall change to your
organisation’s culture will do wonders for your employees’ mental health.
There are many tips available online for how to do this,
but it may be as simple as asking your staff for suggestions on what could
boost their wellbeing at work. This way, they also feel heard, appreciated, and
valued as a staff member.
Promote the Issue
One of the hardest things about overcoming mental health is talking about it. Some staff may not be ready - by promoting self-help remedies may let them tackle the issue in their own way.
Remove the Cause
As an employer, you have a
responsibility under the Health and Safety
at Work Act 2015 to take reasonable and practicable
steps to protect your staff’s health and safety - this includes issues like
bullying or overworking. An anonymous channel may prompt staff to come
forward about their concerns, allowing you to resolve them before they get any
worse.
New Zealand: it’s time we got real
about workplace depression. We need to make changes in the workplace as
much as we do at home to protect our brothers, fathers, and sons. Small
changes in the workplace could make the world of difference to someone who is
suffering - and the cost of not doing so is too great to consider.
<< Blog
