Mental health in the workplace Canada

Promoting mental well-being in the workplace can have a great impact on the company. Anxiety and depression in some countries are significantly increasing.

The Economics Foundation, a non-profit organization that aims to build and build a economy based on people and full control over their lives, indicates 5 ways to improve their well-being:

The priority is undoubtedly the social relationship

The first is the connection. Social relationships are vital to our well-being. When we add value (through the implementation of a project, offering our understanding or simply bringing a new talent into the team), people feel valued and appreciated. Making positive contributions makes us feel better. The relationship is one of the fundamental human needs. A great example of promoting the relationship is to stop writing useless emails - and, for example, speak to a colleague personally. The vis visive interaction, even if brief, allows to see the expressions of the face, to hear the tone of voice and allow a better understanding of a situation. One of the reasons why emails fill us with anxiety is because, often, they represent a demand for time and energy that can distract you from your work at hand. Furthermore, these requests may accumulate.

To really foster this purpose, a great method is to check emails at recurring times of the day, not continuous. Being a little less connected can help us feel more in tune with the surrounding world.

For the next coffee break, start the conversation with a colleague with whom you have recently interacted. Ask them what the weekend was like and really listen to what's being shared. These small steps in the workplace can help you feel better.

Small changes, big consequences


Anxiety and stress are difficult to remove from our working life, but not entirely impossible, and we are certainly able to reduce the direct impacts we suffer. If you accept that there will be days when you feel more stressed and anxious than others, it will be easier to manage them. One of the biggest anxiety problems we experience happens when even the simplest of things can become too difficult to manage. Knowing and accepting that this is normal anxiety will help alleviate the burden. A good example of stress and anxiety management in the workplace is exercising (inside and outside the office) physical activity. If taking the subway to get to work, it turns out to be crowded, you are assailed by a bad mood and you start the day negatively:

The study on PageGroup's home work trip has revealed that people from all over Europe who use a bicycle or go on foot have less stress on their journeys and how they arrive in the office less stressed than those who choose to take the car or public transport .

Do not want to use public transport? No problem - take the stairs to reach your floor, dedicate half your lunch break to take a walk and get some fresh air and let the endorphins change your mood. Working on your mental well-being does not require a drastic change in lifestyle, but some small and simple steps can make a difference.

Become aware


In a fast-paced world where urgency is the new normal, we can sometimes lose sight of ourselves. Reflection and self-awareness help us understand our emotions and give us time to really face them. Studies have shown that when we are aware of what is happening and why, we get a greater perspective, and this helps us to reaffirm our choices and goals. Daniel Siegel, a clinical psychiatrist, exposed himself to self-awareness:

"When someone is aware of how emotions affect the reasoning, thinking and how to interact with other people, he has self-consciousness. the mental world, which are distinct from the circuits that allow you to be aware of the physical world. "

Giving ourselves the time to be more informed and self-aware about our reasoning, thinking and way of interacting with other people means taking our time.

Take a different path to reach your workplace or experience a new location for lunch, savor the moment and allow yourself time to reflect on things. Our constantly connected world is not the easiest place to live. Practicing a little awareness for everyday activities is a great way to make us feel more relaxed and more able to enjoy the moment, gaining the ability to better understand the people around us and our work environment.Promoting mental well-being in the workplace can have a great impact on the company. Anxiety and depression in some countries are significantly increasing.


Personal growth continues




While awareness, the relationship with our colleagues and the environment are important for our mental health, it is also useful to continue learning. No one knows everything, not even the experts. Dedicating our learning time gives us a greater sense of purpose in the world and if we are able to apply what we have learned in meetings, discussions or in our roles at work, we feel more satisfied. Susan Wallace in her book "Teaching, tutoring and training in the lifelong learning sector" noted that lifelong learning can bring us satisfaction and increase our self-esteem. This does not have to mean return to college or further qualification - there are many ways to learn something new or improve your knowledge with DIY activities, learning to cook, embracing a new hobby, adjusting your bike, or studying a new language. Everything is useful to broaden our pool of skills.


Employees and employers work together for change


While mental health is becoming increasingly widespread in society and workplaces, employees, managers, directors and CEOs understand the need to have adequate tools and strategies to address these problems. The Talent Development Manager is, for example, able to recognize the warning signs of workers in stress, anxiety and depression.

Furthermore, PageGroup is one of the first recruitment companies to sign a commitment to mental well-being. The time to change is an initiative led by a Rethink Mental Illness charity. 450 other companies have followed the example and are committed to putting an end to the taboo surrounding the issue of mental health, which leads to the implementation of a program to raise public awareness, development of training and removal of obstacles to encourage positive conversation around mental health. In the past these distressing problems would have gone unnoticed and led to a lack of productivity and absenteeism.

Society becomes more and more aware of accepting these problems, because more and more people are beginning to find the courage to raise their voices, put an end to silent sufferings and talk about issues that concern them.

Even the workplaces will be subjected to a consequent positive transformation. This will lead to healthier employees mentally and more productive, happy and ultimately more able to manage stress, anxiety and depression.