Dr. Charan Teja Koganti,

Consultant Neuropsychiatrist,

KIMS Hospitals, Kondapur

“Mental Health at Work”. This World Mental Health Day, WHO is uniting with partners to highlight the vital connection between mental health and work. A safe, healthy working environment can act as a protective factor for mental health while Unhealthy toxic conditions can pose significant risks, affecting mental health, overall quality of life and consequently participation or productivity at work. Risks to mental health at work can include:

* Long, inflexible hours, short-staffing due to cutbacks or unfilled vacancies, or an ever-increasing workload with poor pay.

* Working remotely with no clear separation between work and personal time.

* A toxic workplace that fosters bullying, harassment, or abuse.

* Lack of training or guidance for the role you’re expected to fulfil.

* Limited or unclear communication from management about tasks, goals, or decision-making.

* Lack of support, shortage of equipment or other job resources, or unsafe working practices.

How to help?

1. Recognize Signs of a Mental Health Crisis: A professional should train HR or volunteer co-workers to identify common symptoms of most common mental health ailments and address them.
2. Set realistic targets for your employees to achieve and communicate clearly regarding their work hours, roles & responsibilities.
3. Provide mental wellness resources:

Education and personalized activities can help employees feel supported and provide effective tools and coping strategies.

4. Switch off: Whether you’re working onsite or remotely, it’s important to strike a healthy work-life balance. That means taking regular breaks throughout the day and switching off your screens when the work day is over. You don’t have to be available 24/7 to respond to work calls, emails, or other messages.
5. Maintain a regular work routine: When working from home, it can be very difficult to establish a boundary between work and home time, so many people work much longer hours. To maintain a sense of normalcy, try to keep regular office hours, starting and finishing at the same time every day.
6. Establish a dedicated work space: Even if you don’t have a separate room that you can use for a home office, try to reserve a space that you can use just for work. You’ll find it easier to keep to your routine and separate your work and home life.
7. Schedule breaks and set boundaries: Set aside time to take a break from your screens and have lunch, for example, and then turn off your phone and computer when you’re done for the day. Try to leave time between virtual meetings so they don’t feel so overwhelming.