Understand the importance of mental health in companies and how HR can work to create healthy environments for employees.
Did you know that Brazil is the most anxious country in the world? This is a very worrying situation when it comes to mental health at work.
One of the missions of the HR sector is to promote safer and healthier environments for everyone. In this article, we give you important tips on how to do this. Read on.
Mental health in quarantine
The coronavirus pandemic and the need for social isolation have brought people challenges that were previously unimaginable.
It's very difficult to find someone who hasn't felt the effects of this crisis in some area of their life, whether personal or professional.
However, the context in which Brazil was living before the quarantine was not the best. Especially due to the economic and social situation, which is causing the population to feel uncertain and insecure.
Unemployment, for example, is one of the factors that most causes anxiety and depression, as well as aggravating the onset of mental disorders.
So, if Brazil was already one of the most anxious countries in the world before the pandemic, after it this scenario became even worse. Mainly due to the uncertainties in the job market, the adaptation to the home office and, above all, the illness and death of people.
Among the main problems that worsen during this phase are bouts of anxiety, depression and panic disorder.
In addition, with the advent of the pandemic, issues related to social inequality have become more pronounced, a factor that also contributes to increasing anxiety rates.
The mental health situation in Brazil
Brazil is considered the most anxious country in the world. WHO data indicates that around 18.6 million Brazilians live with anxiety disorderThis represents 9.3% of our population.
Anxiety is the third leading cause of absence from work among Brazilians.
Aspects of mental health in the workplace
Mental health issues at work were already a concern before the pandemic. With its arrival, the scenario has become even more challenging.
Many companies have had to adopt the remote working system. Others have had to establish strict security measures in order to stay in business. The changes have affected companies in all sectors.
Mental health in home office work
Many people started working in their own homes. In this way, what had been a domestic environment and their place of rest ended up becoming work.
In addition, the children stopped going to school and were left in charge of their parents in the same environment. As well as interfering with work routines and meetings, they demanded more attention, after all, they were also studying at home.
The work routine was mixed with the family routine, which became even more intense. These changes have been faced by many of the workers, who have had to adapt in a sudden and challenging way.
The role of HR
Faced with this scenario, mental disorders such as anxiety have worsened. The stress reactions linked to the daily routine, excessive demands, setting unattainable goals and relationship problems are some common work routine factors that contribute to this.
Thus, in addition to seeking promoting health actionsthe HR sector needs to rethinking the company culture to create management focused on healthy relationships, avoiding creating psychological pressures on workers.
Pressure situations encourage the emergence of psychological illnesses which, more often than not, are not given due importance by organizations and are only noticed when they have already become serious cases.
It is important that the HR sector has a active monitoring work and observation to get to know the people in the team in depth, in order to establish effective measures to promote comprehensive health.
And who takes care of HR?
The HR department is responsible for looking after people within a company. That's where the question arises: who looks after the employees who belong to the HR department?
Professionals in this sector are decision-makers and play a strategic role within organizations. The demands on them can be even higher.
Of course, this can also have an impact on the emotional health of these professionals.
Therefore, the company's management should think about actions that also cater for these employees. One interesting measure is to invest in psychological counseling so that these professionals are well supported when dealing with mental health problems in the company.
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Why is it important to think about workers' health?
Generally, people pay more attention to physical illnesses and neglect those problems that affect psychological well-being.
Many people can develop illnesses when they experience emotional problems, such as allergies. Others develop occupational illnesses, depression, panic attacks and other problems.
Studies show that around 78% of professionals relate work or lack of work to illness or mental suffering.
Occupational illnesses have a negative impact on people's lives and for companies they can cause loss of productivity, increased rates of absenteeism, poor organizational climate, high turnover rates, as well as constant errors in the execution of tasks.
Tips for promoting mental health
There are a number of actions that companies can take to have a positive impact on their employees' mental health. Here are some tips:
- Promoting campaigns and training focused on improving behavior and lifestyle;
- Provide training to managers and leaders so that they know how to identify problems related to mental health at work;
- Raising awareness about mental health care, identifying symptoms and treatment opportunities;
- Identify and reduce risk factors;
- Encouraging clinical examinations and offering treatment for psychological disorders such as anxiety, depression, burnout, etc;
- Maintain a healthy organizational climate, free of stress, pressure and unnecessary competition;
- Increasing employee participation in decision-making processes;
- Offer health plans that include care for mental health problems.
Promoting the appreciation of life beyond work
It's important that the work done within the company generates positive impacts beyond work. This can be done by encouraging the adoption of healthy habits, such as regular physical activity, a balanced diet, reducing addictions such as alcohol and cigarettes, among other things.
When employees enjoy good mental health, they tend to achieve more positive results in both their personal and professional lives.
Deconstructing taboos on the subject
Mental health problems are still seen as taboo by many people and companies, which leads to worsening symptoms and difficulty in treating the problem with due importance.
This kind of situation often leads to resistance in seeking treatment. In order to deal with this, it is necessary to include the issue of mental health in the day-to-day running of the company and treat it naturally.
Conclusion
Companies that invest in caring for their employees' mental health have many positive results, whether in terms of organizational climate, productivity or growth rates.
Relying on efficient partners is a way of improving company management in order to devote more time to mental health care.
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