According to the results of Bumeran’s latest survey on worker well-being (Burnout 2023), 94% of Argentines say they feel chronic work stress, which is the highest level of job burnout in the region, followed by Chile (91%), Panama (83%), Ecuador (79%) and Peru (78%), numbers that have been increasing in recent years.
On the other hand,The World Health Organization (WHO) explains that there are currently factors that represent a risk to mental health at work: the speed and bigness of the changes that are taking place and impacting the work environment, work settings that enable sexism and inequality, excessive workloads, insufficient performance control and job insecurity; this can cause physical and mental disorders, absenteeism, loss of productivity and baleful consumption of alcohol and other toxic substances. Globally, it is estimated that 12 billion work days are wasted each year due to depression and anxiety at a cost of USD 1 trillion in lost productivity.
Occupational mental health refers to the general psychological, emotional and social well-being of employees in the workplace (SafetyCulture), which may be affected if the person is observed to have:
Lack of commitment
Poor job performance
Low productivity
Ineffective communication
Inefficient decisions
In a “people first” scenario, promoting employee well-being is key. And in the context of burnout that is observed, Work Psychology can contribute to alleviating this pain point in organizations to help have happier and healthier people.
Occupational Psychology is the discipline
that studies behavior in the work environment and, based on this, proposes implementing initiatives that promote the modification of the behavior of employees to favor a good work environment and the mental health of people in an area or organization. Of course, since everything happens in a social context, team dynamics, leadership processes and everything that happens within the company are taken into account. Specialized professionals help to understand a given work context, in order to address the factors that affect mental health at work and neutralize them.
HR is the key area to implement wellness and mental health strategies
The Human Resources (HR) area is essential for developing strategies that promote and protect the mental health of employees, as well as promoting and carrying out actions that contribute to a balanced “work-life balance”.
To foster good mental health for people, HR leaders should:
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Cultivate a positive work environment
This involves creating and fostering an organizational culture that promotes empathy, respect and mutual support, solidarity and collaboration among team members and across teams.
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Identify risk and protection factors
Through regular evaluations and well-being surveys, areas for improvement can be detected and specific strategies designed to address the identified challenges to improve the work environment and mental health of employees.
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Implement emotional well-being programs
These may include stress management workshops, mindfulness sessions, access to counselling services and other initiatives that promote mental health and provide people with the tools to cope with the stresses of their working lives.
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Promote “work-life balance”
This means being the link in communication with the hierarchical levels of decision-making, in order to promote the implementation of policies that promote reasonable hours, work flexibility and the possibility of disconnecting outside of office hours, as well as access to specialized mental health resources related to how one approaches adverse situations and life in general (promoting general health with good nutrition, rest, fun; helping to take things calmly, without thinking that it is something personal, looking at the positive and the opportunities that open up with each challenge).
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Promote open communication
It is part of the role of HR to outline strategies that encourage employees to express their concerns, to provide safe spaces – of trust – to share their experiences and to ask for the support they may need. In this way, environments of recognition are promoted, and the possibility of reducing occupational mental health problems is favored.
HR is the key to building a good working environment and promoting good mental health at work. It is the area in charge of evaluating the level of “people experience” (PX) to listen and understand what each person thinks, how they feel about their task and in their team, how they relate to the different actors that are part of their daily work, how to help them grow and develop within the organization, while improving their productivity. HR is key to building a better working environment for the benefit of people, the organization and the business.
Read also: Work in the future: will we work more or fewer hours?
