How do we take care of mental health at workplaces?

For years, we have been used to hearing astonishing figures regarding increasing mental health-related absences and growing workloads. The transformation cycles in working life are accelerating, the demands on learning new things are increasing and uncertainty has become the norm. The majority of organisations recognise mental health challenges as a significant risk from the point of view of the employees’ work ability.

When we talk about the connections between mental health and working life, we often focus on threats and problems. At the same time, the positive effects of work on the employee's mental health are often forgotten in discussions.

In addition, the reflection on the necessary solutions is often characterised by unnecessary confrontations. Arguments of whether, for example, individual forms of support are needed or whether absences should be managed by improving work structures arise.

As the increasing number of mental health challenges is driven by several long-term developments in our society, solutions are also needed at various levels.

When faced with a complex phenomenon, it can sometimes feel challenging to identify the most essential ways to support mental health and mental capacity at work in our own organisations.

So what kinds of things should we take into account at workplaces from the point of view of mental health at work?

1. Smoothly flowing work is a mental health act in itself

As a rule, every employee wants to perform their work well. When the expectations of work are clear and the individual has the opportunity to carry out their work accordingly, the effects on mental health are likely to be positive. If, on the other hand, the working day is spent overcoming obstacles which make work more difficult, this often results in both stressed employees and inefficient work.

2. Underutilised power of the sense of community

Work ability is often considered from an individual’s perspective, but it would be equally important to identify factors at the work community level which support both work and the well-being of the work community members. In a time that emphasises individuality and self-direction, it is important to remember people’s basic psychological need to belong and be accepted. When an employee feels valued and can rely on support even in difficult situations, the prerequisites for performing well at work are improved.

In addition, research evidence is accumulating on how significantly fewer people feel that their work ability is poor in workplaces with a strong sense of community than in workplaces with a low sense of community.

3. Work can also be modified when faced with mental health challenges

In case of mental health challenges, it is also important to remember that work ability is always formed in relation to the requirements of the work. In mental health challenges, individuals are rarely unable to do any kind of work, but the decrease in work ability is often related to certain aspects of work. Challenges in work performance can be related to, for example, initiative, which can be supported with various work planning and supervisory work support practices.

4. Supporting immediate supervisors

Since a significant part of the management of work ability is carried out by immediate supervisors in the workplace's everyday life, it is essential to pay attention to sufficient forms of support for supervisors. Changing working life increases the demands on supervisory work, which has started to show in the stress experienced by supervisors.

If, on the other hand, the supervisor starts to feel unwell, the consequences are usually reflected on the entire personnel under the supervisor's immediate management.

Finally, it should be noted that although the increase in mental health challenges affects the entire Finnish working life, it manifests itself differently in different workplaces. For this reason, measures to support mental work ability based on the needs of the organisation should be considered in cooperation with occupational health care.

The article was written by Mehiläinen’s occupational psychologist Eerika Kunnari.