There is a lot of talk about mental health at work. Little is done about this, in fact.
Despite being a major issue in public policy actions and government regulations, we can address the topic seriously and effectively within teams and companies, too.
Whether in the workplace or in personal life, mental health is linked to quality of life.
But not only. It is important that, for the analysis of mental health, we consider gender, class and race, since the scenario in question is the Brazilian territory.
That is, in a country with high levels of inequality, mental health is another item that needs to be addressed taking these aspects into account.
However, as our focus here is to address dysfunctions in the workplace, which are also harmful to people's mental health, we will approach the topic in this way.
If mental health is not going well, the person suffers profound damage that affects them beyond themselves. In other words, relationships at work, in personal life and productivity as a whole are impacted.
As an example of diseases related to the mind, we have attacks of anxiety, stress, depression, panic attacks, burnout.
According to the World Health Organization and the International Labor Organization, around 1 billion people of active working age currently live with some mental illness.
Additionally, reports indicate that 12 billion workdays are lost annually due to anxiety and depression.
If we translate this into cost, it is estimated that around 1 trillion dollars are lost from the global economy.
In other words, it is not little, for either side.
So, it is not an isolated issue, much less a new one. We must deal with it collectively and with effective actions in the short, medium and long term.
For actions within companies, leaders must take charge of the issue. And not just with programs, but, mainly, with human behaviors and skills.
But what are these human behaviors and abilities?
To explain, let me bring in the best-selling author The 5 Team Challenges: A Leadership Story, Patrick Lencioni.
Patrick Lencioni talks about 5 behaviors of cohesive teams, which help to create a healthy, collaborative environment, with a strong foundation of trust.
It is known that mental health is linked to the environment in which we live. And also, our relationships with other people.
Now, if we spend more time in our day at work, how can we leave out the largest quotient in this equation?
Therefore, it is extremely important that the subject is not only addressed, but also treated in these environments.
It is not the individual's sole responsibility to take care of mental health. As long as we live in society, the collective has responsibility for this, too.
Although Patrick Lencioni's five behaviors of cohesive teams are not directly related to mental health, the practice greatly helps in building trusting teams.
And if there is trust, there is collaboration, there are productive - instead of toxic - conflicts, there is commitment, belonging, accountability, and collective results being achieved.
Remembering that career success also reflects on people’s mental health.
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