Among the various academic titles I hold (from social work to human resource management) and numerous trainings, I also have one that is very special: I am a mental health specialist (graduated from the University of Ljubljana in 2004).
I never emphasised this achievement while working in the field of management education and talking to managers and leaders. If it did happen that I would mention I had graduated with a specialisation in mental health, I was very quickly faced by a sceptical question: “What role does mental health play in the business sector or in management education?”
Again and again I was told that this type of health does not belong in the corporate world; one that is known for high productivity, success, efficiency, profitability, and associated with masculinity. According to the people asking this question, issues of mental health are limited either to people who are weak or to a small circle of people that belong to a particular subculture.
I never agreed with this view. However, I was never brave enough to start raising awareness about the fact that mental health is indeed extremely important for the corporate world, especially for high performers, managers and leaders, for talents, and for those who would like to succeed, meet high standards, and make a difference in the corporate world and in society.
Luckily, I have been noticing in the last couple of months that some organisations are becoming increasingly aware of this dilemma; they are beginning to realise that care for mental health has and will become an important part of the corporate world, especially due to the constant pressure that comes with changes, transformations, high expectations, KPIs, etc.
All these factors, if not managed adequately from the mental health perspective, may result in low productivity, anxiety, depression, panic attacks, burnout, mental exhaustion and negative behaviour which, among other things, lead to toxic organisational cultures. In turn, these phenomena ironically all have a very negative impact on the desired characteristics of the corporate world (high productivity, success, efficiency, profitability).
What is the ROI in these cases?
To make matters worse, the negative consequences of neglecting one’s mental health not only affect the person who struggles with them. They also have a significant impact on his or her entire ecosystem: family, work, and friends. The consequences can be severe.
I am grateful to Managers' Association of Slovenia which organises events on this topic and makes an important contribution to raising awareness about the fact that each of us (you, me, everyone) can easily come face to face with a burnout experience. Thank you for breaking down the taboo about mental health and promoting the idea that struggling with mental health is not something to be ignored or ashamed of. Instead, mental health should be nourished conscientiously, and help and support should be requested when needed.
I truly hope that the corporate world will become more human and personalised in the sense that it will try to understand each individual, their values and their definition of meaning and purpose and motivational factors.
I somehow believe that the corporate world with its new ways of leading and managing is heading into this direction where mental health and productivity, success, efficiency will go hand in hand. I cannot wait to see the first Chief Mental Officer in the corporate world of our region.
This will be evidence that the shift in mindset has finally begun.
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