Conflicts among colleagues, poor interpersonal relationships and the constant pressure to improve performance are common at workplaces today. This year, the World Federation for Mental Health has given a call for improving mental wellness at workplaces for World Mental Health Day on October 10.
The theme this year is to remove the stigma, and help people share their problems with colleagues.
The Federation has quoted studies that say six out of ten people have certain mental health condition that they hide from their employers.
The study by Silver Ribbon Singapore, a non-profit organisation, says some people (23.4%) tend to hide these conditions because of the risk of losing jobs while some (12.8%) believe that employers will not understand their condition.
“Mental health at workplace can be seen in two contexts. One is the condition at workplace affecting an individual’s mental health, and the other is the mental health of an employee that helps him or her adjusting to the workplace,” said Dr. K. Vidhukumar, Additional Professor, Government Medical College, Ernakulam.
“The stress at workplace will increase hypertension and affect blood sugar levels. It will also affect mental health. As it happens in the corporate world, demands and pro-management attitude of superiors are among the major causes of mental stress,” he said. There are also issues of burn out faced by many individuals who had probably shown a promise in the beginning of their career, he added.
Ajeesh Ramachandran, Head of Psychiatry, General Hospital, said all functions of the body get affected because of mental strain at work. As physical symptoms, it might come as muscle aches and gastric disorders. It could also cause a few psychosomatic disorders, he said.
“Most of the time, opening up with colleagues about anxieties and problems at work would help team leaders tap a person’s efficiency in the right manner. Instead of blaming a person for being inefficient, support could be provided to improve efficiency. A person’s talents can also be utilised in other areas instead of labelling the person as ‘Not fit to work,” he added.
