Our Jobs Are Killing Us.
Why we need to prioritize mental health in the workplace
Photo by: Luis Villasmil on Unsplash
According to Jeffrey Pfeffer, a professor at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business and the author of ‘Dying for a Paycheck’, “the workplace is killing us and nobody cares.” In Pfeffer’s research - which focuses on organizational theory and human resource management - he indicates that in the United States alone, 120,000 deaths a year can be attributed to work environments.
And, in a 2019 Report made by the United Nations Labour Agency, stress, excessively-long working hours and disease, contribute to nearly 2.8 million workers dying every year, while an additional 347 million people get injured or fall ill because of their jobs. These include modern working practices where “36% of workers are working excessively long hours, meaning more than 48 hours per week,” and “are increasingly asked to produce more and more, [with] no time to rest.”
Here in Canada, half a million Canadian employees are absent from work every week due to mental health issues and it is estimated by 2041, the cumulative cost of mental illness in our country alone will be $2.5 trillion.
The shocking part about these statistics? They were all recorded prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ongoing effects of the pandemic make it difficult for us to currently quantify the impact it has taken on workers. But one thing is certain, the time to prioritize mental health in the workplace, is now.
Do you feel like a hamster on a wheel?
Is your life basically work-sleep-work-sleep-repeat? Do you dread having to go to work? By the end of the week do you feel exhausted, depressed and anxious about having to do it all again come Monday? You are not alone. Many people today are feeling they are perpetually struggling with stress and anxiety.
70% of people have had more stress and anxiety at work this year than any other previous year.
85% of people say their mental health issues at work negatively affect their home life
76% of people believe companies should be doing more to support the mental health of their workforce
-Forbes.com
The stress inducing conditions of work: work-family conflict, long work hours, absence of control over one’s work environment, and economic insecurity, makes people sick both directly and indirectly by inducing unhealthy individual thoughts and behaviours.
Stress triggers a cascade of effects: a disrupted sleep schedule, stomachaches, headaches, muscle tension, a racing heartbeat, trouble concentrating and much more. And, chronic stress, eventually leads to burnout: “a state of emotional, mental, and often physical exhaustion brought on by prolonged or repeated stress”.
How do you know you are burned out? Physical and mental exhaustion, a sense of dread about work, and frequent feelings of cynicism, anger, or irritability are key signs of burnout. Those in helping professions (such as healthcare or education) may notice dwindling compassion toward those in their care. Feeling like you can no longer do your job effectively may also signal burnout.
Ongoing stress assaults the immune system, making us more vulnerable to disease. Although stress hormones ready the body for emergencies, they also depress the immune system by decreasing inflammation and decreasing white blood cell production. Stress may therefore contribute to illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, and others.
10 work-related factors that can impact your health and longevity:
According to research, there are certain types of workplace conditions that are dangerous to your health. These types workplaces and work-related characteristics contribute to physical and mental health problems and even early death.
Being unemployed sometimes as a result of a layoff.
Not having health insurance.
Working shifts and also working longer periods, e.g., ten or twelve-hours shifts.
Working long hours in a week, e.g., more than 40 hours per week.
Job insecurity, resulting from colleagues being laid off or fired.
Facing family-to-work and work-to-family spillover or conflict.
Having relatively low control over one’s job, e.g., workload.
Facing high work demands, e.g., pressure to increase productivity and to work quickly.
Being in a work environment that offers low levels of social support, e.g., not having close relationships with co-workers.
Working in a setting in which job- and employment-related decisions seem unfair.
(Jeffrey Pfeffer, 2018)
We need to find a better way to work.
With technology, our work hours have gradually increased over time, and we feel like we should be always “on.” Most of the people who check their email off hours—81 percent of people according to one survey do—are not required to. But people think they need or are expected to be. People are not taking vacations. Workers are going to work sick. Now, many are actually risking their lives as essential workers.
Employers and companies are not oblivious to the impact of mental health on their business. Research, business experts, health care professionals and the government have supported the fact that mental illness is bad for employees, bad for business, bad for the health care system, and bad for our economy.
But many companies are missing the point and ignoring the real reasons why workers are so stressed out in the first place. Many ‘workplace wellness programs’ are about offering ‘lunchtime yoga’, ‘having healthy snacks in the lunchroom’ or having a ‘walk-the-stairs’ challenge. These initiatives may be well intentioned but they are simply a band-aid fix for a much larger problem. It’s not individual workers making bad choices about their health that’s making them so sick. It’s the way companies expect workers to work. Business practices like long work hours, unpredictable schedules, toxic bosses, job insecurity fears, and after-hours emails are the reasons we’re so stressed out.
As workers we have been conditioned to ‘be afraid’. We’re afraid to leave early. We’re afraid to not work late. We’re afraid to let our manager know when we need a break. We’re afraid we’ll be passed over or even fired, if we admit to the boss that we’re struggling with our mental health. And all of these fears, make the issue of mental illness in the workplace even harder to resolve.
The irony is, of course, that most of what we’re doing at work that’s making people physically and mentally ill is also not helping businesses or the economy. The idea that we’ve got to work all these crazy hours in order to be productive is just not true. Same with layoffs. They don’t benefit companies. Job control and micromanaging doesn’t benefit companies. We’ve created a lose-lose situation in which people are suffering and businesses aren’t benefiting, and it’s bad for everyone.
The future of work…
“The COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc on heath care systems and economies across the globe. This unprecedented uncertainty requires organizations to move from simply being aware of the importance of mental health to taking specific action for building psychologically safe workplaces.”
-The Conference Board of Canada
Remote work is here to stay, so adjusting to the challenges of the new working environment will also require new best practices for their ‘workplace.’ “Employees say their top three challenges are dealing with work-life balance (especially for households with kids), maintaining productivity and communicating with co-workers without traditional in-person interactions.”
- PWC Canadian workforce of the future survey
By investing and prioritizing the mental health of their employees, businesses can build resiliency within their organization - a crucial skill that is needed to thrive in uncertain times. Research has shown that when employers prioritize and address mental health in their workplace effectively they realize the following benefits:
1. Higher performance from employees
2. Lower absenteeism
3. Reduced disability costs
4. Lower turnover
5. Increased employee engagement
COVID-19 has put mental health front and center for organizations as the safety and well-being of employees becomes paramount to survival. Employers need to recognize the value of employee mental health in the same way they value CSR (corporate social responsibility) as a new mainstream staple in the business world. Championing mental health in the workplace is not only good for employees – it’s good for business.
Now is the time to take a whole new look at the way we work. If there is one positive impact from COVID-19, let it be that we create a work culture where anxiety, depression and overall mental health isn’t shameful or hidden.
Together, we can make work better for everyone.
Whatever it is, we’re here for you.
Life is uncertain. Jobs are stressful. Parenting is hard. Relationships take work. Families can be dysfunctional. And, sometimes love hurts. When you’re confronted by feelings, events, or issues that are making your life challenging, it’s okay to ask for some help.
SOURCES:
Canada.ca The Coronavirus disease
CAMH.ca Workplace Mental Health Playbook for Business Leaders
Conferenceboard.ca The Mental Health Gap
Economist.com Open Future - How work kills us
Forbes.com What The Future of Work Means For Our Mental Health
Mentalhealthcommission.ca Mental Health Commission of Canada National Standard
News.un.org United Nations Global Labour Report 2019
Psychologytoday.com Is Your Job Killing You? Literally Killing You?
pwc.com Canadian workforce of the future survey
Wellnessworkscanada.ca Employee Well-being Impacts Organizational Performance
