MELBOURNE: There are days when it’s hard to face work, even when you aren’t physically sick. Should you take a day off for your mental health? If you do, should you be honest about it when informing your manager?
If you work for an organisation or in a team where you feel safe to discuss mental health challenges, you are fortunate.
Despite all the progress made in understanding and talking about mental health, stigma and prejudices are still prevalent enough to prevent many of us from willingly letting bosses and coworkers know when we are struggling.
Mental health challenges come in different forms. For some, it will be a severe lifelong struggle. For many others, the challenge will be periods of feeling overwhelmed by stress and needing a break.
Globally, the World Health Organization estimates about 970 million people – about one in eight people – are suffering a mental disorder at any time, with anxiety-related disorders affecting about 380 million and depression about 360 million. These numbers have jumped about 25 per cent since 2019, a rise credited to the social isolation, economic hardship, health concerns and relationship strains associated with the pandemic.
But declining mental health is a longer-term trend, and it is likely work demands have also played a role. Research identifies three main workplace contributors to mental ill-health: Imbalanced job design when people have high job demand yet low job control, occupational uncertainty, and lack of value and respect.
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