It’s time to talk candidly about how companies cosplay serious issues. If you follow my Instagram, you’ve probably seen the subtle (and not-so-subtle) shade I’ve thrown at how my workplace is “celebrating” International Mental Health Day. More specifically, how they’ve handled things leading up to the day. This is in no way biting the hand that feeds me, but rather calling out the performative behaviours many organizations, including this one, engage, in when it comes to mental health.
Let’s start by looking at the data.
A review of 228 research studies on employee well-being reported a significant relationship between workplace stress and health outcomes. Examples of workplace stress include but are not limited to; an overload of work, long working hours, unreasonable deadlines and job insecurity. The review goes on to state that job insecurity increases reporting on poor health by 50%. High demands at work increased the odds of poor health by 35%. Despite the significant contribution that mental health plays on productivity, most organizations lack data on the status of the mental health of their employees (Mental health in the workplace).
Let’s start by talking about what it’s like to drown without a lifeline.
A few years ago, I joined a company expecting to stay for at least five years, with a supportive supervisor, decent pay, and work I enjoyed. However, a month in, one of the account managers I worked with began snapping at my colleagues and me without any apparent reason. It got so bad that we formed a support group to help each other cope, especially as we realised the account manager had been reported several times but faced no consequences. The situation worsened when, despite being sick, I was still expected to complete work on a Saturday. Panic attacks became common whenever they messaged me, and my attempts to raise concerns with the head of the team led to no improvement. When an opportunity arose to join another team, I seized it, despite warnings about the demanding nature of the new brand, as anything was better than continuing under that account manager.
However, I encountered new issues that were demoralizing and fostered an increasingly negative atmosphere. Our team of three was constantly stretched thin by a demanding client who was never satisfied, even though the issues stemmed from the client's system failures. We escalated the matter to our team lead and even had a session with our CEO to explain the problems and propose solutions. Yet, nothing was done to shield us from the client’s unreasonable demands. While most organisations have chosen to be customer-centred, it is equally crucial for any organization to implement safeguard policies to protect staff from abuse.
This scenario, where organizations neglect to shield their employees from unreasonable client demands, is all too common, leaving employees overburdened and vulnerable to stress and other mental health complications without any meaningful support or intervention.
For example, a colleague of mine was run ragged by a client who would call at all hours and escalate them to management if they didn’t pick up. This client was notorious for driving people to tears, only to turn around and say they didn’t want that person managing their brand.
The stress got so bad my colleague ended up hospitalized. Yet the client didn’t stop calling, even while they were on a drip. Doctors couldn’t identify a cause for their ailment, they ran several tests and couldn’t find anything physically wrong with them. The company only relented after my colleague forced their hand. They were ready to leave the company if they were not removed from the brand. They were reassigned to another brand, but the damage had been done. The trauma they endured left a deep scar, they made sure that no one from her family or friends associated with that brand.
Another colleague faced a similar situation, pushed to the edge by a demanding brand and an indifferent company. Late nights, weekends, and even their compensatory days off were stolen by endless tasks. They were basically being treated like a robot, with no time to rest, no time to have a life. The constant barrage of client calls and texts triggered frequent panic attacks. When they finally reached out to their team lead, they received nothing more than empty promises about adding more people to the team.
While I’ve touched on some factors affecting workplace mental health, what happens when you need to take time off to recharge and return refreshed? Well…
While I could explore various examples of organizations failing to respect or encourage employees to take adequate time off, this particular incident illustrates my tipping point.
Let me share a personal experience from a previous company. After taking a much-needed leave, I returned to find a situation that pushed me over the edge. My first hour back from leave I was added to a call with my team lead and line manager. My line manager decided to disparage me by accusing me of taking someone else’s leave days. I was completely baffled, especially since it was our team lead who had suggested those dates after my original choices had been taken. Despite going back and forth and proving that I hadn’t made an error, I received no apology, nor any reassurance that this kind of behaviour wouldn’t continue - the line manager had previously made multiple attempts to belittle me. I had a strong feeling that they would repeat this behaviour and I was cognizant of their seniority and longevity in the organisation and knew exactly who the company would side with. I sent in my resignation immediately after, much to the shock of my manager. Ironically, during that short break from employment, my health improved.
I would love to say that the job I took after was better, but reality often bites.
Reality had added the worst kind of line manager, a narcissistic sexist with questionable work experience. I continued facing the same issues with clients overstepping boundaries, with little to no support from either my manager or HR. The situation deteriorated to the point where I was driven to suicidal thoughts—a fact I reported to HR. Their response? A sad pat on the back and a reminder that there was nothing they could do.
So there I was, trapped in the same exhausting cycle, expecting intervention but met with silence, infuriated by my employer's lack of support.
I had to make a difficult choice—fight or flight. I chose to fight, eventually forcing my stressor (the client) to witness my daily struggles and become stricter about my boundaries. No more answering calls after work hours, no more working while on leave. This infuriated the head of my team, who decided to get rid of me with fake accusations. Our head honcho and team lead called me into a meeting to inform me I was being removed from the team because of “performance issues.” I knew it was a lie, but I felt relief more than anything. When they asked why I wasn’t devastated, I laid out everything: lack of support, unreasonable client demands, an HR that had stripped the 'human' from 'Human Resources,' poor onboarding, and nonexistent boundaries.
I realize now that I went through all this because the mother ship (Parent company) had allowed it to happen. They allowed it to happen because they embedded it into their culture.
My experiences aren’t unique and neither are these stories. There are countless people out there enduring situations they should never have to face, especially at their workplace.
Some organizations have created environments where employees can openly discuss work issues that affect their mental health. While in others, enduring these struggles seems like an unspoken requirement for job security. What’s common in most cases, is that organizations often respond to these situations not by setting boundaries or protecting their employees, but by placing them on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP). Worse still, they offer superficial fixes; like branded water bottles, a couple of fruits, or a nutrition seminar; that masquerade as genuine solutions for addressing mental health in the workplace.
This is why when mental health sessions pop out, it almost feels ridiculous. Like a charade that everyone is forced to play.
Honestly, what will it take for organizations to radically transform their mental health culture? Will it take a rise in suicide rates for organizations to take meaningful action? Massive walkouts? Public scandals or lawsuits?
As we reflect on our organizational landscape and our personal experiences, we must ask ourselves: Can things get better? The short answer would be yes, but it would take a lot of work and a commitment to do better. How would they be able to do this? That’s a hard question to answer. But here are some fundamental actions organizations can take to demonstrate their commitment to supporting the mental health of their staff:
Mental Health Coverage: Include mental health services in your insurance coverage. Don’t lump it in with outpatient coverage—make it its own category (Understood).
Model Healthy Behaviors: Encourage your team to set boundaries and prioritize self-care. If someone is at capacity, respect that. Work with them to find solutions (Understood).
Flexible Work Hours: Allow more work-from-home days or create flexible schedules. Less commuting means more focus and reduced stress (hbr).
Training and Awareness: Prioritize proactive mental health training for management and leadership. Leaders should learn to recognize when someone needs help and provide support. (WHO)
Advocate for Employees: Don’t let clients mistreat your team. There are a lot of clients who will mistreat your workers because they know you will not step in or step up to protect your employees. Set boundaries and protect your workers.
Actionable Surveys: Don’t just collect data—use it. Otherwise, stop wasting people’s time (Understood).
Empathy: We all have bad days. Create space for those struggling and find ways to support them. If you see someone’s performance dropping, before you punish them reach out to them to understand what the real problem is ( Leading with empathy)
Accommodation: Adapt working environments to the capacities, needs and preferences of a worker with a mental health condition. This helps them perform the essential functions of their job. This could be giving individual workers flexible working hours, extra time to complete tasks, modified assignments to reduce stress, time off for health appointments or regular supportive meetings with supervisors (Workplace Accommodations Factsheet).
The sad reality is that mental health issues are on the rise. Mental health isn’t just a personal problem—it’s an organizational responsibility. Organizations must stop throwing their employees to the wolves. Set boundaries. Provide real support. If you neglect their well-being, productivity will suffer too and as a domino effect your revenue will suffer as well. Companies that fail to address these issues risk losing their most valuable asset: their people.
Dear reader, it would be prudent to mention that the day after I wrote this I had an anxiety attack but at least I have a company water bottle to fix it (hahaha?)🙃.
Stay curious!✌🏽
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