Great Minds: Hamish and Kyle – On mental health issues in the workplace

Hamish and Kyle discuss how to best support co-workers with mental health issues. Video / NZ Herald

In this web series, psychotherapist Kyle MacDonald and Nutters Club co-host Hamish Williams look at mental health and how to navigate some of the more challenging parts of modern life. Today they talk about how to cope at work.

Mental health as a topic of discussion has come leaps and bounds over the past decade. As public discussion has opened up, many people have also developed a range of mental health tools to deal with the reality of our day-to-day lives.

As wonderful as mental health initiatives are – not to mention the feel-good factor that we all get from giving a platform to these issues – there remains fear and misunderstanding on multiple fronts, and nowhere more imposing than in the workplace.

Say I’m experiencing my own mental health issue and I know it could impact my performance at work. Before that happens, I need to change a few things. Maybe I need some time to see a counsellor or perhaps I could structure my work day differently. All these options feel reasonable to me, but what about my employer? They’ll get it, right? What’s the worse that could happen?

More than the fear of being judged is the fear of endangering our income. Uncertainty in the workplace is a terrible feeling at the best of times, but when it comes to something as deeply personal as our mental health, having a plan that considers all parties involved is a good starting point.

“Take into account that before you tell your employer, they probably didn’t know,” says psychotherapist Kyle MacDonald. “You’re also not under any obligation to reveal health conditions at work, you don’t have to say anything, but if you do, honesty is the best policy.”

A medical certificate if you need some days off is an excellent fail-safe. But be clear with your workplace and tell them what you need. That might be time off to see a therapist, or a bit more consideration around stress or work pressures.

On the flip side there’s the fears an employer might have. It’s easy to feel inexperienced and unqualified to help manage someone’s mental health. Ensuring an employee feels valued in the first instance is vital and the fastest way to do this is to listen.

“As an employer it’s as simple as asking how you might be able to help and then listen to what that entails,” says MacDonald. “In most cases be assured that conditions like anxiety or depression can be managed with the right tools. Many people find that with the development of some better coping mechanisms, it doesn’t affect their work at all.”

Mental health issues are entirely treatable with a combination of therapy, lifestyle changes and, if need be, medication.

Workplaces that support their employees have the opportunity to create a culture that not only builds knowledge around mental health but also demonstrates to their employees that when they have the inevitable challenges in life, they’ll be there for them. And who wouldn’t work at a place like that?