Self-Motivation
David Goggins
Former Navy Seal
Career Development
Bryan Cranston
Actor
Critical Thinking
Liv Boeree
International Poker Champion
Emotional Intelligence
Amaryllis Fox
Former CIA Clandestine Operative
Management
Chris Hadfield
Retired Canadian Astronaut & Author
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Remote working is the new norm—work-life balance is more important than ever
Research suggests we need to create a new kind of work-life balance to prevent burnout while working from home.
19 June, 2020
Photo by fizkes on Shutterstock
- Over the last decade, remote working has become more and more popular. Now, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, up to 62% of people are now working from home.
- Up to 40% of survey respondents say they feel more productive while working from home. However, there are also negative impacts, such as not taking as many breaks. "Employee burnout" is increasing at an alarming rate.
- Telecommuting and remote working will be the norm long after the pandemic, according to many outlets. There are things we can do to ensure we are maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
<p>Within the United States, the amount of workers who have been doing some or all of their work from home has been slowly rising over the years. <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ntwe.12097" target="_blank">In 2003</a>, 19.6 percent of people were considered remote workers. <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ntwe.12097#ntwe12097-bib-0008" target="_blank">Fast-forward to 2015</a> and that number was 24.1 percent. </p><p>This was slowly becoming the norm across the world, with data collected from Eurofound in 2010 stating that one-fifth of workers across Europe were mainly working from home, on a clients' premises, or on job sites. </p><p><a href="https://www.owllabs.com/state-of-remote-work/2019" target="_blank">A 2019 study</a> of over 1200 full-time workers within the United States between the ages of 22-65 showed that 62 percent of people were "remote workers," while 38 percent were "on-site" workers, working in either an office or job site location.</p><p>Although 2020 began like any other year with similar working-from-home numbers, the global COVID-19 pandemic saw even more people being forced to telecommute, and working from home became the norm.</p>
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Remote working versus working in an office
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzQwMzg5NC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NDQwNjk5NH0.9sY-gXgXN7T-3IyFrIGeFPVDQLZB79amjZxgachS83Y/img.jpg?width=980" id="feb7e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="f671e5d5b826d13d7b7fe18e5296e3db" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="person sitting on the floor with a laptop, cat, and spreadsheets around them" />Working at home presents different challenges than working in the office, and with remote working becoming the norm, we need to create a new kind of work-life balance to prevent burnout.
Photo by Creative Lab on Shutterstock
<p>While there are many benefits to working from home (40.1 percent of survey respondents say they did feel more productive while working from home), there are also things we need to be conscious of with this new remote work normality.</p><p><strong>You may actually be working more hours at home than you do at work.</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.bluejeans.com/blog/future-of-work-2020-remote-work-survey-results#:~:text=Across%20our%20survey%20population,%20remote,additional%204.64%20hours%20per%20day.&&x-clickref=1011l9guUxfc&utm_source=skimlinks_phg&utm_medium=partnerize&utm_content=ecom" target="_blank">Across this survey,</a> remote workers were adding an additional 3.13 hours per day working from home compared to when they worked in the office. People who said they felt more productive at home than at the office were reportedly working an additional 4.64 hours per day. </p><p>While this may not seem like a big change at first, over time it can become detrimental to your mental health and your productivity. <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-employees-feeling-burnout-rises-top-stressor-list-justin-black/" target="_blank">According to new data</a>, employee survey comments surrounding "burnout" have doubled from 2.7 percent in March to 5.4 percent in April.</p><p><strong>Your eating and exercise habits may become worse while you're working from home.</strong></p><p>Along with potential burnout, picking up bad habits while working from home is another thing to be wary of. According to the <a href="https://www.bluejeans.com/blog/future-of-work-2020-remote-work-survey-results#:~:text=Across%20our%20survey%20population,%20remote,additional%204.64%20hours%20per%20day.&&x-clickref=1011l9guUxfc&utm_source=skimlinks_phg&utm_medium=partnerize&utm_content=ecom" target="_blank">Bluejeans survey</a>, 39 percent of people are reaching for salty snacks over healthy ones. Additionally, nearly 50 percent of respondents say they have not been able to exercise regularly since they switched from office to remote working. </p><p><strong>Distractions can cut your productivity.</strong></p><p>The hustle and bustle of home life can also take a toll on your productivity. Taking care of kids (27.6 percent), scrolling through social media (26.5 percent) and checking on the news (26.1 percent), along with getting distracted by streaming services and television shows (9.7 percent) are among the most commonly reported distractions that remote workers face, cutting into their productivity during working hours.</p>Healthy changes to make when you're working from home
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzQwMzg5My9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MzA4NTI3N30.cAWiaP10VoutwuflzE0KITL-rolqCalO5iFv0xjXZdA/img.jpg?width=1245&coordinates=0%2C52%2C0%2C52&height=700" id="5fc4d" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2c6719e1290ba11745e9b1aa51b6abe7" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="woman leaning backwards with her head on her desk and her eyes closed" />Taking breaks throughout the work-from-home day (even as little as 10 minutes) can allow you to become more productive during working hours.
Photo by stockfour on Shutterstock
<p>This shift in remote working has proven many jobs are capable of being done at home, and <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2020/04/06/telecommuting-will-likely-continue-long-after-the-pandemic/" target="_blank">several outlets</a> are reporting that telecommuting will likely continue for quite some time, even after the pandemic.</p><p>While there are many benefits from remote working (such as lower fuel emissions, less waste, more productivity in some instances along with containing the spread of the COVID-19 virus), there are also some changes that need to be made if this is going to continue longer term.</p><p><strong>Separate your home and work responsibilities. </strong></p><p>Between scrolling through social media, checking the news, and taking care of your children, you may be feeling the pressure to crack down more than the usual to slow down, but new research shows just how important it is to take breaks while working from home.<br></p><p><a href="https://www.jobillico.com/blog/en/yes-you-still-need-to-take-breaks-while-working-from-home/#:~:text=Taking%20work%20breaks%20leaves%20us,likely%20to%20seek%20employment%20elsewhere." target="_blank">This article explains</a>: "Work and home are two separate places for a reason. Both require our attention and effort but in different ways. Completing work assignments and fulfilling personal responsibilities are both important things we do every day and having these two worlds physically separate helps us channel our energy the proper way at the proper time." </p><p>Removing that separation, although necessary and even beneficial in some instances, can cause us to become overwhelmed. </p><p><strong>Take regular breaks from work, even just for 10 minutes. </strong></p><p>When there is a lack of separation in our home and work lives, it can lead to a feeling of "always being on"—which is how burnout happens. Taking breaks throughout the day and "signing off" for period of home-time allows us to be productive at work and recharge during the restful periods. Even a break as short as <a href="https://www.jobillico.com/blog/en/10-things-to-do-with-your-10-minute-break/" target="_blank">10 minutes</a> can help increase your productivity and keep you from burning out.<br></p><p><strong>Perhaps the solution is working less days per week at home. </strong></p><p>According to <a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/11/04/776163853/microsoft-japan-says-4-day-workweek-boosted-workers-productivity-by-40?t=1592549642729" target="_blank">this 2019 study</a>, a 4-day workweek can improve worker's productivity by up to 40 percent. In <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/big-idea-for-the-new-decade-4-day-week-phenomenon-told-in-new-book-300934244.html" target="_blank">a 2018 survey in New Zealand</a>, a trust management company explained they saw a 20 percent gain in employee productivity and a 45 percent increase in employee work-life balance after testing out the 4-day work week. </p>
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This is how you overcome a language barrier
Don't worry about grammar rules at first. They'll only trip you up.
17 June, 2020
- Learning a language can be a tricky process, but it's important to remember that it is a process.
- Having learned 20 languages so far, Canadian polyglot and LingQ founder Steve Kaufmann's advice is to not focus on the grammar. Constantly thinking about the rules while attempting to speak only makes it harder.
- Investing time (often several months) into listening, reading, and practicing words before trying to speak a language will help you feel more comfortable with it. You will make mistakes, but you will learn from them and people will be patient with you.
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Living with ADHD: how I learned to make distraction work for me
Could better teaching practices make paying attention easier for everyone?
11 June, 2020
Photo by Daniel Chekalov on Unsplash
Even today, 20 years after my childhood diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), I am still keenly aware of how my attention wavers, lapses or holds differently from that of most people.
<p>I'm prone to experiencing 'blank' patches in conversation, when I suddenly realise I have no recollection of the past 30 or so seconds of what's been said, as if someone has skipped forward through the video feed of my life (occasionally, I resort to 'masking', or feigning comprehension – which is embarrassing). When watching television, I struggle not to move, often rising to pace and fidget, and I dread being the 'owner' of complicated documents and spreadsheets, as I'm very likely to miss some crucial detail.</p><p>This year, I twice missed a doctor's appointment because the surgery would send reminders only by paper mail. My reliance on to-do lists and prompts is unceasing, vigilant – else even the most essential tasks might be entirely forgotten. Occasionally I 'hyperfocus': the incessant flicker and hum of everyday life recedes as I lose track of time, pouring myself steadily into one topic, reading hundreds of pages or writing thousands of words.</p><p>I used to see all this primarily as a deficit but, having built a career that helped me better understand what I struggled with and which put those selfsame 'deficits' to good purpose, I no longer view things that way. Instead, these days I see my own distracted nature as a source of keen awareness for the fragility of <em>all</em> attention.</p>
<p>I work in instructional design, which is the practice of developing engaging and effective educational products and experiences to help others learn. In creating interactive classes and workshops, my aim is to cultivate the learners' attention and focus, but one of the first things I learned was that this is incredibly difficult, for everyone – neurotypical or otherwise. In fact, there are common rules of thumb that reflect how universally short attention spans really are: one is that even <a href="https://www.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/advan.00109.2016" target="_blank">10 minutes</a> of lecturing is too long for some people to follow (think of the number of times that you've caught yourself, or someone near you, wilting during a long meeting, presentation or conference paper). The trick is to intersperse lectures with exercises and discussions. Moreover, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5589190/" target="_blank">research</a> increasingly suggests that people are more likely to take in new ideas and information when it relates to something they already care about. All of this is <a href="https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Pedagogy-framework-design-in-social-networked-based-Sajadi-Khan/71cfc4021a945b2cee7a0ae95eada236615624d3" target="_blank">magnified</a> for people diagnosed with ADHD, who lack focus, unless there's a strong and clear connection to their immediate concerns, but who can nonetheless focus profoundly when this element of deep interest is present.</p><p>Working in instructional design has convinced me that our education system is poorly suited to nearly everyone, not just those diagnosed with ADHD. Most curricula lack a preliminary phase of collectively exploring students' existing interests, before introducing them to material in a way that will be relevant to what they already care about. Most classes, especially in secondary school and higher education, still rely on lectures of (far) more than five minutes straight. In contrast, notice how social media, video games and so many other aspects of our lives accommodate and exploit our fleeting attention spans, customising their design and content to fit our interests and grab hold of our attention. Many parents of children with ADHD despair over their children's greater interest in video games than mathematics, but perhaps they should be concerned with why the maths problems and classes cannot more commonly be made just as engaging as the games.</p><p>Some games and even a few special classrooms are indeed like this: GCSE coursework for maths in the UK has taken the lead on this, with gamified online homework. But why, in an age where we know that learning can be made nearly addictive, is this type of format not one of the standard ways we engage young (and older) minds? Redesigning curricula is a relatively inexpensive educational intervention, compared with revamping technology or adding classroom instructors.</p>
<p>Until this happens, the distracted can always practise 'learning to learn', as my psychologists used to call it. For me, this began in the 1990s with colour-coded folders and a planner, and has since grown into a sprawling Google calendar. Meticulously, I track each hour of my working life (and many personal hours, too). Obsessively, I declutter to avoid visual distraction. I return to my to-do lists over and over during the day.</p><p>I have also learned to make space for distraction – which can, after all, also mean being alive to one's surroundings, curious about new possibilities, and multifaceted in one's interests. Getting distracted (even taking note of which interesting distractions to return to later) has helped me think about learning differently: not all learning requires sustained focus, some forms of creative and conceptual thinking <a href="https://aeon.co/ideas/let-the-soul-dangle-how-mind-wandering-spurs-creativity" target="_blank">benefit</a> from repeatedly returning to a topic so as to view it differently each time.</p><p>Therefore, in learning, as in life, it might be wise not merely to redirect the attention of those with ADHD but also to help them reflect on what draws their interest and why, using, for <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03004430.2015.1032956?journalCode=gecd20" target="_blank">example</a>, the age-old business of play – only with a reflective stage where children might come to recognise and learn from their own thought patterns, and develop the skill of 'metacognition', or thinking about their own thinking. This reflexive process is a core part of managing our attention, and of learning about the world and oneself, especially in an age that offers constant distractions.</p><p>I am keenly aware that I managed my ADHD in large part due to enormous privileges: financial resources, an excellent US public school system, and deeply motivated and switched-on parents. Few people with ADHD have these privileges, and many who are diagnosed end up on <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/data.html" target="_blank">drugs</a> that, when taken in childhood, can stunt physical <a href="https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/877438" target="_blank">growth</a>, and which can be addictive, sometimes without longterm benefits. While it might be best for some to take medication for ADHD, it is troubling that so many get little else in the way of <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190305153639.htm" target="_blank">help</a> and intervention, generally because medication is cheaper and more accessible than other educational support.</p><p>We can certainly continue to study and debate whether ADHD is biologically rooted, the product of our attention-fractured society, or more likely a complex result of interdependent social and biological factors. Yet so many debates on this topic remain stuck on the ills of the internet or the merits of medication, instead of redirecting our focus to the wider issues around attention and learning that concern us all. Better forms of pedagogy, reflective practice and communication will not resolve every problem related to human attention, but they could help everyone learn much better – not just those of us with this particular diagnosis.<img src="https://metrics.aeon.co/count/d8879eda-1d05-4ace-bbd2-b1761cd1fad8.gif" alt="Aeon counter – do not remove"></p><p>Sarah Stein Lubrano</p><p>This article was originally published at <a href="https://aeon.co/?utm_campaign=republished-article" target="_blank">Aeon</a> and has been republished under Creative Commons. Read the <a href="https://aeon.co/ideas/living-with-adhd-how-i-learned-to-make-distraction-work-for-me" target="_blank">original article</a>.</p>
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Dread can be a powerful motivational tool
Sometimes not looking forward to something helps you get it done.
09 June, 2020
Photo by Marcus Bellamy on Unsplash
- A study from the University of British Columbia weighs the effects of positive and negative anticipation.
- Immediate gratification is a powerful motivator; we also want to get negative experiences over with sooner than later.
- The feeling of dread can be a powerful motivational tool to stop procrastination.
<p>A smiling couple in their 70s, sitting on lounge chairs, overlooking a sun-soaked ocean from the beach. A gentle breeze, margarita in hand, waves ebbing and flowing as the soundtrack. They look…content. A chyron rolls across the bottom of the screen: Begin your retirement savings account today.</p><p>Or: The same man mopping the floor at Starbucks. He holds his lower back after a long day serving entitled customers their ridiculous orders. The man looks at his watch as his millennial boss approaches. Boss shakes his head "no" while pointing to the mop and bucket in the corner. The bathrooms haven't been cleaned. The same chyron appears. </p><p>Which do you click? </p><p>This question lies at the heart of a <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jcpy.1169" target="_blank">new study</a>, published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology, by David Hardisty at the University of British Columbia and Elke Weber at Princeton University. The researchers wanted to know whether anticipation of a positive event inspires action more than anticipation of a negative event. In the case of retirement savings plans, it did. </p><p>The team conducted three studies while using a dozen supplemental studies to support their article. It begins with a definition. </p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"Lab studies of intertemporal choice typically find the desire to have good things immediately is much stronger than the desire to postpone negative outcomes … The difference in time preferences for positives versus negatives has been called the 'sign effect.'"</p><p>Research tends to conclude that we want a yummy snack immediately but prefer to delay paying our bills. This seems to make intuitive sense, but the researchers wanted to dig deeper into the role of anticipation. The investigation considers two theories that explain sign effect. </p>
The Science of Productivity and Motivation | Dan Ariely
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b1a2bc7280014931535569b65424ea40"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xqMO_gx8Wac?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p><strong>Anticipation asymmetry</strong>. "Anticipation pushes against our natural tendency to want good things now and bad things later." We'd rather get negative experiences over with to avoid the dread of waiting. Yet this desire is not as powerful as wanting positive experiences immediately. </p><p><strong>Subjective magnitude</strong>. We weigh negatives twice as heavily as positives. This is similar to loss aversion: We prefer avoiding losses than acquiring equivalent gains. Loss aversion focuses narrowly on losses and gains, however, while subjective magnitude broadly considers positive and negative events. </p><p>At the outset of their studies, the authors believed anticipation asymmetry better represents how we deal with future events. This is because anticipation of positive events yields two responses: positive anticipation in <em>savoring</em> the moment to come; negative anticipation causes us to be <em>impatient</em>. With negative events, <em>dread</em> is the result of negative anticipation. There is no positive correlation (except the relief of putting it off). </p><p>Five days of Facebook ads were purchased to measure responses to two retirement fund campaigns. One featured a tropical beach; the other was more dreadful. As anticipated, the latter won out. </p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"We found that an advertisement emphasizing the anticipation of future expenses was the most effective." </p><p>The next study gauged enthusiasm for purchasing eyeglasses. The control in both groups was immediately paying for the glasses. Volunteers were given the option to either receive a rebate in one month or have an extra month to pay off the bill. The choices:</p><ul><li>Brand A: pay $122 now. Brand B: pay $142 now, receive $30 in one month</li><li>Brand A: pay $122 now, pay $30 in one month. Brand B: pay $142 now</li></ul><p>The anticipation of having a future bill was more powerful motivation than receiving a future rebate.</p><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzM4MjA4My9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NjczOTMzMH0.4YjzPIifG30fHU6VMyj1Y3AMYL-pQudTKLh1uhdSTKg/img.jpg?width=1245&coordinates=0%2C95%2C0%2C22&height=700" id="e9026" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="45c7bfe26183c2356a3b58dab2d27d99" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="A woman walks on the beach as a storm approaches in Nassau, Bahamas" />
A woman walks on the beach as a storm approaches in Nassau, Bahamas, on September 12, 2019.
Photo by Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP via Getty Images
<p>Finally, 168 undergrads took part in a jellybean eating study. This was an involved study, with questionnaires given at various stages of decision-making. The gist: Would you rather eat a jellybean now or put it off? The choices: a delicious chocolate donut with sprinkles-flavored jellybean or a disgusting vomit-flavored jellybean.</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"When participants considered a positively flavored jellybean, they somewhat enjoyed the feeling of anticipating it, but also did not like the feeling of waiting for it, and most often chose to consume it immediately. When participants considered a matched negatively flavored jellybean, they did not enjoy anticipating it nor the feeling of waiting for it, and most often chose to consume it immediately rather than delay it."</p><p>In both cases, volunteers ate the jellybean quickly, though for quite different reasons. </p><p>Negativity bias is a powerful motivator, as plenty of research on modern media has forced us to confront. The question is: can you use dread as a motivational tool to accomplish tasks more quickly? That idea was <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90513222/genius-productivity-hack-tell-yourself-its-a-horrible-hellacious-excruciating-task" target="_blank">put forward</a> at Fast Company. </p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"Don't want to do something? Tell yourself that it will be <em>horrible</em>. The <em>worst</em>. A <em>godforsaken burden</em>."</p><p>Strong language, perhaps, but the theory is intriguing. As the study shows, immediate gratification is more strongly woven into our DNA than dread. Yet dread can be a motivational tool as well. Cognitive reframing can stop procrastination in its tracks. </p><p>Some media outlets are infamous for presenting doom and gloom to keep consumers anxious. We don't have to go that far. But if the fears of mopping at 75 motivates you to start saving today, the likelihood you'll get to that beach appears more likely to happen. Dread can be a force for positive change. </p><p>--</p><p><em>Stay in touch with Derek on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/derekberes" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DerekBeresdotcom" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://derekberes.substack.com/" target="_blank">Substack</a>. His next book is</em> "<em>Hero's Dose: The Case For Psychedelics in Ritual and Therapy."</em></p>
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5 things employers can do to take mental health in the workplace more seriously
Taking preventive measures and investing in positive mental health can impact productivity, company culture, and staff turnover.
20 May, 2020
Photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash
- The mental health crisis will have a cumulative global impact of almost $16.3 trillion between 2011 and 2030.
- Despite the previously held stigma, organizations of today are inclining towards advocation for better mental health among the workforce.
- Businesses can take several actionable steps to promote mental well-being in the workplace.
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<p>Despite the mental health awareness prevalent today, addressing it at the workplace still remains a taboo for many. </p>
<p>A recent <a href="https://www.who.int/mental_health/in_the_workplace/en/" target="_blank">WHO-led study</a> estimates that mental health disorders cost the global economy US$1 trillion each year in lost productivity. Rather alarming, isn't it?</p>
<p>Workplace budgets for mental well-being usually concentrate on helping those who are going through an emotional crisis. However, it is just as important to focus on precautionary measures and building a mentally healthy workplace.</p>
<p>Taking preventive measures and investing in positive mental health can impact productivity, company culture, and staff turnover. Here's how you can do so.</p>
1. Promoting awareness from the top down
<p>Changing previously held perceptions about mental health is a top-down process. It starts with the top management becoming advocates for improving mental health in the company.</p> <ul><li>Have the top executives share their experiences (or from their close ones) in meetings or staff interactions.</li><li>CEOs of organizations should advocate for mental wellness and promote a culture of acceptance and support. They should seek to normalize the mental health issues and address the stigma surrounding it.</li><li>The organization should be transparent about their support regarding such issues and work towards projecting vulnerability as a strength.</li></ul>2. Create an accepting culture
<p><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6424886/" target="_blank">Research suggests</a> that workplace stressors which lead to burnout are a major reason for the declining mental health among employees. While work seems to be a contributing factor to mental illness, implementing the awareness for it would transform the company culture into a supportive one. Here's what you can do:</p> <ul><li>Set firm boundaries around availability. It might be a simple rule such as not answering work emails on weekends or while on holiday no work is to be done.</li><li>Encourage mindful breaks. Not only does it provide a reprieve from grueling work hours but it also allows employees to bond together.</li><li>Start conversations around mental health. It can be some simple steps such as conducting seminars around emotional well-being or simply providing counselors to talk to.</li></ul>3. Proper support
<p>Almost seven out of ten (69.1%) employees <a href="https://www.benenden.co.uk/be-healthy/work/mental-health-in-the-workplace-is-it-currently-a-tick-box-culture?utm_source=hr_zone&utm_medium=double_mpu&utm_campaign=mental_health_report&utm_content=mental_health_report" target="_blank">surveyed in a study</a> said that they'd use a confidential mental health helpline provided by their employer while facing any mental health issues. </p> <p>This shows that employees are now more open to having discussions regarding their mental state. It is now in the hands of the employer to provide the appropriate support and assistance to the workforce in regard to their emotional well-being.</p> <ul><li>One way to do so is to implement an employee assistance program or mental health scheme that will help workers to actively monitor and manage their state of emotional health.</li><li>Similarly, encourage workers to participate in mental health screening tests. These free and anonymous tests are a great resource to evaluate where your emotional well-being is at. </li><li>Offer options through which your employees can prioritize their mental health like flexible working hours, work from home, or paid mental well-being days off. </li><li>Invest in <a href="https://blog.vantagecircle.com/employee-engagement/" target="_blank">employee engagement</a> software. <a href="https://blog.vantagecircle.com/disengaged-employees/" target="_blank">Causes of disengagement</a> such as burnout, stress or alienation can be indicative of emotional turmoil in employees.</li></ul>4. Clearer information about support
<p>Once you have established a support system, you have to make it accessible to your workforce. That means that any employee who needs help concerning their mental state should know who to approach for it. Subsequently, the mental health scheme in your organization should be easy to use and easily understood by any employee in the company. </p>5. Train the managers
<p>Managers are in the perfect position to assist—they have direct day-to-day contact with their team and also have direct contact with top management. Even the most basic of mental health training will equip managers to look out for signs of mental crisis and stress and also to create a supportive and inclusive environment.</p> <p>A <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(17)30372-3/fulltext?elsca1=tlxpr" target="_blank">study by The Lancet Psychiatry</a> showed that after six months of providing mental health training, the managers' direct reports had an 18% reduction in work-related sick time off.</p> <p>Mental health training for managers should largely focus on:</p> <ul><li>An overview of the mental health disorders that employees are most likely to suffer from.</li><li>Recognizing the signs of poor mental health in employees. </li><li>The ability to actively listen and have conversations about mental health with their team.</li><li>A clear understanding of how mental health impacts performance. </li><li>Having clarity about the role they play in addressing the team's emotional well-being. </li><li>Managers must feel supported when it comes to their own mental health, in order to offer the required support to their team members.</li></ul>
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