A mental health mission for a much-changed world

It is an understatement to say that we’re living through an extremely difficult time. Covid-19 has not only taken lives, it has changed the way everyone lives theirs. Even now, as the rate of infection slows and lockdowns begin to lift, the impact of this pandemic on our world hasn’t eased. And the reality is that this will continue to be felt for many years.

Lockdown and self-isolation have meant that previous social norms – specifically face-to-face/in-person interaction – have been put on hold. And despite the easing of some stricter Government measures, people remain understandably hesitant to rush back to the old ways. In short, I think we all know that the world won’t go back to “how it was” – and in some instances, it shouldn’t. Afterall, despite everything, there is some positive change – for example many people are exercising more and are more broadly just more aware of their physical health, within businesses agile working is now the norm and with that, better work/life balance should be common.

However, as a society and especially as business leaders, we do need to be very conscious of the mental impact all of this will continue to have – on ourselves and our teams. With such drastic change comes discomfort and, for most people, challenges to adapt and stay mentally healthy.

The human race is, by our nature, social. To be healthy, we rely on interactions and, in modern society, our everyday freedom. While this is not possible, we all need to make sure we’re as careful with our mental health as we are our physical health. This is especially true in business.

The challenge is that mental health remains a taboo subject awash with preconceived misconceptions and misunderstandings. There’s no doubt there has been some progress over the last couple of years. Some organisations have made genuine strides to improving their understanding of behaviours around, and their approach to, mental health. The government has increased NHS funding for mental health and across society the conversation has opened up.  

But the battle is not yet won. Many organisations, industries and leaders still view mental health as unimportant and the challenges people face as weaknesses. These views – whether they are misunderstanding, or fear of the unknown, fly in the face of medical fact. Every single one of us has mental health, just as we have physical health. It exists on a continuum – from mental health to mental illness – and at various points in our lives, we’ll all scale up and down.

As a society, and especially in the current climate, we need to do more and demand more of ourselves and each other – both in work and in the UK as a whole. And we need to drive cultural change so that, as our lives and workplaces change, everyone is supported.

1. Businesses must take this opportunity to drive cultural change to make mental health understanding instinctive. Whether our offices are open or closed, there is a place for wellbeing apps and other support services. But this is exactly what they are – they support mental health but they do nothing to change the way it is handled within the business. Leaders themselves can also have an educated view of mental health. But if employees do not – damage will be done. This is why it’s so important to drive cultural change, with understanding of, and attitudes to, mental health a core part of that. Alongside yoga lessons, businesses must invest time and, where possible, money, in training for all line managers to ensure they have a good knowledge of mental health and are able to help their teams. This is even more important if working from home becomes a staple of working life. Managers will find it harder to connect to their teams and spot the signs of someone who is struggling. We need to support that and take the taboo away by dedicating time and money to help.
2. Leaders need to step up. If this pandemic has taught us anything, it is that brilliant leadership is about authenticity, honesty and openness. Whether it’s a political leader like Jacinda Ardern, or a business leader like Jack Dorsey, the leaders who people gravitate towards are those who stand up and are counted, and do so not for fame or fortune, but because it’s they believe they should. The same will go for business leaders trying to drive change and support mental health. Role-modelling is a key part of this battle. There remains a bravado to leadership, with “macho” attitudes and phrases like “sink or swim” and “work hard, play hard” often seen as positive. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Empathy, honesty and sensitivity are three of the most important characteristics for a leader. There is a level of professionalism and measured leadership still required of course. But it can be combined with authenticity in a way that would previously have been frowned up. It takes bravery and self-reflection to force yourself out of that habit. The best leaders from this moment on will take that step – considering whether their own behaviour reflects the culture they need and want to establish. If it doesn’t, they need to change or step aside.
3. We need to hold ourselves to account. Some organisations are doing great things – developing a culture where employee wellbeing is an instinctive responsibility for all working with them. Others are paying lip service or, even worse, are doing nothing. As a business community, we need to reflect on what we’ve seen over the last few months – and indeed over the last few years – and define a new future. One where mental health isn’t a “challenge” for businesses, it’s a constant and positive conversation. Just as the government mandated that from April 2018 businesses with more than 250 employees must publicly report their gender pay gap figures at the end of every financial year, I’m calling for the same for mental health. We have a duty of care to protect the health and happiness of employees. My view is that there should be annual reporting from all businesses to ensure that is happening – it will help shine a light on great work being done, inspire others, while also adding impetus to make tangible change in businesses slower to evolve. This can’t happen overnight but as a first step, my goal is to have it debated in UK parliament by mid-2022.

Mental health is one half of what makes us human. As business leaders, we need to stand up and take responsibility for it. The current situation is unprecedented, and our future is full of unknowns. There is a lot to consider and think about. But if we’re honest, protecting our people’s mental health shouldn’t be a “challenge”, it should be a positive evolution which will impact culture but also, ultimately, that business success.

Those suffering with mental health issues don’t have a choice. Neither do we.