Mind your mind
Globally, about 12 billion working days are wasted each year due to depression and anxiety, costing the economy $1 trillion annually in lost productivity.
Published: 06:02 PM,Feb 05,2025 | EDITED : 11:02 PM,Feb 05,2025
Mind your mind
Muscat: Have you ever wondered about the relationship between your happiness at work and productivity? Employees' mental health is key to success and innovation in the workplace. Work is not just a place to earn money and achieve professional success but an environment that constitutes a large part of an individual's life and directly affects their psychological state, as employees spend most of their daytime at work. Discrimination, inequality, excessive workload, weak participation in work-related decisions and lack of job security pose risks to mental health. The World Health Organization estimates that 15 per cent of working-age adults suffered from mental disorders in 2019.
Globally, about 12 billion working days are wasted each year due to depression and anxiety, costing the economy $1 trillion annually in lost productivity.
Psychologists point out that employees face anxiety, depression and an inability to bear the workload, especially if they do not receive appreciation and incentives. A decent workplace can improve confidence and social interaction, thus easing mental pressure. Protecting and promoting mental health at work is linked to enhancing the ability to identify and deal with mental health problems at work, and this is especially the responsibility of those who supervise others, such as managers. Caring for mental health and providing psychological support within the work environment enable individuals to face various challenges and overcome setbacks. It also leads to better productivity, lower attrition and higher motivation to carry out responsibilities.
According to WHO, risks to mental health at work include the under-use of skills or being under-skilled for work; excessive workloads or work pace; understaffing; long, unsocial or inflexible hours; lack of control over job design or workload; unsafe or poor physical working conditions; an organisational culture that enables negative behaviours; limited support from colleagues or authoritarian supervision; violence, harassment or bullying; discrimination and exclusion; unclear job roles; under- or over-promotion; job insecurity; inadequate pay; poor investment in career development; and conflicting home/work demands.
Employers attach great importance to work-life balance to enhance productivity and creativity by setting up regulations and communication channels that make work comfortable. At the same time, work requires two parties: the institutions and workplaces, and the employees themselves. Employees also play a role in achieving that environment. They must do their bit to bring in positivity by following a healthy lifestyle and maintaining balanced nutrition.
Globally, about 12 billion working days are wasted each year due to depression and anxiety, costing the economy $1 trillion annually in lost productivity.
Psychologists point out that employees face anxiety, depression and an inability to bear the workload, especially if they do not receive appreciation and incentives. A decent workplace can improve confidence and social interaction, thus easing mental pressure. Protecting and promoting mental health at work is linked to enhancing the ability to identify and deal with mental health problems at work, and this is especially the responsibility of those who supervise others, such as managers. Caring for mental health and providing psychological support within the work environment enable individuals to face various challenges and overcome setbacks. It also leads to better productivity, lower attrition and higher motivation to carry out responsibilities.
According to WHO, risks to mental health at work include the under-use of skills or being under-skilled for work; excessive workloads or work pace; understaffing; long, unsocial or inflexible hours; lack of control over job design or workload; unsafe or poor physical working conditions; an organisational culture that enables negative behaviours; limited support from colleagues or authoritarian supervision; violence, harassment or bullying; discrimination and exclusion; unclear job roles; under- or over-promotion; job insecurity; inadequate pay; poor investment in career development; and conflicting home/work demands.
Employers attach great importance to work-life balance to enhance productivity and creativity by setting up regulations and communication channels that make work comfortable. At the same time, work requires two parties: the institutions and workplaces, and the employees themselves. Employees also play a role in achieving that environment. They must do their bit to bring in positivity by following a healthy lifestyle and maintaining balanced nutrition.