By Clare Roche
COVID-19 is presenting a range of mental health challenges across several aspects of life, but what is often overlooked is workplace mental health.
Mental ill-health was already one of Australia’s most pressing issues and an area of focus for policy makers and business leaders, however Covid-19 has only emphasised its importance.
Covid-19 has called to attention the essential tools required to have a mentally healthy work environment.
Stigma and False Perceptions
Professional task forces, more appropriate resources and encouraging discussions in order to support colleagues and destigmatise COVID anxiety.
Stigma associated with COVID-19 is based on 3 main factors:
- It is a virus that is new and for which there are still many unknowns
- People are often afraid of the unknown
- It is easy to associate that fear with ‘others’
Stigma can:
- Drive people to hide the illness to avoid discrimination
- Prevent people from seeking health care immediately
- Discourage them from adopting healthy behaviours
Patrick Roche, Business Director in the Australia Defence Force, says Defence are accommodating anyone in need of support during this period of sustained uncertainty.
He says in Defence there is an added barrier with open disscussion on mental health.
“Because everyone has to have a security clearance, there is this perception that ur mental health can impact on this clearance, which your job depends on.”
“This perception that your mental health can imapct your job security is not only not entierly true, but it also means people are less likely to open up and be truthful.”
ANXIETY and STRESS
He says for those lucky enough still to have their job, there are anxieties surrounding increased workload and working remotely.
Cup Half Full
School teachers make up 8% of serious work related mental health condition claims, ranking them in the top three occupations most at risk, according to Safe Work Australia.
However, Margaret Green, kindergarten teacher at Lyneham Primary School, agrees that COVID has highlighted how significant mental health is and because of that there has been a positive change in her professional enviroment.
“The emphasis was there before COVID but it has become very important, so much so that it is instilled in our staff meetings.”
“Every week we do a check in…This week we had to think of somthing that we did that made us smile on the weekend.”
When her team member was diagnosed with terminal cancer halfway through COVID, she says her chain of command was on top of checking in and making sure everyone had the support they needed.
“There were teachers at the school who needed a little pick me up.. checking in with each other and doing something fun before class helped… the resouces were already all there.”
Even though there has been no threat from Covid directly, it’s just been like a compounding force.”
Mrs Green, who confessed suffering from an anxiety disorder, says that her mental health has been better since COVID.
Listen to her full story: