World Mental Health Day 2024: Mental Health At Work

Oct. 9

World Mental Health Day was first celebrated 32 years ago in London, England on October 10, 1992 by the World Federation of Mental Health. Since then, it has grown in popularity on a global scale and is celebrated annually. Thanks to advocacy efforts worldwide to raise awareness of how mental health affects people and communities as well as what actions can be done, much more is known about mental health today. However, although for some people it may seem easier to have discussions about mental health, there is still progress to be made as the fear of stigma from mental health concerns still affects many people everyday. Every year on this commemorative day, there is a new focus or theme, and for this year in 2024, Alberta celebrates World Mental Health Day with the theme of ‘Mental Health at Work’.

Because many of us give the majority of our time to our place of work, wouldn’t it make it sense that we invested all of this time and energy in environments that looked out for us and made us feel safe and secure? Studies have shown that healthy, safe and supportive working environments can help act as a protective factor for mental health and help to provide purpose and stability, but unfortunately the opposite is also true. Unhealthy working conditions including experiencing stigma and harassment contribute to poor mental health which affects work productivity among many other things, but more importantly it affects one’s quality of life. Other factors negatively affecting mental health include discrimination, poor working conditions, and unstable or temporary job conditions from job insecurity.

According to the World Health Organization, it is estimated that depression and anxiety alone result in the loss of 12 billion workdays each year. For social workers, mental health and wellness is especially important given the nature of the profession and the compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma that we experience. Social workers support their clients with their mental health journey through the layers of trauma they experience, and complex needs including poverty, oppression and marginalization. So why do social workers struggle with prioritizing their own mental health when an important component of the job is to help clients with theirs? In 2023, a journal article by International Social Work was published that uncovered that 40% of Canadian social workers in the study experienced depression, a rate that was 4 times higher than the general population and substantially higher compared to other health care professionals working in COVID-19 conditions.

Therefore, it is imperative for mental health in the workplace (especially for social workers) to be prioritized through the action of the organizations we work for, as well as the steps that we can take individually to protect and care for ourselves. I’m sure many of us have heard the phrase ‘you must fill your own cup before you can fill it for others’, but it’s worth repeating because it’s true.

What can organizations do?

Ensure that workers understand the benefits that they are entitled to including for health coverage, protocol for sick days and days off and implementing and normalizing mental health days.
Reduce workplace discrimination through increasing awareness of stigma and harassment.
Providing supplemental training and engagement with people living with mental health conditions to create healthier and inclusive work environments.
Accommodate workers with reasonable changes to support mental health such as return to work programs for people taking time off from experiencing mental health crises, scheduling regular check-ins and frequent breaks and reviewing these changes and accommodations regularly.
Recognize and plan for potential stressors in the workplace.
Involve those with lived experience of mental health in policy or decision-making when decisions affect them individually or as a group.
Creating a healthy work environment where staff can feel comfortable speaking out and having conversations about their mental health.
Challenge the myths of mental health and stigma, including the false belief that “people use the term mental illness as an excuse for poor behaviour”.

What can we do?

Being able to recognize when our mental health is being affected.
Take our breaks that we are entitled to and take our days off including vacation days.
Understanding our limits and when we need a break and rest, instead of trying to “tough it out”.
Accessing community supports like therapy or attending cultural ceremonies for healing if you come from a faith-based background.
Using person-first language such as “a person living with a mental health issue”, instead of stigmatizing labels like “crazy” or “mentally ill”, calling out these behaviours when they are seen in the workplace and become aware of our own internal prejudices towards mental health.
Not feeling bad when we are taking breaks or getting the rest we need.
Taking mental health days to replenish ourselves.

Mental health is an integral aspect of our health and wellness and it deeply affects our quality of life. In the workplace, it is especially important for both organizations and ourselves to take the steps that they can to prioritize mental health, understand when our mental health is affecting us, as well as what can be done when it is affecting us and what resources we can reach out to for help. It is also vital for us to understand the concept that breaks and rest are not earned on the basis of merit, but instead we are entitled to them because we deserve them. Thank you.

Written by MSW practicum student, Erik Yuson.