Mental Problems in Office Employees and How to Overcome Them

Many people are familiar with hearing the term "mental health", especially during a pandemic. It seems this issue is increasingly being discussed in various places. Although public awareness of the importance of mental health is increasing, it turns out that there are still many who consider this issue as a taboo subject.

This view arises because of the low public understanding of mental health and limited access to mental health services. Based on data from the Basic Health Research (Riskesdas) in 2018, the facts show that as many as 19 million Indonesians over the age of 15 have mental health problems.

Mental health problems can happen to anyone, regardless of gender or occupation. Office workers are one of the parties who are also vulnerable to mental health disorders.

Causes of Mental Problems in Employees

Reporting from Kompas.com, the high demands for work plus the conditions of the work environment that are not in accordance with the wishes and insufficient salary have the potential to trigger mental problems in workers. The increasingly complex problems are very likely to cause workers to feel frustrated with their work.

The COVID-19 pandemic has also had an impact on the mental health of office workers. Various changes that require everyone to adapt to new conditions have psychological effects such as a weakening economy and unemployment, reduced opportunities for social interaction, to health concerns.

WHO has also begun to urge every workplace to start paying attention to mental health and providing psychological support to its employees. The following are some mental health problems that generally occur in office workers.

1. Depression: mood disorders that can be caused by biological factors or prolonged stress. Workers who experience depression often lose their morale or are emotionally unstable.

2. Anxiety disorders: in office workers this disorder generally afflicts those who work under pressure and experience stress. This disorder is often indicated by increased heart rate, sweating, difficulty breathing, to difficulty concentrating.

The mental health of office workers is not something that can be taken lightly. If ignored, it turns out that this problem will have an impact on employee performance. The following are aspects that will be affected by employee mental problems:

1. Performance and productivity

2. A person's ability to handle work

3. Communication patterns with fellow employees or business partners

4. Physical condition in carrying out daily activities

How to Overcome Mental Problems for Employees

Even though it looks like a trivial thing, mental health problems will have a bad impact if not handled properly. Indirectly, the effect will also have an impact on the company's overall performance.

Of course there are various steps that can be taken by you as a company leader in overcoming employee mental health problems. Some of these steps include:

1. Building a healthy mental culture in the work environment

Building a work environment that supports mental health requires a strong support system as well. The superiors must have the same understanding and awareness of this. Companies can also provide self-assessment tools for employees to offer health services.

In addition, it is no less important for the company to provide education for employees about the importance of this issue. Providing understanding can be done through seminars/workshops with the theme of mental health such as stress management techniques and mindfulness.

2. Avoid toxic positivity

Toxic positivity occurs due to the assumption that an employee must be able to show positive emotions at all times. Providing the best service at work is indeed a very good thing. However, every employee is very reasonable if they feel not okay. Therefore, every work environment must provide opportunities for employees to express feelings of discomfort or express problems they face.

3. Give a pause or time to rest for a moment

In this pandemic period, more and more companies are giving their employees leeway to not always have to work from the office. One of the aims of this is to give employees the opportunity to rest or solve the problems they are facing.

It is undeniable that the pandemic situation is a difficult time we are facing together. For this reason, companies should also understand this and show empathy for their employees who need time to recover.

In order to develop superior talent in a company, you can also manage employees' understanding of their weaknesses and strengths. This can be trained through the Self-Leadership: Personality Perspective program. Through this training, participants are expected to be able to lead themselves and understand team members personally.

If you are interested in understanding how to manage stress during a pandemic, you can take the Self Leadership: Personality Perspective training. In this training you will be invited to understand the characteristics and ways to manage stress both for yourself and for others, including your subordinates.