Are leaders equipped to deal with mental health in the workplace?

AUTHOR: Dumani Mhlongo BCom (Accounting), Tax Accountant, SABC

A friend of mine who was recently discharged from a psychiatric hospital mentioned that most of the people she met there were struggling with mental health issues caused by their work conditions. They acknowledged that in addition to everyday life stresses, their work environment had contributed to their depression.

How can leaders effectively support the reintegration of these workers into the workforce without negatively impacting their mental health upon their return from such a facility? All will be lost if a patient is discharged and feeling well only to be sent back to the same work environment that contributed to and maybe even caused their depression.

Given the significant impact of mental health issues, it’s crucial for leaders to reconsider their approach to leadership. It’s important to emphasise that business leaders should never replace trained mental health professionals, especially in times when mental health crises are so prevalent. However, those in leadership positions need to adopt a more empathetic approach, as this style of leadership is most beneficial for companies, communities, societies, and the development of the next generation workforce. To clarify, empathetic leadership doesn’t mean lowering expectations for employees. Instead, it requires leaders to support employees in reaching their full potential and to promote mental wellness as a key component of thriving and achieving maximum potential.

Mental health awareness is often overlooked by many executives, yet it is an essential leadership skill crucial for the long-term success of any organisation. As a leader, it is imperative to have a deep understanding of your team and to be highly sensitive to their well-being. A team cannot work effectively if any of its members are struggling with personal challenges that seep into their work life and are further not receiving the necessary support. Moreover, companies have a significant responsibility to ensure that they are fostering a positive work environment for their employees and not causing them any mental or physical harm.

Research has shown that people generally have specific expectations of their leaders, such as being charismatic and sensitive, regardless of the context. However, leaders also face challenges in dealing with various situations. While there has been significant research on understanding the causes and effects of different mental health experiences in the workplace, little is known about people’s assumptions regarding mental health at work, particularly about their leaders’ mental health. Given that people tend to idealise organisational leaders and have expectations of their typical attributes, it’s worth considering whether they also have expectations about their leaders’ mental health. Drawing on implicit leadership theories, it is proposed that people assume that leaders have better mental health compared to others in the organisation, such as subordinates, due to their access to organisational resources.

Leaders are expected to know how to handle mental health issues at work. Any deviations from these expectations are viewed as insensitive and reflect poor leadership.