Theeducationpost

Sumedha Jaggi

Since graduating with a Masters in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from University College London (UCL), Sumedha has been working with Mercer Mettl in the field of Psychometrics and Behavioral Assessments. She designs, develops and delivers behavioral competency-based assessment solutions for corporate hiring and L&D. Outside of work, Sumedha remains closely involved with non-profits geared towards education and mental health, and in her free time, she enjoys experimenting with different fitness routines.

Mental Health and Well Being at Work

In every organisation, there exist implicit ‘display rules’ regarding what is considered appropriate behavioural conduct. These rules are generally reinforced through socialization, becoming a part of the professional ethos over time. However, over the course of a work day, employees feel many different emotions, some of which may conflict with display rules. Take, for instance, working with a demanding or an angry client, or getting into an argument with a co-worker. Such situations force us to engage in ‘emotional labour,’ a phenomenon that entails faking emotions that are not felt, or suppressing those which are.
Literature shows that employees who engage in emotional labour are likely to experience burnout. ‘Burnout’ is an occupational phenomenon that is defined as, “a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed” (ICD-11). It is characterized by three dimensions- feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion, increased mental distance from one’s job, and reduced professional efficacy.
The growing knowledge on burnout and its impact on mental health and well being enables organizations to identify and reduce workplace stressors. To begin with, organisations should set clear role-based expectations and ensure easy access to resources required to meet those expectations. Organizations should also encourage social support within teams in a bid to create a healthy work atmosphere. Lastly, managers should be aware of the signs and symptoms of burnout and immediately ensure interventions are sought (e.g. personal counselling and training) for those who may need them.

Shivani Khera Khanna

Shivani Khera Khanna is a founding member and the Chief Marketing Officer at MeeHappy Wellness. MeeHappy offers employee wellness programs that focus on holistic wellness with a special emphasis on mental health.

Women and mental health

Today’s educated, urban woman wants it all! The number of opportunities created by economic liberalization and coupled with the desire to contribute equally towards the financial security of her family is making the woman of today go all out. She is establishing herself at the work front and is, at the same time managing the disproportionately large share of the responsibility of the house and kids. While women are breaking grounds by handling both fronts pretty well, the truth is that domestic and office work does take a toll on them – not just physically, but more so mentally. Add to these issues specific to women like gender inequality, bullying, undue expectations from family, inability to question some set patriarchal norms, no discourse to help and so on, women are twice as likely as men to develop common mental disorders like anxiety and depression and research substantiates the same. A study by Lancet* puts suicide as the number one cause for death in women and teenage girls in India, surpassing maternal mortality.

Rimli Bhattacharya

Rimli Bhattacharya is a gold medalist in Mechanical Engineering from National Institute of Technology, and also holds an MBA in supply chain management. Her essay on mental illness in the anthology “Book of Light” published by Speaking Tiger Publications caught much attention in literary circles. Her writings have appeared in several magazines. She is also a trained classical dancer (Kathak & Odissi forms).

Mental health and suicides

So often we get to hear stories of suicides committed by young students of the prestigious IIT’s. While getting an admission in one of those premier institutions is a herculean feat achieved by only a handful then the eternal question arises – What made them take their life in spite of such a promising future ahead?
Time we acknowledge the importance of proper mental health among students. The research data reveals that students in these eminent institutes top the list when it comes to mental ill health. The constant need for good performance, tough syllabus, and parental expectations attributes largely to the mental maladies like depression, bi polar, schizophrenia, anxiety, obsession and suicidal tendencies in the young adults. The students are like pressure cookers without a safety valve.
We must realize that it’s a crime to keep high aspirations on a student to constantly excel in studies. We fail to realize the amount of stress we as adults are exerting on them. Introduction of mental health literacy courses among students and teachers both in the schools and colleges must be made mandatory. Rope in professional counselors for better advice. This will help in changing attitude towards studies and also in seeking help. Remember good performance among students is directly proportional to good mental health. This is only possible once we make studies a fun filled activity rather than a stressful affair.