Open your social media and if it isn’t war or hurricanes greeting you, it’s a soppy post about World Mental Health Day, marked annually on 10 October. According to the World Health Organisation, the day aims to raise awareness about mental health issues globally and encourage those struggling to seek help and support. It was first observed in 1992, as an initiative of the World Federation for Mental Health.
Annual theme: mental health at work
This year’s theme is “mental health at work”, an attempt to make our offices “happy places” which can help us be more productive, be calmer and more aware of toxic workplaces. I have been a working professional for the last decade or more and I can say, that if you’re spending a majority of your day in a cubicle, chasing deadlines, and arguing with a stubborn manager about your tasks, then your mental wellbeing is closely linked to your workplace.
I spoke to Anne Jackson, founder and CEO of One Life Coaching, who tells me that mental health has become an important topic of conversation in 2024. Jackson, a therapist and life coach with more than 14 years of hands-on experience in the UAE, has worked with a wide variety of clients in both the
corporate and personal spheres.
But the big question is, is there sufficient wellbeing training for employers and employees to ensure that we’re all happy at work?
“No,” says Jackson emphatically. “Most companies are paying lip-service to the idea of wellbeing training.” Jackson has trained professionals in “soft skills” and says that most of the “aggressive” or “passive-aggressive” behavior that we see in offices comes from childhood trauma.
“Gone are the days when you can leave your personal life behind. You are one person after all,” says Jackson. And the organization needs to play catch up.
Work-life balance for women
How many women do you know who are juggling Teams’ calls with their child’s meal demands? Those who are calling in sick because their child has the flu and she is the primary caretaker? Those who are trying to have a semblance of a career while ensuring that the support staff is happy too? How many are settling multiple alarms and reminders just so they can conquer their day? Countless.
I am one of them and if you have made it to this point in this article, you are one too. This is the profile of the working woman in 2024 and if the organization hasn’t commissioned a study on her, said company is losing out.
Jackson tells me that fathers need to do much more than playing the role of the “jovial play dads”.
“They need to plan the lunch boxes, play dates, figure out schedules and be in touch with the schools. There is so much more to parenting than playing with your child,” says Jackson.
Social media has fooled us into being grateful for the “millennial dad” who plays with his child and teaches her a lesson or two. Believe you me, your partner can do more and should do more.
“Women have a bigger consortium of tasks to get done and more often than not, work is an escape,” says Jackson. Her words certainly ring true for me.
