The last challenge any manager needs is an employee in crisis. That said, everyone has the potential for crisis. Life brings events and circumstances that are destabilizing and disturbing. Humans respond to this differently in terms of the depth and duration of our reaction(s) and adjustments. As we prepare to present the next iteration of The Point (A Bob Wilson Production, in conjunction with WorkCompCollege.com), mental health is on my mind this week.
Mental health is a complex and deep set of issues. An author on the subject provided the following interview once:
"SR: So generally speaking, what is it in our brains that can go so wrong and cause mental health problems?
DB: Well, that's a hole with no bottom, isn't it?"
The point he is making is that we are complex. The vast volume of chemical and physical activity in one minute of human life is beyond astounding. Check Just a minute: incredible numbers at play at the macro and micro level, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Your body and mind are amazingly complex and persistent at work in maintenance, sustenance, and renewal. It is, frankly, unbelievable and amazing.
Part of our foundation is personal and internal, certainly. But, we are social animals and there is a great deal of our lives that depends upon the actions and inactions of others. That person that cuts you off in traffic, the service provider that does not deliver as promised, that neighbor who won't leash his puppy.
These are human interactions and they impact us. But, a great many of our interactions are at or about work. Our livelihood depends on our success in that environment. And as managers we have to work with a multitude of people who, like us, are imperfect, stressed, and facing challenges.
There are a multitude of perspectives on the workplace and human potential. Today, a sizeable population of people have no interest in being in a workplace. Time and again, I hear the refrain in our hiring process "the applicants all want to work remote." That was a viable method of limping through a pandemic. For some companies and employees, remote work remains a way of life today. It is not for every employer nor for every employee.
I was recently on a conference call in which an executive described the office as "a ghost town." There was disappointment and pain in that voice. I have met as a guest speaker with various teams by Zoom. Some of those groups relate that they are "never" in the office, and only see each other on a video call bi-monthly at most. Some express that with enthusiasm and verve, others not so much.
Mental health and the workplace. There are potential benefits from remote work. I spoke recently with an attorney who is remote several days per week. The attorney related that life is less stressful because a quick break from work allows time to start a load of laundry, empty a dishwasher, etc. The attorney related that evenings are less stressful because of those opportunities during the day. "
Forbes reported last year on the mental health issues intertwined with remote work. It cited similar benefits
"employees appreciate how working from home allows for a better work-life balance. This may lead to higher job satisfaction and a greater likelihood that they'll stay with the company."
The article goes on to say that remote work benefits employees with anxiety and other "neurodivergent individuals." Cleveland Clinic says that term refers to "people whose brain differences affect how their brain works." Hint for the critics out there, everyone's brains are different and so are all the people that work with those brains.
The challenges of remote work, cited in the Forbes article are
- "struggle(s) with loneliness"
- "(blurred) lines between their personal and professional lives"
- "they might use breaks to take care of household chores. In a way, it's like they're always working."
- "Focus can also be difficult to maintain."
- "Personal disruptions—like a dog barking during an important call or a child needing immediate attention—can be harder to avoid."
These are all significant concerns. There appear to be mental health challenges both in remote work and in the office. Likewise, there are apparent mental health benefits from working remote. It is, as are we, complex.
Employees insist on various surveys that they are more productive when working from home. Supervisors tend to conclude otherwise and often note that supervising remote workers is more stressful for them.
If one employee is allowed to work remotely, but not all workers, does that cause stress or anxiety for the in-office members of the team? If a worker never encounters coworkers except on a screen is that troubling or challenging? In truth, either paradigm can cause or exacerbate issues, anxieties, and challenges.
In all work, there are issues of balance and management. The world is full of workplace managers. The world is not full of good workplace managers. I find it amazing how many poor managers and management decisions we run into in the world of workers' compensation. But that is for another day.
There is an old adage that you can learn a lot from a bad example. The news recently noted such an example at the company that is the "biggest search engine" in China. The public relations manager (that drips irony) "has apologized after her comments glorifying a work-till-you-drop culture." This leader essentially told her employees to "suck it up." The story does not say she called them "snowflakes" or belittled their abilities. But perhaps close.
In this regard, know that the next generation is not up to your standards. I get that. No "next generation" ever was. Every "next generation" has had it easier than the present generation. They have had advantages. They have not suffered or sacrificed. They are spoiled. My elders said it of me, your elders said it of you. That is an absolute truth, and despite the various elders' perceptions or beliefs, they were all absolutely correct and fatally misinformed. Yes, you can simultaneously be 100% right and wrong in the same thought and moment. You are complex.
This Chinese manager did remind them that she is "not your mother." She tells them to get back to work and threatens that failure or poor performance might motivate her to "make it impossible for you to find a job in this industry." Her tirades reflect the mentality of a "work until you drop" devotion to the job (or to this manager). In or out of the office, such a devotion can take its toll. As I draft this at 01:55, I am wondering if I am trying to convince the reader or myself.
China apparently leads the charge of "work until you drop." there are examples cited of ridiculous work hours, 12 hours daily, 6 days per week. There are anecdotes of asinine levels of focus that causes employees to completely forego and forget personal lives, commitment, and leisure. You are complex and you need both the achievement of accomplishments and the time to slow, stop, and savor the life you are leading.
In one of the most tone-deaf quotes, the Chinese manager tells subordinates "Keep your phone on 24 hours a day, always ready to respond." That is perhaps among the worst advice I have ever heard. Not that I ever turn mine off. Not that I am short of compulsive in checking mine. But, I make that choice. No one has ever told me to be available 24/7. There is a vast difference between checking your phone constantly and being told to do so.
The BBC article about the Chinese PR manager is a worthy read. There has been some degree of outcry about her message and the treatment of her coworkers and subordinates. The story drew me back to the challenges of remote work, and comparisons to the conventional workplace.
In the end, there is no difference between the management of in-person and remote teams. There are simple rules that will help managers through either task.
- All employees are different
- The degree of follow up and task management varies
- Some employees are self-motivated
- Some employees are detail-oriented
- Some employees need supervision
- Some employees need large projects broken into small tasks
- All employees need to recharge and recuperate
- Not all people are right for all jobs (sorry, that is simple truth)
Whether in the employee is here or there, management means interaction, assignment, and evaluation. The how, when, and where are all dependent on the multiple variables that make up that job and that employee. I often discuss management challenges with supervisors. They frequently lament that management is difficult. That is true. They tend to lament tools they lack instead of focusing on the tools they have. That is true.
The variability of humans, tasks, and details will render all of that absolutely true. The difficulty will always remain. Management will never be easy. Some will make it look easy, but one cannot fall into that trap. That Tom Brady makes quarterbacking look easy does not make it so for everyone. Management is hard. Employees are challenging. Variability is constant. Mental health is unique, fluctuating, and multi-factoral.
The answers are therefore sometimes difficult. In the end, however, the most important challenge is reasonableness. The employee must be a reasonable contributor to the team and the effort. The manager must be a reasonable leader within the needs of the team and the individual employee. The solid, persistent, management will persistently be a need to fulfill in any organization.
Expectations have to be personal and reasonable. Do not ask me to quit checking my phone 24/7, but similarly do not tell others that they must check their phones every minute. Recognize people's differences, strive to find their strengths, feed their personal goals to the extent possible, and lead them to outcomes that benefit the organization. Through that achievement, the employee grows and finds self-worth. The organization benefits through production, earnings, and more.
Easily said. But, keep in mind that if management was either easy or unnecessary, the company would not need you. And no matter if you are the CEO or working in the mailroom (an antique illustration of a starting job in the bygone era of paper), someone is likely struggling to manage you as well. Are you communicating with her/him? Are you frustrating her/him? Are you focused on your mental health and considering theirs?
Register for The Point. It will be a lively discussion of mental health and various challenges we face personally and societally.
