Mental Wellbeing &

Workplace Stress or Happiness? Sng Yan Ling Deputy Director, Mental Health Education Health Promotion Board 20 May 2014

A National Workplace Happiness Seminar Organised by Supported by

Everyone knows what it is? Nobody likes it? It happens to almost everyone? It occurs in a bad situation?

Bumper to bumper traffic on the MCE at 8.45am..... meeting is starting at 9.....my boss is going to kill me! The whole office knew I’ve a promotion and pay raise last month. Now everyone’s expecting me to up my game..... My uncle was so happy to strike 4-D, the prize money was $500,000. Now he’s been losing sleep thinking of how to spend the money while keeping nosey relatives away. Getting married in 2 weeks. Renovation’s cost us a bomb. OMG.....had recurrent nightmares about the wedding cake falling on us and my mother in law moving in with us

What do these scenarios have in common?

Stress is an automatic physiological response to any stimulus that requires you to respond

Stressor refers to an event/ situation that brings about stress

You may be responding to a “real” or “perceived” threat

There’s GOOD stress and there’s BAD stress

• Work (with managed stress) can be beneficial for health and wellbeing • Work stress due to exposure to time constraints, noise and unfriendly work environment is different from that generated by healthy competition, challenging duties and genuine responsibility

Eustress Distress

Low (Boring) Moderate High (Anxious)

Optimal

Perf

orm

ance

Yerkes-Dodson Law

Not all stress is necessarily bad.....

Tell-tale signs Physical • Muscle tension • Sleep Difficulties • Indigestion • Stomach ache • Tiredness • Increased heartbeat • High blood pressure • Diarrhoea/Constipation

Behavioural • Emotional eating/overeating • Alcohol abuse • Smoking/smoking more • Withdrawal from others • Irritability • Crying • Feeling nervous • Quick temper/anger

Cognitive • Continual worry • Poor concentration • Trouble remembering things • Trouble thinking clearly

• Lack of creativity • Loss of sense of humour • Indecisiveness

The Top 10 Major Stressful Life Events

1. Spouse’s death 100 2. Divorce 73 3. Marriage separation 65 4. Jail term 63 5. Death of loved one 63 6. Injury or illness 53 7. Marriage 50 8. Fired from job 47 9. Marriage reconciliation 45 10. Retirement 45

(Out of a score of 100)

Adapted from The Relaxation Response, Herbert Benson, M.D., 2000

What are your triggers?

............................................ ............................................. ..............................................

10 MOST STRESSFUL JOBS

1. Soldier 2. Fire-fighter 3. Airline pilot 4. Military General 5. Police Officer 6. Event Coordinator 7. Public Relations Executive 8. Corporate Executive 9. Photojournalist 10. Taxi Driver

Source: http://www.careercast.com/jobs-rated/10-most-stressful-jobs-2012 (US)

Workplace Stress

66% of adults are in the workforce 1 in 6 working adults experiences high level of stress Working adults score 13% lower in mental wellbeing than the general population Stress puts you at higher risk of anxiety, depression and cardiovascular diseases

Energises you? Engages you? Satisfies you?

Gives you support needed? Leaves you feeling down?

How does your job affect you?

3 Relationships that matter @the Workplace

YOU

Your Job Your Colleagues Your Organisation

+

(Lack of) Work Control Work (Over)Load

(Destructive)Work Relationships

(Unsafe)Work Environment (Unhealthy)Work Culture

+ +

Whose problem is it anyway?

Organisation

• Work Load • Work Nature

• Work Control • Work Environment

• Work Culture • Investment in Employee Health

Individual • Personality or

Disposition • Coping Skills • Attitude and

Perceptions • Social capital • Investment in

Self Care

Prevention and Management

• Learn your stress triggers and warning signs • Practise Cognitive Re-structuring

(You Are What You Think)

Healthy Lifestyle • Exercise regularly

• Eat healthy foods

Nurture Yourself • Get enough sleep and rest

• Spend time on yourself • Stay socially connected • Do things you enjoy • Generate positive emotions

Relaxation Techniques • Progressive muscle

relaxation; visualisation; meditation etc.

Resilience Tools • Learn skills to manage stressful

situations • Build strategies to “avoid” stressors and “schedule” your worries

Keep perspective. Stay Positive. Take care of yourself. Seek help if need be.

?

How Happy are You?

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Strongly

Disagree

Disagree Slightly

Disagree

Neutral Slightly

Agree

Agree Strongly

Disagree

STATEMENT SCORE In most ways, my life is close to my ideal.

The conditions of my life are excellent.

I am satisfied with my life.

So far I have gotten the important things I want in life.

If I could live my life over, I would change almost nothing.

Add up your scores

SCORE INTERPRETATION 31 - 35

Extremely Satisfied

26 - 30 Satisfied You find most areas of life to be very rewarding

21 - 25

Slightly Satisfied

20 Neutral

There are probably several areas of your life that you would like to improve 15 - 19

Slightly Dissatisfied

10 – 14 Dissatisfied 5 – 9 Extremely Dissatisfied You may be reacting to recent bad events. However, if you have felt this way for a long time and are not feeling optimistic about the future, you may need to make significant changes in your life. You might also benefit from seeking help from a professional

Getting to Happiness- the ‘MWB-Way’

HAPPINESS

ENVIRON-MENTAL FACTORS

MENTAL WELL-BEING

SOCIO-POLITICAL FACTORS

• Resilience

• Self Esteem

• Social Intelligence

• Emotional Intelligence

• Cognitive Efficacy

ECONO-MIC

FACTORS

• Social Equity • Income Distribution • Political stability • Corruption • Cost of Living • Standard of Living • Housing • Sanitation • Air/Water quality • Cultural heritage (and the list goes on…)

• Individual • Settings – School, Workplace, Community

Connecting Mental Wellbeing, Engagement and Productivity

Overall wellbeing

Environmental

Physical

Mental Health:

MWB

MH disorders Productivity

Work withdrawal

behaviours

•Absenteeism

•Presenteeism

•Incapacity benefits

Employee Engagement

Mediating Variables

32%

absenteeism

linked to MH

80% explained

by

psychosocial

risks

Employee Performance

Moderating Variables

Workplace Environment (psychosocial risks) : Management, work intensity

Employee Vulnerability: Stress tolerance & burnout

Workplace Mental Health Solution

Guidance (Management)

1) Workplace Mental

Health Guide

2) Training for supervisors

3) Leadership Engagement

Enablers

( Organizational)

1) Workplace Mental Health Grant ($5000)

2) Working Minds Curriculum – Industry capacity development

Supporting On-line resources (Employee)

Healthy Mind Hub which makes available

1)Self Assessment Tools

2) Tailored mental health educational and self help

resources

Health Promotion Board’s Initiative to encourage investment in employee mental wellbeing

Optimal organisational performance

• Improved productivity and revenue

• Increased quality of customer service

Improved employee behaviours

Enhanced employee mental health

• Stronger and more supportive relationships

• More effective stress management

• Better emotional regulation

Reduced Business Costs

• Increased staff retention • Decreased recruitment

and training costs • Less workplace conflict

Benefits of workplace mental health investment

• Enhanced job satisfaction • High employee morale • Enhanced motivation • Increased work

engagement

• Series of mental wellbeing workshops and talks including content on the five dimensions of mental wellbeing

• Trained service providers can deliver curriculum

• Curriculum can be funded by the WHP (MH) Grant

• www.hpb.gov.sg/working-minds

Stress Mgt*

* In development

HPB tools, resources & initiatives

• Employee Self Assessment Scales

(for Mental Wellbeing, Resilience,

Stress, Depression and Anxiety)

• Resources for self help and to track

their mental wellbeing over time

• Company level (aggregate) data to

help guide workplace mental health

interventions/investment

• Promotional materials to encourage employee usage

• www.hpb.gov.sg/healthymindhub

HPB tools, resources & initiatives

Healthy Mind Hub

• Provide awareness, information and skills to optimise employee mental health and wellbeing

• Promote supportive work environments

• Involves arranging a series of workplace activities focused on Mood, Stress and Sleep

• For each module, companies can choose how to structure their activities.

o Awareness

o Engagement

o Mental Health Programmes

• Free resources available for HPB to support your initiative

o Info booklets

o eDMs

o Collaterals (one for each module)

o Online self-help resources

o Employee helpline

HPB tools, resources & initiatives

Master Your Mind Workplace Initiative

Just how Happy

are you

at work?

- TASTIC

KEEP IT UP!

KEEP IT UP!

Sng Yan Ling

Mental Health Education, HPB

sng_yan_ling@hpb.gov.sg (DID: 64353317)