Gütersloh, 10/20/2022

How To Strengthen Mental Health?

BENET spotlighted mental health last week on World Mental Health Day, October 10. The “Mental Health in Focus” initiative marks the start of Bertelsmann’s Group-wide focus on the topic of mental health. Today’s article is about how mental health can be strengthened in the workplace and which services offered by the company can provide support. With the help of colleagues from Bertelsmann’s Corporate Responsibility department, BENET has compiled key information and useful materials.

In addressing the issues of health and well-being, Bertelsmann is guided by the holistic definition of the WHO (World Health Organization) – the triad of mental, social and physical well-being. Bertelsmann’s approach is to design healthy and safe working conditions and to support a healthy work- and lifestyle for employees. Work-related stress should be identified at an early stage to prevent mental stress whenever possible. At the same time, Bertelsmann offers employees who need help in challenging situations a wide range of support services.

What influence do leaders have on mental health and well-being?

Leaders have a huge impact on employees’ mental health and well-being. The way they communicate and behave toward their employees makes a big difference. Apart from this, leaders bear some of the responsibility for creating healthy and safe working conditions. This includes taking appropriate measures to counter physical and mental stress factors at an early stage, recognizing symptoms of stress in employees, and preventing stress wherever possible. Self-care is equally important. By adopting a healthy working style, leaders are better able to fulfill their duty of care to employees. In addition, they should be aware of their role model function.

What can employees do to strengthen their mental health?

All employees also bear responsibility for their own health. This means, for example, openly communicating stress tolerance limits and pursuing a healthy work- and lifestyle. A healthy way of working is as much about how one organizes oneself as it is about the relationship between work and rest times.

More and more deadlines, constant availability, fast-paced working, and constant time pressure can lead to “downtime” being neglected. However, these breaks are crucial for job satisfaction, mental health, and well-being. In addition to the regular break, smaller, two- to five-minute breaks wherever one’s job allows it, are particularly important for recovery. When it comes to what you do during a break, it is important that breaks have a relaxing effect and allow mental detachment from work. At the same time, it is up to leaders to create a work environment where people feel psychologically secure, which allows employees to take time for breaks without having to worry about being seen as unproductive.

Another challenge is information overload. Calls, emails and push messages – people are confronted with so many distractions every day. They tend to respond to them promptly and in quick succession. This is because the reward system releases happiness hormones every time we switch to a different task. However, this is very counterproductive as the stress hormone cortisol is produced, a feeling of being overwhelmed sets in, and productivity is reduced by up to 40 percent. One working method that can help here is “Deep Work,” a state of maximum concentration where you go deep into the task at hand. Using this method, people can learn to focus their concentration and attention on a task without exceeding their own stress limits.

In addition to a healthy way of working, the concept of resilience plays an important role in mental health and well-being. Resilience is the ability to maintain mental health during adversity or to restore it quickly afterwards. Resilient people can recover more quickly from adverse circumstances, such as strokes of fate, and emerge from them stronger. Researchers assume that resilience is developed over the course of a lifetime. It can be learned using the “Seven Pillars of Resilience” model: optimism, acceptance, solution orientation, leaving the victim role, taking responsibility, planning for the future, and network orientation. In addition, relaxation and stress management methods, such as breathing and mindfulness exercises, or progressive muscle relaxation, can provide support.

Who are the contact persons for mental health at Bertelsmann?

At Bertelsmann, there are different contact persons for mental health, depending on the issue at hand. “Mental Health First Aiders” can be a first point of contact for employees. They are trained in dealing with strained colleagues, are obligated to maintain confidentiality, and can refer employees to professional support services. An overview of the “Mental Health First Aiders” in your division, if applicable, can be found in the “Health” section of your division’s intranet. Bertelsmann also offers its employees and leaders external professional counseling, such as Company Social Counceling throughout Germany. Other countries are increasingly offering comparable services known as Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs). These will be expanded as part of implementing the Bertelsmann ESG program (2021-2023). In addition, there are local external telephone emergency services that can provide further help in challenging life situations.