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Mental Health in the Workplace (DeventerPHP)

Stefan Koopmanschap
February 11, 2019
72

Mental Health in the Workplace (DeventerPHP)

The slides for the Mental Health in the workplace talk I did at DeventerPHP.

Stefan Koopmanschap

February 11, 2019
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Transcript

  1. Mental health in the
    workplace
    DeventerPHP meetup, Deventer

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  2. Skoop in short
    • PHP developer since the days of PHP 3 (over 20 years now)
    • Open source contributions: phpBB, Zend Framework, Symfony, etc
    • Usergroups and conferences: phpGG, PHPBenelux, PHPAmersfoort,
    PHP.FRL
    • My own company: Ingewikkeld & my own event: WeCamp
    • My own radioshow and podcast: KINK.nl
    • I suffer from depressions

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  3. Onderbreek me gerust
    Iedere ervaring is waardevol

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  4. Introduction into mental health

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  5. What is mental health?

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  6. Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social
    well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps
    determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make
    choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from
    childhood and adolescence through adulthood.
    -- www.mentalhealth.gov

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  7. Mental health is defined as a state of well-being in which every
    individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the
    normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and
    is able to make a contribution to her or his community.
    -- www.who.int

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  8. Mental health statistics
    • 1 in 5 people struggle with their mental health (MHFA NL, 2016)
    • 1 in 4 people struggle with their mental health (NAMH, 2013)
    • 1 in 2 people in tech have sought treatment (Finkler, 2015)

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  9. Types of mental illness
    • Generalized anxiety disorder
    • Depression
    • Bipolar disorder
    • Psychosis / Schizophrenia
    • PTSD
    • Obsessive compulsive disorder
    • Borderline personality disorder
    • Eating disorders
    • ADHD
    • Substance abuse disorder
    • Burnout
    • Autism spectrum disorders
    • (and more)

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  10. How to handle mental illness
    Photo by-nc 2.0 by Annette Dubois: https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/35426175521

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  14. Get rid of the stigma

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  15. Get rid of the stigma
    • Don’t make jokes about mental health
    • Be careful
    • Be open

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  16. In the workplace

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  17. How do you recognize
    mental illness?

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  18. How to recognize mental illness?
    • Lack of energy
    • Lack of self-esteem
    • Quickly irritated
    • Problems with concentration / focus
    • Speaking about death
    • … and so many more

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  19. How do you handle mental
    illness of a colleague?
    With empathy and understanding

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  20. How to handle mental illness
    • Create the right environment for everyone
    • Communication is key
    • Empathize
    • Don’t judge

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  21. Create the right environment for everyone
    • Make clear agreements on work times, but be flexible
    • Create an open, welcoming environment
    • Allow remote work
    • Listen to feedback
    • Try to prevent stress
    • Add structure to the work day / work week
    • Don’t make “perfect” the norm
    • Don’t put too much focus on alcohol

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  22. Communication is key
    • For managers: make clear agreements on expectations
    • Talk to each other
    • Don’t make jokes about:
    • Mental illness
    • Sexual preference
    • Looks
    • Other personal traits

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  23. Empathize
    • Try to understand your colleague
    • Try to understand their needs
    • Even if you don’t understand, listen to their feedback

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  24. Don’t judge
    • Try to never judge
    • You don’t know what is going on in another person’s head
    • Being judged may make it worse

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  25. How you do handle your
    own mental illness?

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  26. https://www.113.nl/

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  27. Your own mental illness
    • Communication is key
    • Structure
    • Know your boundaries
    • Find help within the workplace
    • Find help outside of your workplace
    • Know your rights

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  28. Practical Steps

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  29. Train your people
    • Each company should have a first aid responder for physical injuries
    and illnesses
    • Why not train at least one person in your company as a first aid
    responder for mental illness and mental crises?
    • Mental Health First Aid: https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/
    • The Netherlands: https://mhfa.nl/

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  30. Read the books
    • Guidelines for Mental Wellness in the Workplace
    • Guidelines for Executives and HR professionals
    • Guidelines for Employees
    • https://osmihelp.org/resources

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  31. More to check out
    • Nara Kasbergen – Empathy As A Service:
    https://youtu.be/5nq9aqe6vSw
    • Open Sourcing Mental Illness Youtube channel:
    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBF9RcJ2o56UYO3kBqdKlHg

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  32. This will benefit not just
    those with mental illness

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  33. This will benefit everyone in
    the company

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  34. Important note

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  35. Do you recognize yourself?
    • Talk to me after this talk
    • Seek professional help

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  36. Questions?

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