I speak up about this 3. What can we do? ▹ pragmatic, common-sense, action-oriented; anyone can do these things! 4. What must we do together? ▹ difficult, aspirational; everyone has to do their part
▸ Angry outbursts, irritability or frustration ▸ Loss of interest or pleasure in normal activities ▸ Sleep disturbances (insomnia or sleeping too much) ▸ Tiredness and lack of energy ▸ Changes in appetite ▸ Anxiety, agitation or restlessness Source: Mayo Clinic
▸ Fear of being taken out of promotion consideration ▸ Fear of being taken off high-value projects/contracts ▸ Fear of reduced hours (for hourly workers) ▸ Fear of being asked to take unpaid medical leave ▸ Fear of being treated differently
is challenging and stressful ▸ Our jobs are highly collaborative ▸ Many of us have relocated for a job ▸ Most of us work remotely at least part of the time ▸ We're often expected to be available outside work hours ▸ Someone needs to fix things when they break overnight ▸ There is a heavy emphasis on drinking culture
the team and helping toward the mission if you're on-site ▸ Can bring you closer to a community of practitioners in your field than where you currently are
structures they have already built up ▸ Generally stressful ▸ Making new friends as an adult is surprisingly hard! Positive: ▸ Much easier to feel a part of the team and helping toward the mission if you're on-site ▸ Can bring you closer to a community of practitioners in your field than where you currently are
best way to succeed in tech is to relocate to Silicon Valley; become more accepting of alternative choices ▸ If you are a manager, take another look at your hiring practices and see whether remote employment is an option ▸ Create a "Welcome Wagon" for new colleagues who have had to relocate to join your company
out for lunch or dinner with the team. Avoid alcohol at their first social event. ▸ Team members take turns introducing the new employee to activities and events in the area, e.g. ▹ Invite them to join your book club meeting! ▹ Invite them to go rock climbing! ▹ Invite them to join your bocce league! ▹ Invite them to go volunteering with you!
build strong relationships with co-workers ▸ Harder to tell if colleagues are doing OK (health-wise) ▸ Can make it challenging to maintain work-life balance Positive: ▸ Flexible hours ▸ Easier to attend daytime therapy appointments ▸ Easier to stick to medication regimens ▸ Easier to take breaks ▸ Quiet & peaceful
join a co- working space (or encourage colleagues to do so) ▸ Fly in remote employees or hold company-wide off-sites to make sure they feel part of the team ▸ Look into the latest research on remote work culture, improvements you can make to integrate remote employees
can make it easier for some introverts and those with social anxiety to socialize with peers ▸ If you don't offer alcohol, those who want to drink will go to a bar instead of staying to mingle with others at the event
Recovering alcoholics feel threatened ▸ Free alcohol and drinking culture are so pervasive that there are probably more functioning alcoholics in tech than we're aware of Positive: ▸ One or two drinks can make it easier for some introverts and those with social anxiety to socialize with peers ▸ If you don't offer alcohol, those who want to drink will go to a bar instead of staying to mingle with others at the event
sodas, mocktails) for non-drinkers to make them feel included ▸ Put a limit on the number of free drinks (use tickets) ▸ Have activities other than drinking (e.g. board games) ▸ In a recurring series, try alternating dry/non-dry events ▸ Add workplace wellness programs on substance abuse
Don't micro-manage ▸ Leave the office on time ▸ Take regular vacations ▸ Don't send or answer e-mails at 2am if possible ▸ Be receptive to feedback on your own performance ▸ Be a good listener ▸ Be open to talking about your health and mental health
their rights, especially with regard to burnout & mental health ▸ Revisit your hiring practices with an eye to mental illness and neurodiversity ▸ Make sure your employees feel valued and are on projects that they find fulfilling and empowering ▸ Get the OSMI handbooks (leanpub.com/u/osmi) ▸ Consider offering the Mental Health First Aid training
if you encounter someone having a mental health crisis ▸ International program (started in Australia) ▹ Available in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Netherlands & more ▸ 8-hour or 12-hour training course ▸ Employers can host a training on-site
bullying, and micro- aggressions can lead to depression, exacerbate eating disorders, and cause or worsen other mental illnesses ▸ Even in tech, women are still judged by their looks ▸ People from marginalized groups feel they have to over-perform (to counteract the "lowering the bar" myth), which leads to increased stress and a greater likelihood of burnout
are the result of natural variations of the human genome ▸ "People with differences do not need to be cured; they need help and accommodation instead." ▸ Some of our greatest inventions are attributed to people with atypical neurology ▸ "Mental illness gives me superpowers." - Ed Finkler ▸ "Neurodiversity as a Competitive Advantage" (HBR)
ourselves to death - the over-emphasis on hard work, and stigma against vacation ▸ The need to always be available by phone or email ▸ The peer pressure caused by social media ▸ The belief that you must be in Silicon Valley to succeed ▸ The stigma against talking about our feelings ▸ The idea that engineers don't have empathy
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