[IPC] Empathy as a Service: Supporting Mental Health in the Tech Workplace

Transcript

1. EMPATHY AS A SERVICE SUPPORTING MENTAL HEALTH IN THE TECH WORKPLACE Nara Kasbergen (@xiehan) International PHP Conference #IntPHPcon December 8, 2020
2. TOPICS COVERED 1. What are we talking about? 2. Why 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
3. 1. WHAT EVEN ARE WE TALKING ABOUT?
4. 1 in 5 adults living with mental illness at any given time Source: International Journal of Epidemiology
5. 1 in 10 Europeans living with diabetes Source: WHO
6. 1 in 14 children and adults under 45 living with asthma in Europe Source: European Respiratory Society
7. 1 in 4 Europeans living with arthritis Source: EULAR
8. Mental illness is one of the most prevalent chronic health conditions, but we don’t talk about it
9. A VERY INCOMPLETE LIST OF MENTAL ILLNESSES Depression Generalized anxiety disorder Bipolar disorder Substance use disorder (alcoholism) Eating disorder (bulimia) Schizophrenia PTSD Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) Impulse control disorder Antisocial personality disorder Dissociative identity disorder ADHD* Autism spectrum disorders* Burnout**
10. depression is at least 13x more prevalent than schizophrenia
11. SYMPTOMS OF MAJOR DEPRESSION ▸ Feelings of sadness, emptiness, hopelessness ▸ 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
12. “ Telling someone not to be sad because others have it worse is like telling people they can’t be happy because others have it better. - Unknown
13. Source: robot-hugs.com
14. Source: robot-hugs.com
15. Source: robot-hugs.com
16. 8.4% increase in clinically significant levels of mental distress among households in the UK as a result of the pandemic Source: The Lancet
17. percentage of adults who reported stress, anxiety, or great sadness since the COVID-19 outbreak started Source: Statista
18. percentage of workers reporting mental health status in the year before COVID-19 and in March and April 2020 Source: Statista
19. WHY PEOPLE DO NOT SPEAK UP ▸ Fear of dismissal ▸ 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
20. “Leave your personal life at home when you come to work.”
21. 2. WHY I SPEAK UP ABOUT THIS
22. I’m a tech lead.
23. I’m a tech lead. I identify as mentally healthy.
24. Ni Mu July 13, 1988 - September 14, 2016
25. Ed Finkler (@funkatron) OPEN SOURCING MENTAL ILLNESS (osmihelp.org)
26. Source: OSMI
27. “ I could do so many awesome things if only my own head didn’t get in the way. - Ed Finkler (@funkatron)
28. 3. WHAT CAN WE DO?
29. COMMON CHARACTERISTICS OF TECH WORKPLACES AND CULTURE ▸ The work 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
30. RELOCATION
31. RELOCATION 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
32. RELOCATION Negative: ▸ Takes someone away from the existing support 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
33. RELOCATION Solutions: ▸ As a community, stop saying that the 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 ▸ Many companies have become more accepting of remote work due to the pandemic; you do not want to get left behind
34. REMOTE WORK
35. REMOTE WORK Positive: ▸ Flexible hours ▸ Easier to attend daytime therapy appointments ▸ Easier to stick to medication regimens ▸ Easier to take breaks ▸ Quiet & peaceful *
36. REMOTE WORK Negative: ▸ Sense of isolation ▸ Harder to 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 *
37. REMOTE WORK Solutions: ▸ Make funds available for employees to 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
38. ON-CALL ROTATIONS
39. ON-CALL ROTATIONS Positive: ▸ A huge burden being shared among the team improves sense of team unity, camaraderie ▸ Engineers have a way to prove understanding of the technical systems, ability to handle crisis
40. ON-CALL ROTATIONS Negative: ▸ Expecting the unexpected can be very difficult for those with serious anxiety disorders ▸ Lack of sleep or interrupted sleep is bad for mental health ▸ High stress leads to burnout Positive: ▸ A huge burden being shared among the team improves sense of team unity, camaraderie ▸ Engineers have a way to prove understanding of the technical systems, ability to handle crisis
41. ON-CALL ROTATIONS Solutions: ▸ Fix tech issues to make being on-call less stressful ▸ If someone is called in the middle of the night, give them adequate time to catch up on sleep ▸ For employees with serious anxiety disorders, see if there's a way to take them out of the on-call rotation without making them feel like they're not contributing
42. ALCOHOL AT TECH EVENTS
43. ALCOHOL AT TECH EVENTS 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
44. ALCOHOL AT TECH EVENTS Negative: ▸ Non-drinkers feel unwelcome ▸ 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
45. ALCOHOL AT TECH EVENTS Solutions: ▸ Offer nice alternatives (fancy 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
46. MENTAL HEALTH IN A PANDEMIC ▸ Keep to a routine ▸ Make sure you're getting fresh air & exercise ▸ Reconnect with old friends and family ▸ Talk about your feelings ▸ Take self-care seriously ▸ Know the warning signs of burnout ▸ Proactively talk to your manager if you're struggling
47. WARNING SIGNS OF BURNOUT ▸ Becoming increasingly cynical or critical at work ▸ Lacking the energy to consistently be productive ▸ Finding it hard to concentrate ▸ Being irritable or impatient with co-workers or clients ▸ Feeling disillusioned about your job ▸ Having trouble sleeping or sleeping too much ▸ Using food, drugs, or alcohol to feel better Source: Mayo Clinic
48. MASLACH'S 6 CAUSES OF BURNOUT ▸ Lack of control ▸ Insufficient reward ▸ Lack of community ▸ Absence of fairness ▸ Conflict in values ▸ Work overload Source: J Health Hum Serv Adm
49. MANAGERS, TECH LEADS AND SENIOR DEVS: LEAD BY EXAMPLE ▸ Don't micro-manage ▸ End your work day 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
50. OTHER ACTION ITEMS FOR MANAGERS ▸ Make sure employees understand 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
51. MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID (mhfainternational.org) ▸ Teaches how to respond if you encounter someone having a mental health crisis ▸ International program (started in Australia) ▹ Available in the US, Canada, UK, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Netherlands & more ▸ 8-hour or 12-hour training course ▸ Employers can host a training on-site
52. 4. WHAT MUST WE DO TOGETHER?
53. SUPPORT MARGINALIZED PEOPLE IN THE TECH INDUSTRY ▸ Chronic harassment, 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
54. THINGS WE CAN ONLY CHANGE AS A CULTURE ▸ Working 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 stigma against talking about our feelings ▸ The idea that engineers don't have empathy
55. “ Empathy is the antidote to shame. - Andrea Goulet (@andreagoulet)
56. "EMPATHY AS A SERVICE"
57. THERE IS NO APP FOR THIS
58. “ I could do so many awesome things if only my own head didn’t get in the way. - Ed Finkler (@funkatron)
59. RESOURCES Want to help? ▸ reach out. ask. listen. tell your friends you care. ▸ osmihelp.org ▸ mhprompt.org ▸ if-me.org ▸ mhfainternational .org Need help? ▸ talk to someone: a friend, relative, counselor, etc. ▸ forums.osmihelp.org ▸ 112 (EU) ▸ telefonseelsorge.de or 0800.1110111 (DE) or 142 (AT)
60. QUESTIONS? Thoughts? Comments? nara@nara.codes @xiehan osmihelp.org/donate dedicated to Ni Mu