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
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
• 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 are on-site • Can bring you closer to a community of practitioners in your field than where you currently are
the team and helping toward the mission if you are on-site • Can bring you closer to a community of practitioners in your field than where you currently are 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!
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!
daytime therapy appointments • Easier to stick to medication regimens • Easier to take breaks • (Usually) quiet & peaceful 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 more challenging to maintain work-life balance
join a co-working space (or encourage your colleagues to do so) • Fly in remote employees or hold company-wide off-sites together 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
problem-solving between multiple employees • Easier to construct because of things like fire code • Can increase sense of team unity, camaraderie Negative: • Noise reduces productivity • Lack of privacy • Increased stress • Increased peer pressure • Highly conducive to the spread of disease (cold, flu, etc.)
(or increase the number of days per week or per month when they can do so) • Urge employees to work from home when sick • Set aside small meeting spaces for quiet work • Have the company provide noise-canceling headphones • Encourage employees to decorate their workspace
the team improves sense of team unity, camaraderie • Engineers have a way to prove their understanding of the technical systems and ability to manage a crisis
the team improves sense of team unity, camaraderie • Engineers have a way to prove their understanding of the technical systems and ability to manage a crisis 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 can lead to burnout
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
can make it easier for some introverts and those with social anxiety to socialize with their peers • It's become an expectation in tech culture, and if you don't offer it, those who want to drink will go find a bar instead of staying to mingle with others at the event
can make it easier for some introverts and those with social anxiety to socialize with their peers • It's become an expectation in tech culture, and if you don't offer it, those who want to drink will go find a bar instead of staying to mingle with others at the event Negative: • Non-drinkers feel unwelcome • Recovering alcoholics feel threatened by the environment • Free alcohol and drinking culture are so pervasive that there are probably more functioning alcoholics in tech than we're aware of
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
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
understand their benefits and what mental health treatments are covered • 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
Taught over 1, 2, or 4 days (1x8, 2x4 or 4x2 hrs) • Usually costs $50-100 per person including materials • Community-based grants sometimes available • International program
microaggressions can lead to depression, exacerbate eating disorders, and cause or worsen other mental illnesses • Even in tech, women are still judged by their appearance • 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
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 • hbr.org/2017/05/neurodiversity-as-a-competitive-advantage
ourselves to death - the over-emphasis on hard work, and stigma against vacation and healthy breaks • The need to always be available by phone or e-mail • 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
your friends you care. • osmihelp.org • mhprompt.org • if-me.org • mentalhealthfirstaid.org • crisistrends.org Need help? • talk to someone: a friend, relative, counselor, etc. • forums.osmihelp.org • locator.apa.org • suicidepreventionlifeline.org or 1-800-273-8255(TALK) • crisistextline.org or TEXT “START” TO 741741
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