This year, tennis player Naomi Osaka and gymnast Simone Biles withdrew from some of the world’s most illustrious sporting events. The shock generated by the decisions of two superstars who transcend their disciplines has driven home to many the point that people cannot be expected to achieve their best if they are not in the best state of mind.
It’s an issue that affects business every bit as much as sport. For businesses, the bottom-line consequences cannot be ignored. If they ignore the importance of mental health in the workplace, then they stand to lose productivity and talent, and incur healthcare costs. Health is not just about the body. Individual wellbeing rests equally on what goes on in the headspace.
Under pressure
The well-publicised travails of Osaka and Biles are sobering stories that make clear just how mistaken it is to assume that mental health conditions mostly trouble the flawed and the unfortunate.
In May, Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam singles champion, announced she would be skipping press conferences during the French Open, even though players were required to attend them. She said the question-and-answer sessions often took a toll on the mental health of athletes, and wanted to ‘exercise self-care and preservation of my mental health’.
Anybody can be laid low by poor mental health. Success, drive and great abilities do not grant immunity
After not turning up to her first press conference, she was warned she could be kicked out of the French Open and might even be barred from other tournaments. She opted to pull out, explaining that she wrestles with anxiety, and having to face the media regularly does not help at all.
In July, Biles, who had won four gold medals and a bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics and was widely tipped to excel again at Tokyo, withdrew from the Olympics team final after the event had started. She acknowledged that pressure and stress had affected her ability to compete safely, and wanted to ‘put mental health first’.
These headline-grabbing displays of candour and courage amid vulnerability make it clear that anybody, including world-beaters, can be laid low by poor mental health. Success, drive and great abilities do not grant immunity.
Some observers believe the two episodes have helped destigmatise mental health issues. Hopefully, this will translate into kinder and gentler workplaces that offer effective and prompt interventions.
Must-have support
It has not just been celebrities who have raised the issue of mental health. The Covid-19 pandemic has confronted many business owners and managers head-on with the impact of mental disorder. The public health crisis and attendant economic hardship and widespread social disruption have put many people through the wringer over the past 20 months or so.
As a result, it has become apparent that employer support for good mental health is shifting from nice-to-have to must-have. More and more workers view it as no less a priority than medical coverage.
The World Health Organization definition of mental health is: ‘A state of well-being in which the individual realises his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.’
It is in the interests of every business to minimise workplace conditions that impact employees’ mental health. Better still, employers need to put policies and measures in place to help give employees every chance of attaining good mental health.
