ILO defines workplace well-being: "Workplace Well-being relates to all aspects of working life, from the quality and safety of the physical environment, to how workers feel about their work, their work environment, the climate at work and work organization. The aim of measures for workplace well-being is to complement Occupational Safety & Health measures to make sure workers are safe, healthy, satisfied and engaged at work."
Sri Lankan Connection
In times of economic hardship, it is essential to keep your workers physically, socially, emotionally, and mentally healthy by looking after their welfare.
I find it frightening that neither Sri Lanka nor WHO has data regarding people’s mental health/well-being beyond 2016. Browsing for relevant data on Google took me to a page titled “Directorate of Mental Health” from the Sri Lanka Ministry of Health, Nutrition & Indigenous Medicine. On the said page, the Sri Lankan Government buzzword seemingly confines prevention of suicide as their prime concern, which is very noble. Nonetheless, holistically we need to address what precedes if we are to prevent suicide. There are essential manageable matters that need our attention prior. For example, suppose we can proactively manage anxiety, acute stress, depression, and burnout. In that case, we may not have to look at suicidal statistics.
Sri Lankans love to think we are resilient and that we come out of any adverse situation triumphant. Yes, no doubt; however, our resilience has been tested, and it has been under severe threat since the devastating Easter Sunday attacks in April 2019. Amidst a sluggish economy, the only plus Sri Lanka had for some time — the tourism industry — took a nosedive with many countries issuing negative travel advisories. When an industry is affected by economic hardships, the related GDP, along with direct and indirect employment, takes a beating. Regrettably, so did many other industries and businesses on all scales.
Quoting Jeffrey Pfeffer & Leanne Williams on McKinsey, long work hours, economic insecurity, work-family conflict, and high job demands connected with low job control are some causes of employee burnout at the end of 2020 in the USA. They assert the economic impact at $180 Billion and 120,000 unnecessary deaths annually.
Before we could recover from the Easter misfortune, the pandemic struck in early 2020, disturbing every aspect of growth until 2022, as it continues to date. Economic and non-economic factors went under depression. Tourism, one of Sri Lanka’s prime money spinners and foreign currency earners, was the most affected. The pandemic halted the global economic output by 4.5 per cent in just 2020 itself. Sri Lanka, already fighting to survive economically, was sinking in despair.
Then came the crunch we are facing, made by the very people the majority elected to look after our safety and well-being. With unwanted vanity development projects, waste, and startling corruption, Sri Lanka has come to a grinding halt economically, socially, and politically — a binding thread to all the debacles we have faced since finishing the Civil War the nation has suffered through since the 80s. Nevertheless, the startling truth is that Sri Lanka is now a bankrupt, sovereign defaulted country begging for our daily needs from the international community.
In economic terms, every individual, rich or poor, faces undesirable hardships. Sri Lanka is on that slippery slope of despair with lots of resistance. Still, there is no definitive answer to the difficulties people are facing. They battle general insecurities of all types, along with food scarcity. Their basic needs are challenged and soon will face multifaceted peril due to the lack of essential resources. The binding harmonious social thread of the populace can visibly be seen deteriorating along with the emergence of the food, fuel, and gas queues. No day goes by without a violent incident in a queue. At the same time, police and armed forces getting involved in quelling the unrest have made things worse.
The snowballing social unrest, upended with the remorse towards the governing politicians, quietly led to small-time placard-holding protests around the country. The affected people slowly but surely morphed into a forceful crowd. One day, they voiced the inept ruling sect to leave their high seats. There were unruly elements, but predominantly the cry was peaceful. Some leading politicians left their positions, making the foremost to flee the country. Such was the public outcry for the incompetent ruling type to go away, but what came after as replacement ostensibly is the worst kind. When the need and ask was for a ‘system change’, people have got a ‘system reboot’.
Leaving politics aside, can we research adequate mental health numbers in Sri Lanka now that we are economically bankrupt and in a sea of a political abyss? Consensus may take time; we cannot wait till the numbers add up when we can already see and feel the anguish people are confronting and trying to manage. The natural resilience may not be enough to counter the magnitude of the damage faced by the economic downfall when each thread now undoes the binding social fabric. We cannot and should not wait until harmful proclivities lead to self-damaging despondent aftermath.
My approach here is to stress the desolation people are feeling. The hopelessness of the almost six months old struggle for fiscal, social, and political significance has delivered zero results. Just envision the mental anguish people endure after many years of political and social instability added to the economic destruction without any plausible answers in the foreseeable future. Sadly, the economic debacle was not entirely the people’s fault, yet they had to face the hardships, not the rulers.
What precedes these dangerous propensities is what we proactively should be seeking to arrest — morbid tendency situations. It is the precursor to mental health, and every one of our worker populations deserves their employer’s attention concerning their well-being. Not every worker has suicidal thoughts because they cannot make ends meet for themselves and their loved ones. Those with higher emotion regulation capabilities may be better equipped to handle negative thoughts, while others may not. However, every employer must offer help and ensure their employees have been cared for through these tough times. It is not plausible to increase salaries to keep them happy due to the economic depression. Not everyone can be made comfortable with money. Money is a motivator, but if the boss does not connect the dots of desperation and foresee the cry for help, they may miss that valuable window of opportunity. My focus at this point is to snatch the chance to address one of the primary concerns at present — mental health. The organizational leaders should be able to protect each worker’s mental health. In addition, they should do more to value employee health, so it becomes communicable inside the organization. Fundamentally, mental health addresses a person’s social, emotional, and psychological well-being that includes financial and spiritual well-being.
What are your values as an organizational leader?
Let’s assume that you are the owner, leader, or CEO of any organization in SL right now. Isn’t your employees and their familes’ situation a part of your responsibility? As an employer, does your organization have such a culture inculcated already? Or does your organization have the necessary rules, regulations, policies, procedures, and ethics intact to safeguard your employee’s well-being during adversities? Are you an employer with a moral obligation and disposition to serve society? Is your organization a part of the community? Because it’s at times like these, that true leaders take control, secure a safety net for their employees, and in turn, voluntarily gain their employees’ trust and respect. Your employees’ well-being is what guarantees you their engagement & performance that is conversely related to what all employers look for — productivity.
What is stress? How do you know you are stressed? Are you wired to handle stress?
Anxiety — Stress (Acute Stress) — Depression — Burnout
There are many ways a human fights mental anguish within them to keep anxiety and related stresses away. Most of us are equipped with necessary coping mechanisms — be it by nature or nurture. However, the magnitude of the societal affliction we face, added to job insecurity and deprivation of basic needs, will no doubt break the hardest mental fortitude. Tolerance has limitations when people have no control over the contributory factors. Mental burnout will occur when the prolonged anxiety and stress turn into depression.
The leader’s leadership style and values will create a meaningful connection between the employee and leadership. However, it is the emotional connection of the employee’s level of motivation which can bring their involvement and engagement to the organization. It’s common knowledge in profound leadership that “Involvement + Engagement = Productivity”.
Therefore, it’s time for Sri Lankan business, corporate or public organizational leadership to do what’s hard: introspective soul searching. Are you the leader that your employee yearns for? They must look after their families and have meaningful connections with their jobs. They need the organization and its operational success so they can feed their kith and kin. The businesses and organizations must sustain and keep producing and making revenue, so they contribute to the crying economy of Sri Lanka. If we consider a well-oiled machine as a metaphor, the lynchpin holds the organizational axle steady while all the other spinning, grinding large wheels and flywheels attached are the business’ processes and its workforce. That lynchpin is the leader of the organization.
Please contact if you need assistance conserving your workforce sanity — Don’t let them stay anxious, depressed, or burnt out. We can help you keep them in focus and productive, especially now!
