Workplace distress: ‘Most bosses have no clue what they’re doing’

THEY can make or break you professionally. But most bosses have “no clue what they’re doing” and workers are paying the price, an expert says.

MOST bosses have no clue what they’re doing and workers are paying the price with their mental health.

That’s according to chief executive of the Mental Health Recovery Institute Pedro Diaz.

Mr Diaz — an accredited Mental Health Social Worker and former President of Australian Association of Social Workers, NSW — told news.com.au that workplace bullying and subsequent mental health issues were commonly triggered or exacerbated by poor leadership in the workplace.

According to him, a boss’s attitude shapes the culture of a workplace and directly impacts workers but most don’t have the skills to do that in a positive way.

“In my experience, most bosses have no clue what they’re doing,” he said.

“Most are good people trying to do their best but they’ve never been taught how carrying a belief or certain energy without even opening their mouth can impact another human being.

“Some managers aren’t even aware of the impact that them arriving in the morning without a smile on their face has on the culture of their workplace.”

He said managers need to be aware of what kind of psychology dynamics and environment they’re setting up for their team.

“Mental health issues kill people and they kill business.”

Mr Diaz told news.com.au that several mental health disorders including anxiety and depression were often caused by “bad relationships”, including those in the workplace.

“The wrong culture or the wrong work environment, or simply in a culture where people don’t feel validated or valued can definitely trigger a lot of stress or anxiety and if not attended to can go into depression and some cases suicide,” he said.

A recent study by the Institute for Safety, Compensation and Recovery Research (ISCRR) found that up to 17 per cent of people who die by suicide do so because of mental health issues triggered at work.

According to the report published in conjunction with Monash University, farmers, health care professionals and electricians are at an elevated risk of suicide.

News.com.au recently exposed a lack of welfare support and a subsequent mental health crisis within the Australian Federal Police after an agent was believed to have taken her own life in the Melbourne headquarters on February 7. The reasons behind her death are not publicly known.

Following the tragedy, close to 100 past and present AFP agents came forward to highlight a culture of systematic bullying by “middle management” nationwide. State police officers also reached out to say that the issue extended to them. Several have since died by suicide. Many other members told news.com.au they had been suicidal at one point or another as a direct result of how they were treated at work.

READ: ‘You ruined my career. Pay me $10m’

READ: SA Police officer dies by suicide

READ: Audit into the AFP

READ: ‘Whole lot of ticking time bombs’

READ: AFP agents’ harrowing stories

READ: Push for inquiry into the AFP

READ: Inside the AFP

READ: AFP agent’s open letter

DOES YOUR BOSS MAKE YOU FEEL VALUED?

Mr Diaz said the revelations about the AFP and state police forces did not surprise him.

“Where a culture of bullying is allowed we see the rate of mental health issues go quite high,” he said.

“And in male industries where people feel they have to be macho and strong, that can be an issue.

“The construction industries, army, defence, those types of cultures, there is a lot of attention on mental health because they have a high suicide rate.”

Mr Diaz said it was up to management to be aware of the culture in their organisation to reduce stress for staff and get the best out of them.

“Mental health issues can be seriously improved by looking at the right culture at work,” he said.

“Are people allowed to be human and make mistakes, are they feeling valued?

“There’s a difference between a company valuing employees and employees feeling valued by their direct manager. Employees need to feel valued by their manager.”

A lack of support in the workplace can have widespread consequences, according to Mr Diaz.

“All mental health disorders carry with them a certain degree of cognitive dysfunction,” he said.

“If people have problems thinking, keeping concentration, motivation and making decisions, from a business perspective, that’s an issue.

“When paying people to do a job they have to be able to use their brain to the best of their ability.

“But what happens with mental health disorders such as stress, anxiety and depression, is that thinking is impaired severely at times.

“You can have a mental health issue and be a high performer and achiever but it comes down to support.”

HEAVENLY BOSSES AND THOSE FROM HELL

There’s one thing that most toxic bosses have in common, according to Mr Diaz.

“They’re people who don’t care about or show value for other people,” he said.

“They’re usually emotionally exhausted and can’t go into the space of opening their hearts.

“Some have an attitude of ‘I just don’t care how people react, this is a 9-5 job, so the staff can just do what they’re told’.”

But the great ones are just as easy to spot.

Mr Diaz said a “good boss knows how to manage their empathy (and is) intrinsically good at shaping their communication to tailor to the person in front of them”.

“The ability to suit the work style and communication style of the person they’re talking to is important for bosses,” he said.

“A good manager will know their people and what makes them tick.

“They will be willing to adjust their communication to suit that person.

“They’ll know what to say, talk to you in your language, or really believe in you.”

But what about those who have the boss the from hell?

“The top leadership needs to be on board and frontline people need to be on-board to change the culture,” he said.

“That changes the organisation by putting pressure on mid management layers.

“If that isn’t going to happen, it’s time to go for another job.”

Pedro Diaz is the chief executive of The Mental Health Recovery Institute, Australia’s leading authority on the management of workplace mental health issues, will be holding a masterclass on managing mental health issues within the workplace at the Sydney Sofitel Wentworth on July 19, 2017.

If you or someone you know needs help, phone Lifeline on 13 11 14 or the 24-hour Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467.

Originally published as Workplace distress: ‘Most bosses have no clue what they’re doing’