Stress, anxiety, depression, burnout and obsessive -compulsive disorders – all this can be consequences of a toxic work environment. These psychological stress concerns not only employees, but also managers, including CEOs and managers: inside. In many cases, they are even triggered by an unhealthy climate. A development that is widespread in the fashion industry, as in many other sectors, than is often assumed.
The situation is exacerbated by economic uncertainties, geopolitical tensions and profound technological upheavals, for example through the increasing use of artificial intelligence. These changes require a comprehensive realignment of processes and work processes.
The Harvard Business Review recently published recommendations on how managers can promote a healthy work environment and prevent mental illnesses. A central finding: a holistic strategy for the well-being of employees is not a “Nice-to-have”, but an elementary success factor.
But according to the expert: Inside McKinsey, many companies find it difficult to make the topic a priority – also because the direct connection between employees: internal welfare and long -term productivity and corporate resilience are often underestimated.
55 percent of CEOs with psychological problems 2024?
According to a business olver survey from 2024, 55 percent of the respondents indicated 3,000 CEOs, HR specialists and employees: Last year under psychological problems such as anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout or obsessive-compulsive disorders-including more than half of the managers. No coincidence that the Harvard Business Review illuminates how real leaders can not only promote the mental well -being of their teams, but also their own. So they have to be changed structures, not the people affected.
In fact, today companies are investing more than ever in offers to promote mental health. Nevertheless, data show that these initiatives rarely achieve the desired effects. The reason for this is the factor that measures often remain superficial. Without profound systemic changes, the best programs are too short.
A holistic approach requires that managers act as a “behavioral architect: acting inside”, i.e. actively create framework conditions that promote psychological well -being. This includes structural adjustments such as flexible work models, such as a four-day week, to enable employees more control over their work-life balance. Also sensible: Voluntary networks of “feel -good ambassador: inside” who promote collegial support, as well as targeted training for managers in order to strengthen them in sensitive use of mental health.
Morra Aarons-Mele, expert in mental health at the workplace and author of The Anxious Achiever: Turn your biggest Fear Into your leadership superpower, in an interview with the Harvard Business Review: “Work revolves around people-and people are complex.” This complexity is also reflected in the way different groups perceive psychological challenges. Younger employees talk more openly about mental stress, while older generations or male employees are often more affected by stigmatization. Aarons-Mele therefore recommends building up a common language and a corporate-wide knowledge base around mental health-to anchor openness and understanding sustainably.
You have to ensure that people share their experiences
Another option is to create opportunities so that people share their experiences. As a manager, everyday behaviors can cause unintentionally excessive stress and anxiety. Tomas Chamorro Premucic, expert in talent management and executive development, has created a list of common behaviors that you should pay attention to. For example: “Add unnecessary complexity by leaving the employees: Leaving the inside of the unclear about what they will do next? Do they spread pessimism by making them believe that a situation is worse than it is?”
A stronger awareness of how your actions affect your employees: inside, can help you “to get the best out of people, even in difficult times,” explains Chamorro-Premucic.
The telling of your own story “reduces the stigma”
Kelly Greenwood, founder and former CEO of Mind Share Partners, explains that the story of one’s own history “reduces the stigma and normalizes the heights and depths of being human, especially as powerful: R workers: in”, and “vulnerability as strength and not as weakness and shows that it is possible to be successful and grow with a psychological challenge”.
In order to be able to lead others effectively, it is also important to pay attention to yourself. If the roller coaster of today’s uncertainty (understandably) triggers fears, Morra Aarons-Mele emphasizes how important it is to face it: “If you don’t see your fear at some point, she will get it down.”
The four -stage process for coping with fear
Instead of ignoring or trying to overcome it, she offers a four -stage process to deal with fear. First: self -reflection to understand better what you feel and why. Second: Start of the development of tactics to cope with fear, including (healthy) connections to others. Third: Learning to be against college: inside and employees: to be vulnerable inside, without sharing too much or let the entertainment get out of hand. Fourth: Building a support system outside the company that helps to check decisions and give advice in more sensitive situations. Aarons-Mele notes: “This means that you will have better working days, both in everyday life as well as in temporary and difficult times.”
This article was used with digital tools translated.
Fashionunited uses artificial intelligence to accelerate the translation of articles and improve the end result. They help us make the international reporting of fashionunited a German -speaking readership quickly and comprehensively accessible. Articles that have been translated using AI-based tools are read and carefully edited by our editor: Correcting inside before they are published. If you have any questions or comments, please contact me by email to [email protected]