In the UK, employers are legally required to provide a safe working environment. But safety doesn’t just mean worrying about head protection and slippery surfaces. Mental safety is arguably just as important as the physical kind. It might be that you come home from work feeling more than a little drained – and in some cases this can be a result of avoidable psychological injury.
But exactly what kinds of injury are we talking about?
Workplace Bullying and Harassment
Bullying can lead to psychological problems, especially if the action taken to prevent it isn’t adequate. Harassment, discrimination and verbal abuse can be delivered from a variety of sources. Sometimes, it’s a customer giving you a hard time; in other cases, it’s a colleague. Humiliation, ostracism, or relentless criticism can all lead to a powerful sense of anxiety, helplessness, and despair.
High Workload and Unrealistic Expectations
Human beings have their limits. If you’re dealing with neverending ‘crunch’, during which you’re expected to work every hour of the day, then it’s only natural that you’ll feel stressed. If you know that you’re not going to be able to meet a particular deadline, then despondency and depression can result. You might feel like nothing you do will ever be good enough, and that your workplace is more trouble than it’s worth. Burnout is a problem that’s common in many corporate cultures – and it’s usually correlated with high staff turnover.
Lack of Job Control
In some cases, you might feel that you have no control over your workplace destiny. You might be told to do things in a certain way – even if you feel that a few choice procedural changes could lead to better outcomes for the company. Micromanagement and restrictive procedures can make you feel that you’re simply a cog in the machine, with no scope for creativity and problem-solving. These kinds of jobs are rarely satisfying.
Unsafe or Toxic Work Environment
In many cases, physical safety can go hand-in-hand with the mental kind. If you feel that your employers are indifferent to the risks faced by workers, then you’re unlikely to feel warmly toward them. When you feel like you’re at constant risk of suffering an accident, moreover, you might feel stressed – even if the accident itself never arrives. Poor visibility, a lack of protective equipment, and hazardous materials can all be problematic in different ways. If you suffer an avoidable accident, you can often extract compensation through a personal injury claim – but you won’t be able to undo the injury itself.
Lack of Support or Recognition
You might feel that your contribution at work is not being recognised or valued. This can lead to problems with self-esteem. If you know that nothing you do is appreciated, and you don’t have access to the support you need to really thrive, then your mental health is likely to suffer.