Work Smart Live Smart with Beverly Beuermann-King

1 in 5 people in will experience a mental health issue at some point in their lifetime.

Mental health disorders are among the leading causes of ill-health and disability world-wide.

17% of Canadians report that they have taken time away from work and school,

According to Guarding Minds At Work, when employers adopt policies and programs to address psychological safety and health, they incur 15% to 33% fewer costs related to psychological health issues.

Employers and employees both have a responsibility to protect the health and safety of their employees.

So Here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Mental Health Week:

Know What Mental Health Is

Mental Health is a state in which an individual realizes their own abilities, can cope with the normal stressors of life, can work productively, and is not overwhelmed by their responsibilities.

Know What The General Mental Illness Indicators Are In The Workplace. Some of the most common include:

• Excessive lateness or absences

Exhibiting several of these, may indicate that someone may be experiencing a mental illness and intervention and assistance is needed.  As a leader and a co-worker, being alert to these indicators can ensure a healthy work environment.

For more information on coping with mental health issues, sign up for one of my on-line courses at worksmartlivesmart.com under the resources and courses tab.

Mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of, but stigma and bias shame us all, said Bill Clinton

So Here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Mental Health Week:

In the spirit of eliminating the stigma around mental health challenges here are some Do's And Don'ts

Do:        

• Educate yourself about mental health challenges and issues

Do Not:

• Portray successful people with disabilities as the exception

It is everyone's responsibility to reduce the stigma, prejudice and discrimination associated with mental health issues. Education, understanding, and support are key to creating a psychologically safe and healthy workplace.

If you like the tips in this briefing, please leave me a review on amazon or in your #alexa app.

Don’t forget that you can find more tips for coping with mental health issues, by checking out my Live Smart blog at worksmartlivesmart.com

Canada became the first country in the world to have a national standard for psychological health and safety in the workplace. This Standard contains a voluntary set of guidelines, tools, and resources aimed at promoting employees’ psychological health and preventing psychological harm due to workplace factors.

So Here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Mental Health Week:

Get Clear On What’s Required For Building A Psychologically Healthy Workplace

Foster overall psychological health and a respectful workplace based on trust, honesty, fairness and recognition.

As employees, ask questions, report issues, and propose new ideas for building a positive culture.

Be sure to train leaders and employees at all levels on awareness and prevention strategies.

Look beyond the workplace to what resources are available to help meet personal, as well as workplace challenges.

If you like the tips in this briefing, please leave me a review on amazon or in your #alexa app.

Looking for more ways to build your resiliency, take my free on-line vulnerability test at worksmartlivesmart.com under the resources and courses tab.

“Night shift can kill the body.”

Today is the day that we celebrate National Night-Shift Worker Day and the introduction of the 24-hour society.

One repercussion of the nightshift work schedule is that a typical night shift worker sleeps one or two hours less per day than a day worker and often has less deep and REM sleep.

Shift Work Maladaption Syndrome is where shift work is leaving the worker so sleepy that they fear for their safety on the job.

So Here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Ensuring Resilience In Our Night-Shift Workers:

As a leader, it is important to educate employees on what shift work entails and provide annual screening for shift-related illnesses.

Promote and educate on healthy lifestyle strategies.

Organize mandatory stretch breaks especially during the dangerous hours.

As a Night Shift-Worker:

Understand the hazards and consequences of shift work.

Pay attention to sleep strategies and avoid going into sleep debt.

Shift work is a lifestyle and in order to minimize stress and build resiliency, the worker and their family must ensure that they follow a healthy schedule, focus on their sleep strategies, and ensure that they have support from those around them.

Looking for Tips To Promote Mental Health Week In Your Workplace, visit worksmartlivesmart.com under the resources and courses tab for my Top 10 Tips.

Allergies occur when the immune system becomes unusually sensitive and overreacts to common substances that are normally harmless, such as pollens, molds, dust or even food.

Food allergies are serious business. They impact over 2.6 million Canadians.

Everyone is entitled to a safe working environment. Unlike many conditions, anaphylaxis is not visible unless someone is having an allergic reaction. That is why it is extremely important to communicate about your food allergies before a reaction occurs.

So Here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Food Allergy Awareness Week:

Be open about your food allergies. It’s important that your co-workers and boss know about them.

Always carry at least one auto-injector on the job. It’s better to have two in case you need a second dose during an allergic reaction.

Educate co-workers. Your co-workers may have no experience with food allergy. Teach your co-workers how to prevent reactions from happening, recognize the signs and symptoms of an allergic reaction and how to use an epi pen properly.

Say thanks. Make sure your colleagues know that you appreciate their support.

Those who don’t have food allergies can help by understanding the condition and doing their part to create a safe environment to prevent serious reactions from occurring.

Simple things like washing your hands well and often. It is one of the most effective ways to prevent cross-contamination as well as the spread of general viruses and bacteria.

If you like the tips in this briefing, please leave me a review on amazon or in your #alexa app.

Looking for more ways to build your resiliency, take my free on-line vulnerability test at worksmartlivesmart.com under the resources and courses tab.