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Jack (00:11)
Welcome to another episode of That's So HR, where we explore the latest trend and strategy for creating a thriving workplace. I'm your host, Jack, and today we have an exciting episode lined up for you. Imagine a workplace where mental health isn't just a checkbox but a core value. As stress and burnout raises, companies that are prioritizing emotional wealthiness are not only supporting their team, but also boosting productivity and satisfaction. Today,
We're here joined by Elena Algaragamova, a talented development expert specializing in integrating neurosciences and wellness to enhance organization performance. Elena will share her insights on how to foster a healthy workspace with us. And we're happy to have her on the call today.
From your experience and expertise, what's the biggest mental health challenge employee faces today, especially post pandemic.
Elena Agaragimova (01:10)
Yeah, it's a great question and I don't think there's one specific answer. I think there's some trends that we've seen, but I think it also depends on generations, on where you are in the world, on the culture of the organization. So there's many factors, but if we look at just kind of overall what's happened over the last few years and kind of what people are experiencing today. So if we look at Gen Zs, for example, the kind of younger generations that are in the workforce today, which a lot of people talk about, they're the future of our organizations ultimately.
So they grew up in an era where it's very digital, it's very much online based. A lot of them entered the workforce during the pandemic, so they're working remotely. So they're definitely experiencing some level of disconnect and social isolation, right? So there's that. That impacts mental health, impacts performance and productivity, creativity, a lot of things. So when we think about wellbeing, we're not just thinking of wellbeing, which is just the physical or the mindset piece, we're thinking about also the social wellbeing.
Right? The career wellbeing. So social wellbeing is connected to being feel like you're part of a team, feel like you're part of the community. You have that support network. And that's what a lot of Gen Zs and workforce missing, which impacts mental health in some aspects. You also have the career wellbeing piece, which is, are you enjoying what you're doing? Is what you're doing driving you forward in your life? Or is it kind of draining your energy? Right? Because both of those things can either help mental health or impact negatively.
So I think these two kind of factors play a role in terms of wellbeing for Gen Zs. You have also a lot of kind of like the millennials, which is where I'm the elderly millennial and you have the millennials and Gen Xs, which are now managing one Gen Zs, but also multiple other stakeholders. So we're managing up, we're managing down, we're working with our colleagues. So we have a different impact for our generation because...
We are in that kind of managerial space and a lot of managers today don't have necessarily the support or mentorship available in their companies. So what happens is we have these high expectations of managers to be on top of their game, to be productive, to be on call six, seven hours a day, be on meetings. And at the same time, after they're done with all that, we then expect them to go manage their teams,
motivate their teams, inspire them to be better, create new ideas and new initiatives and drive the business forward. So all of that creates an impact on the mental health of the manager as well. So I think managers are very much neglected as well in this conversation. So I'll pause here.
Jack (03:37)
I agree. I think oftentimes, manager is being tasked with the person who fixing up these problems, but they themselves require the supports to really, they have issues themselves as well. And then I think that's really well said. So I do want to kind of ask,
What are some good ways for employers to spot on early signs of mental health issues or problems around the workspace?
Elena Agaragimova (04:05)
Sure, so I think there's just some symptoms that you can see, right? So for example, and before I say this, I have to say something that in order for you to spot it, you have to actually know the person you're working with. So what I mean by that is that if you're only connected to your team members online or through email or through quick conversations on Teams or Zoom, right, then you're not really invested in who they are as an individual, what values they have. You're not really spending that time building that relationship.
the chances are you won't spot some of those symptoms and ultimately you'll just end up with somebody who is burnt out or somebody who ends up quitting because they're just, you know, not able to handle whatever's going on in their career and personal lives and so on. I think, I think first in order for you to notice that you need to make sure that you have a relationship where you do notice just other things as well. So, and when you do have that relationship, then it'd be easy to spot it because if you have a high performer, for example, who's been doing really well for long periods of time,
And all of a sudden, maybe they start being late on assignments. Maybe their just work is not up to par to what it used to be. Right, then first initial reaction we always think is like, well this person's disconnected, not doing their job, maybe they're job searching, et cetera. But maybe it's something else. So encouraging yourself to say, what else can it be? And looking at that symptom as potentially they might be doing, something else might be happening. and reaching out and kind of just reaching out to that person saying, hey Jack,
I know you do this, this work really, really well. I've noticed recently that you, you know, I feel there's, there's a little bit of disconnect, you know, can you talk to me about what's going on? Where can I support you? Do you need any resources? So you try to have that one -to -one conversation to really try to understand what else is going on, not just simply, Hey, you're not doing your job. You know, you need to pick it up, but instead of like being curious, what else can it be?
Right. And it only works if you have a relationship with that employee, because if you don't have the relationship, why should they open up to you, tell you their challenges or problems, right? And it's hard enough to open up about these things anyway. So that solid relationship needs to be in place. So that's one thing. Another thing again is like, so quality of work, productivity levels and so on, are people showing up to different activities, for example, that's another thing of of a healthy culture. If you offer any kind of training development,
group activities, group engagements, maybe even online, right? What's the attendance like? Do people show up? Do people feel connected to the company? Right, so that's another thing. It's just like, or are they pretty disconnected, right? So that's again, it might not be a mental health challenge, but it speaks to a social connection. And if people don't feel connected to your company, what's ultimately gonna happen is they have no necessary loyalty to it. There's no connection,
they're much more easily to just kind of jump to the next employer because they don't feel that connection and they might even feel socially isolated.
Jack (06:44)
I wanted to say is like, know, some of the challenges I often heard is there's like a stigma around the mental health side of things. like, It's really often not the easiest way to kind of prompt others to come up with conversations to be, how is everything doing? Are you facing any like, you know, potential issues, especially on the mental health part? Are you burnout or anything? It's really hard to kind of prompt
conversation and that's what's kind of like the next part I wanted to ask like what some of the strategies or potential options to really designatize this like mental health issue at the work.
Elena Agaragimova (07:22)
Yeah, another good question. I wish there was other ways, like what I see at least is that at the end of the day, it's really about the relationships you have internally within the company. And part of it is your peer to peer relationships, because I think colleagues can also be of great help and support to each other. But ultimately, if you want a more productive and high performing workforce, it's your managers, it's your leadership. That's what drives it forward. And in order for you to
be able to have those conversations, you also need to have some level of vulnerability with yourself. So for example, what some managers do is in the beginning of each meeting, maybe spending five minutes, just talk about anything but work, talk about anything but work, talk about like highlight of your week, weekend, et cetera, because through these small conversations, you can start to pick up those symptoms. Like what are people saying? What are their answers? How is their body language, right? Asking people to turn on the camera, maybe not every meeting, but once a week, once every two weeks. Look at that body language, see how, you know,
Are they connected? they with you? Again, body language, facial expressions, all those things matter in an interaction, especially if you're in a remote environment. If you're in person, it's much easier to also identify if you're paying attention. So I think just starting conversations, whether it's a team conversation or a one -to -one with your employee or a colleague, talk about anything but work. How was your weekend? What's going on? I remember you were running this race. I remember your kid had a birthday or I remember something else has happened. How is that going?
and genuinely be curious enough to actually have a conversation about it and make space for it versus just saying it, you know, it's like in America, it's a popular thing, like, how are you? And everybody's like, I'm fine, like, I'm good. But then like everybody's falling apart in our life. Like, it's not, it's not genuine, right? So the key is actually care enough to be genuine and care enough to be curious to, to ask those questions. And it sounds simple, but anybody who's listening, just how, when was the last time you meet? Five minutes at the beginning of each meeting, at the beginning of each conversation with your own one -to -ones.
to just talk about anything but work, and really actually talk about it. Not, again, not just like, hey, how you doing? Good, good, okay, moving on. No, no, no, like, tell me more. Like, go tell me how was that, how was that? How do you feel about that? We're not therapists, obviously, as managers, but there's a level of just human connection that needs to be there. And in that conversation, the manager can also be like, honestly, listen, my weekend was rough, my kids didn't sleep very well, or they're sick, or I don't know,
Something has happened. If you're vulnerable as a manager It allows the other person to also be like, my manager is a human being and they're also deal with other things so that's great, you know, so like I can open up as well.
Jack (09:45)
That's really well said there once again. And then I was also curious as AI really kind of rises, lots and lots of conversation in terms of how you can use AI to help support mental health. I was really curious, like from your experience so far, what some of the strategy or tooling or solution that really kind of prompt your interest into kind of using AI to
to provide a better mental health or like to make organizations a lot better
Elena Agaragimova (10:16)
So lots of tools available in terms of meditation and applications like that where it helps you just to take a moment throughout your day. So there's a lot of tracking tools as well for your health. obviously a big, big push for mental health in terms of what helps it is physical activity. So if you are obviously, if you're well enough and if you don't have any limitations, finding something physical to do in the beginning of each day, again, tools are great for that as well like to track.
Tracking even what you eat is also very important because we know there's a huge gut health connection. That's what science teaches us is like there's a huge gut health to mind connection where sometimes things that you eat can actually impact your level of performance, your mood, your creativity. So being very mindful of what you eat, right? Avoiding processed food and all those things. So health, like actual physical health is a big component of
But then also on the social piece, like on a social isolation piece, I work in software development where we work with a lot of introverted people. So sometimes being social is not a natural thing for them, right? So even as a manager, let's say as a manager, you're not sure how to get that mental health conversation going or how to be vulnerable. You can actually have a brainstorming session with AI, with ChanGPT and say, listen, I have a meeting coming up with an employee.
you know, I feel that there are symptoms that they might be being burnt out. What are some casual questions I can ask? What are some questions that are, appropriate that I can ask as a manager to, open this conversation up or what are some ways that can be vulnerable with my team? Or if you are, again, as I mentioned, introverted person, you have to go into a meeting and you're trying to work on connecting with other people because it helps you in your mental health, right? Like being more connected and social.
with your team members, but you're not sure how to do it. Like literally having a chat with AI and saying like, listen, like I really, I want to be a little bit more social during my meetings. Give me some tips. What are some things I can say? What are some questions I can ask? What are some activities I can suggest or, you know, how to start this conversation, how to make that small talk with my colleagues. And that can also help you, you know, come up with some ideas and then you can try those or you can say, Hey AI, this is something I heard recently, actually from, I was listening to something and say, Hey AI.
You know, I really feel a little bit low. Can you give me affirmation that I need to hear today? And it will pop out and it'll be like, this is going to be a great day and just repeating that sometimes will help. Right. I mean, it sounds silly, but it's all those little small pieces, small tools that you can use to create this. It's just a tool to create a toolbox for yourself to actually be at your best. Otherwise, you know, we're always going to wait for that perfect strategy, that perfect scenario, that perfect manager and so on. And it doesn't work like that. So I think
use AI wherever it makes sense. I think in the conversation and that brainstorming, it's very helpful.
Jack (12:53)
this is really good. I agree. All these small pieces does add up to make the day different. I was also kind of curious in terms of how do we measure? We talk a lot about the strategy to approach it. What about measurements? What's the metrics that you think companies should really have used to gauge their mental health initiatives? And how can they really quantify this so that they can
problems early on is easier.
Elena Agaragimova (13:23)
That's an excellent question. I don't know if I have the exact answer for it. I'll give you from my perspective. It's more of just an observation but what we do kind of see and know is that you can track it by looking at health care costs or absence from the workplace, right? So there are real kind of data that's associated with people who are disconnected from their work.
Right? like, and again, it can be related to mental health, maybe not. But the point is that there's this concept of absenteeism, which is where people could, you know, might be there, but they're not really fully there. They're just kind of doing the bare minimum and so on. Right? So presentism is when people are kind of there, but they're not really there. like they're online working, but they're not really producing much.
And then absenteeism is where it's related to healthcare. So they might be absent due to illness. They might be absent due to hospitalization. They might be absent due to mental health challenges. And those are real numbers and that's costing companies thousands of dollars every year because people are taking that sick leave or long -term disability leaves or whatever it is. I'm sure under some of those aspects, there is a mental health component where they're taking that sick leave. They are being hospitalized. are using the rising of the healthcare costs.
because they're dealing with something that's beyond the physical aspect. So I think there's something there. If you are to measure, I would look at healthcare costs, I would look at those aspects, I would look at absenteeism in your company, presentism in your company, which you can measure because it's productivity, performance, and so on. So I think that's probably something, again, I've observed. don't know, I'm sure there's people who spend a lot more time in this data than I do that probably have a better answer.
Jack (14:56)
Yeah, definitely. I do want to be cautious about time. I think this is last question. I want to ask what are some other tips and tricks and or one key takeaway you would love the audience to have with this call.
Elena Agaragimova (15:09)
Sure. I think I'll go back to the physical health. Whether you're a manager or an employee or just anybody who's listening to this, there's direct links between physical activity and how it makes our brains feel. There's a lot of chemicals that are released in our brains every time we even go for a walk. I don't know about you, but I don't think anybody's ever felt worse after a walk. you always, it might not solve all your problems as they say, but it's not going to make them any worse either. you're going to feel better.
So I think just incorporating exercise, incorporating healthy eating is a big factor in mental health. I think there's a lot of research being done now, but I think it's still not upfront as it should be. I think there's still a lot more push on kind of like the mental piece versus there's actually a physical piece to how we feel mentally. It's all connected. And I think that if you are struggling or if you're a manager who's struggling and wants to do better, I think
practicing that and leading by example and sharing what you're doing that's helping you because I guarantee if you go for a workout, you're going to be in a better mood. Whatever problems you thought you had are going to be much less in perception than what they were before workout. Right? And it doesn't have to be something crazy. It can be something as simple as just again, going for a walk, doing yoga, bike riding, playing with your kids, playing with your dog, whatever it is. Moving your body releases certain kind of endorphins and other chemicals that help our brains.
feel better, that make us healthier, that help us think better, that makes us live longer, and so on. So I think when we talk about mental health, we need to also talk about physical health.
Jack (16:36)
yeah, thanks a lot. And as we conclude today's podcast on enhancing employee's wellbeing, I really wanted to give an extended heartfelt thank you to our special guest, Elena. And also your insight has been incredibly valuable and for some guidance towards creating a healthier workplace. We hope you find today's discussion inspiring and we're ready to take on more actions to prioritizing mental health and wellness at work.
Thanks a lot. In the meantime, feel free to subscribe. Don't feel shy to leave a feedback review or share this episode with other HR that is passionate about fostering a supportive work environment. So until next time, we're here really happy to chat again. Thank you. Thank you all for listening.
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