People’s development in technology

After the global impact caused by the pandemic, talking about mental health plays a huge role in the organizational environment. Even though this subject has not gotten much attention from the public eye, many studies have pointed out the need to explore this topic in strategic boards due to the economic impacts that it may cause.

Caring about mental health should keep up with interest in delivering results on time as a path to people’s development. So, concern about mental health should be a part of the organizational strategy not only for employees but also for companies.

In 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) highlighted that inefficient mental health treatments cause a US$ 1 trillion cost to the global economy. In contrast, for each US$ 1 million invested in mental health, there may be a profit of 4 times that, which shows the positive impacts that raising awareness about it implies on productivity.

Regarding the tech field, the technological rush and the pressure for adaptation, innovation, and digital change have impacted the market and employees causing distress, anxiety, and exhaustion. Consequently, not only tech professionals but also those with the desire to join this field have faced this challenge.

In 2014, The International Journal of Social Sciences and researchers from the Institute of Software Technologies (2017) carried out some studies reinforcing the importance of mental health care for software developers, warning that this group is more susceptible to being impacted by high levels of distress and anxiety, which may affect good quality coding and deadlines.

In 2022, the WHO officially acknowledged burnout as a labor disease, enhancing the importance of companies' responsibilities in prevention measures and mental health care.

For those reasons, we point out 5 people development strategies focused on maintaining mental health and psychological safety:

Follow up

Do check-ups and follow-ups constantly, respecting the employee's personal claims and their time through actively listening to them. At this moment, it is important to set expectations regarding both employee's and the company’s needs as well as the activities management and delivery. Thus, every person can have a clear picture of their development and performance at the organization.

Communication

Apply nonviolent communication as a strategy for identifying emotions, feelings, needs and a way to express a clear request, creating a safe environment for assertive communication among pairs.

Information

Make informational awareness interventions throughout the year openly talking about topics of common interest, and promoting a transparent and safe space for sharing. Thus, the stigma around mental health and its relationship with work might be reduced.

Resources

Give access to different sources of information that can be checked either online or offline, according to the individual needs of every employee. Moreover, companies with health insurance perks can also encourage their employees to find the best health professional that fits their needs at that time and also help them to use this resource.

Advising

Advise that no one is more capable of offering proper treatment than a health professional, who may support and help to develop self-awareness. In addition, the more we spread awareness and work beside employees about this topic inside of organizations, the more we will be capable of dealing with and overcoming inner and external vulnerable moments.

People’s development cannot be understood only from the definition of objectives and the achievement of results. It is important to ensure that the company's processes are humanized and to identify people's needs, giving them a safe space to speak up.