What are the standards for mental health in the workplace?

At present, neither the clinical psychology community nor the corporate EAP service field has issued a one-size-fits-all, quantifiable uniform standard for workplace mental health. However, in the past few years that we have been providing corporate psychological services, the core judgment standard in the circle is actually the "emotional flexibility" of individuals in the work scene - to put it bluntly, it means that they will not be stuck by negative states at work and can be absorbed and released. I just took over as the operations director of an e-commerce company last month. I worked for three weeks straight before the big promotion. During the period, I squatted in the fire escape and cried for 20 minutes because the platform temporarily changed the rules. After wiping my face, I turned around and went to align with the product department on the response plan after the rule changes. After the big sale, I took three days off to go to the beach. When I came back, I was in high spirits and asked the team to do a review. I also took the initiative to apply for new category projects for the next quarter. This state of being emotional but not internally consumed, and being able to overcome obstacles is a typical healthy state.

Of course, not everyone agrees with this standard. In the past two years, human resources researchers from universities have mentioned that the core premise of workplace mental health is "the individual highly identifies with the value of work." To put it bluntly, it means that you must really love what you do, otherwise it will be "occupational alienation," which is a sign of mental illness. However, those of us who work as frontline consultants don’t actually agree with this statement. After all, for most ordinary people, work is first and foremost a means of making a living, and there is no need to forcefully give it too high a meaning. I once met a boy who worked as an administrator in a state-owned enterprise for ten years. He clearly stated that he went to work to earn a stable salary. After get off work, he played with dogs and model airplanes. He had no interest in evaluating professional titles or competing for advancement. However, he never had any mistakes in the work at hand, and he had a good sense of propriety in getting along with his colleagues. When he got off work, he would never spend time in the office just for performance, nor would he be so sore that he could not sleep because someone else got promoted. Do you think he is in an unhealthy state? On the contrary, it is much better than many young people who inject themselves with chicken blood every day to "realize professional value" and end up suffering from insomnia and anxiety.

Of course, this does not mean that as long as you can complete your work, you are considered healthy. What you really need to warn about is the state of "loss of flexibility". Last year, an auditor from a firm came to us for consultation. He said that for more than three months, he felt nauseous every day when he opened his eyes and thought about going to work. He couldn't get over it even after lying at home for two days on weekends without doing anything. His friend asked him to play his favorite script, but he couldn't get excited. His mind was filled with unfinished drafts and he couldn't even taste his food. This state has actually deviated from the healthy line. It is a typical manifestation of professional burnout and needs to be adjusted in time.

Speaking of which, mental health in the workplace is a bit like the shoes you wear on a daily basis. Only your own feet know whether they are comfortable or not, and you don’t have to rely on other people’s standards. Some people are just born to be workaholics. They feel happy spending time in the lab working on projects and chatting with colleagues about business after work. That’s no problem, of course. ； Some people just want to draw a clear line between work and life, do their job well at work, and switch life modes in one second after get off work, which is totally fine. To put it bluntly, as long as you don't have to work hard, and you won't be bothered by the bad things at work that make you unable to sleep well, even if you occasionally complain and turn around and do what you should do, then you have reached the standard.