Stigma lifted on dealing with workplace stress

The art of listening

When dealing with stressed people, listeners need to be patient and express sympathy through their body language and speech. They also need to prepare for discussions with the stressed person by finding a private space with chairs and items such as water and tissues, said the lecturers.

Gao, who works at Ctrip, said he learned from the course that crying is not something bad, and is a way to vent emotions. Some clients are quite blunt and even rude when expressing their dissatisfaction in a complaint phone call, he said. This makes some of his staff feel uncomfortable and even depressed, and some even burst out crying.

Gao said he used to attribute such reactions to their immaturity, and thought customers should be prioritized in a work situation. He would instruct his subordinates to control their emotions and ignore their feelings.

"However, now I'm aware I can do better," Gao said.

"Next time, if a colleague is in this situation, I'll let him or her release their emotions first and then listen to his or her experiences and feelings in a private space.

"Perhaps I'll replay the recording of the phone call with the colleague, and put ourselves in the customer's place and try to sympathize with their emotions. This way, we can understand they're not targeting us and we'll feel less hurt."

Psychologists said that in a society undergoing rapid development and evolving knowledge and technologies, many people easily enter a stressful state.

"They may feel like an automobile racing ahead at super fast speed, being coerced to operate at an accelerated pace," said Li. For example, she said, as technologies such as artificial intelligence continue to progress, some people may be afraid their jobs will become redundant.

Under pressure

Workers can also place pressure on themselves, especially the younger ones. Compared with previous generations, they tend to have a higher pursuit of values at work and seek more self-realization, said Li.

Bu Tingmei, a participant in the course and a human resources worker at China National Offshore Oil Corporation, a large offshore oil and gas producer, said she recently noticed a young colleague's dedication to her work appeared to be on the decline.

Bu later learned the colleague had relocated from her hometown to Shanghai to follow her boyfriend, but they had soon broken up. Other factors, including constantly working overtime and the colleague's parents being ill, had also contributed to the co-worker's depression.

Bu said she learned from the course that it is important for colleagues in such a situation to provide company for a depressed co-worker, show support, and share their workload. They can also encourage them to receive proper mental health treatment if the situation has affected their normal life and work, has lasted for two weeks, and shows no improvement after trying self-adjustment.

Sun Yan, a doctor from the Disease Prevention and Control Department at Shanghai Changning District Mental Health Center, said that when mental health is talked about in the workplace, it cannot be isolated from other aspects of a person's life.

"Mental health in the workplace can be related to challenges from superior-subordinate relationships, career development, and interpersonal conflicts in the workplace," he said.

"But it can also derive from family and marriage and parent-child relationships among many other things. All these elements can affect work."

Li said new arrivals in a big city may feel pressure and anxiety because some colleagues appear to have a higher quality of life such as making exciting arrangements for the weekend. Such anxiety does not derive from the work itself, but from the workplace environment, she said.

Meanwhile, superiors who show respect can boost an employee's sense of growth at work and help reduce their anxiety.

"Rewards at work are free in many cases. For example, they can be compliments from managers, colleagues or clients. Such inspiration is an important component of a career experience and can motivate us to press ahead, even if we feel tired and are going through a difficult time at work," said Sun, from the Changning District Mental Health Center.

Removing stigma

Awareness about mental health has been on the rise in recent years, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic when it was discussed a lot, experts said. Doctors noticed that a rising number of patients are taking the initiative to seek mental health help, compared with the past when it was considered a stigma.

"As the public's mental health literacy continues to improve, and mental health is increasingly mentioned in the media, people will gradually come to understand that individuals with mental health challenges are not a minority, and they will abandon their prejudice," said Li.

"We hope that one day, mental health will be treated and managed in the same way as chronic physical diseases such as hypertension and diabetes," she said.

The decline in the stigma attached to mental health challenges is particularly noticeable in young people, especially those born after 1990.

"Factors, including better education in general, a more tolerant culture, and a stronger desire for inner growth, mean young people have a higher requirement for their mental health," said Li.

"Many teenagers seek medical assistance before their parents have the idea of sending them to therapists. Also, they usually present a better psychological perspective when talking about their situations than past generations as they will mention their families and how they were brought up," she said.