Bill Howatt

Workers’ and leaders’ emotional well-being is determined by the amount of time they spend in pleasant emotions (e.g., flourishing) and unpleasant emotions (e.g., languishing). Languishing is not a mental illness. It is a negative mental state that drains emotional well-being. When stress, uncertainty, or fear occupy the mind, this increases the risk of living in a constant state of languishing (i.e., feeling ‘blah’). An estimated 60% of the workforce is stuck in a chronic state of languishing that negatively impacts their employee experience, productivity, and mental health. The longer a person is stuck in languishing, the greater their risk of sick time, disability, and resignation.

Are we in a mental health or coping crisis? Why are some people happier than others? Life is filled with challenges. How we cope with the stress of those challenges directly and profoundly affects our happiness and mental health, particularly in the workplace. Half a million Canadians miss work daily due to mental health issues. The effects of stress on workers’ and leaders’ mental health can negatively impact their overall quality of life and potential at home and work. Gaining insight into how daily micro-decisions impact resiliency and developing coping skills benefit employees’ and leaders’ experience and organizations’ capacity to achieve their full potential.

Mental fitness assists employees in maturing their resiliency, which provides additional personal psychological protection (PPP) that is the last line of defence for employees from workplace mental harm. Every employee owns their mental health. However, employers must acknowledge that it is important for them to engage in behaviors like creating a psychologically safe workplace that contribute to employees’ mental health. This short program will provide employees and employers insight into behaviors that promote emotional well-being.