Bad Managers Cause Poor Mental Health

I discovered some interesting reading on mental health in the legal field, which I suspect is common across many other industries.

Better managers mean better mental health.

In the article, Elizabeth Rimmer describes some ways that poor management can harm employees’ mental health, from outright hostility to lack of inclusive practices to simply not communicating with their team. Poor managers create atmospheres that are fearful, uncertain, and unfair. Working in fear and uncertainty and dealing with racism or sexism can lead to poorer mental health outcomes.

And yet:

Our Life in the Law research found that fewer than half of participants who indicated they worked in a position of management or supervisory capacity said that they had received leadership, management or supervisory training.

Think about it, someone in management who has never learned how to communicate will have a team unaware of what is happening. Leaders who follow the examples of those above them, who’ve created a misogynistic culture, will continue with the same practices. When things don’t go smoothly, managers getting berated from above will berate the people below them. And on and on it goes.

If we want a healthier, open, and inclusive workplace, we need to train the people in charge of setting the tone and the culture. All the lunchtime yoga and meditation in the world can’t overcome that shortcoming.

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