Worth Reading – When Asking for Help Feels Unsafe

There is a lot to read and think about from this article, and its focus on Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, but in terms of the workplace, this snippet is what I want to talk about:

And lastly, until we acknowledge the real consequences of expressing our struggles and vulnerabilities in a comparative, competitive, performance-based culture, many will continue to carry what they’re going through in silence.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-pressure-paradox/202603/when-asking-for-help-feels-unsafe

Obviously, this is true in the world of sports, where any perceived weakness can be the difference between a first-round pick contract and no contract, but it’s also true in many of the industries all of us work in. In tech, do you want to be perceived as someone who might not be able to produce at the same level as everyone else? In law, do you want to be seen as maybe not able to hack the billable-hour requirements?

Whether either of those perceptions is true is not relevant; the risk of being seen that way exists. This risk makes asking for help less safe, which makes it more likely that someone won’t be able to do it.

In truth, it’s not very safe to ask for help in most workplaces and as the link above points out in great detail, every extra bit of risk adds up to making it physically impossible for someone to reach out for help.

Follow these topics: Mental Health