• Bad Managers Cause Poor Mental Health

    ByMike McBride Reading Time: 1 minute

    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. 

  • Linked – Research: Where Managers and Employees Disagree About Remote Work

    ByMike McBride Reading Time: 2 minutes

    They point out a hypothetical situation where the employee looks at their “work” day to include the commute and maybe some other time, but the manager isn’t. That’s a huge disconnect. Speaking for myself, I will never volunteer to go back to an in-office or even a hybrid position because of how much time you spend going back and forth and the limiting factor of needing to be in that place for the entire time in between. Why? If the work can get done from anywhere, why would we expect anyone to spend so much time going somewhere else every day?

  • What if Everyone Has Imposter Syndrome?

    ByMike McBride Reading Time: 1 minute

    That’s quite a short list of really successful people who all felt the same way you and I feel. Like we don’t really know what we’re doing, or that eventually someone will find out that we don’t belong. 

    So, the next time you think you don’t belong, remember that you’re in good company with that feeling, and go on anyway. 

  • Linked – Managers Should Encourage Employee Development

    ByMike McBride Reading Time: 2 minutes

    The article below mentions something we’ve all seen way too many times. The manager who gets promoted, but never developed any of their reports to do their job, and winds up having to continue doing it. In the worst-case scenario, since the culture was not to develop people to replace you, that person is probably also learning the new role from scratch while still doing a large chunk of their old role.

    What a waste of time and talent.

  • It’s All About Flexibility

    ByMike McBride Reading Time: 3 minutes

    Later it occurred to me that mental health should be handled the same way in the workplace. No two people are the same or have the same mental health issues. What I could accomplish work-wise during the time I was medicated and seeing a therapist might not be the same as someone else in therapy.  One person might need some time away from work during a crisis, while someone else might need work to be the thing that keeps them living with some day-to-day structure. There will not be one solution that fits everyone. In any of these situations, it will be essential to allow employees to find what works for them and their work. Providing some flexibility will go a long way toward keeping an employee engaged instead of making them feel unsupported and looking to go elsewhere. It might also go a long way toward helping them heal as well, to know they have a consistent source of income that is not at risk.