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White January is coming and with it a series of actions, as happens in each month of the color calendar, which has been gradually institutionalized by society as a whole.
But after all, what is the meaning behind the month and the associated color? What kind of actions should be taken? What is the company’s role in this?
It is to clarify the subject and bring reflections on the social function of organizations that we have prepared this content.
What is White January?
In the annual color calendar, the month of January was designated the color white, as with the already established Pink October and Blue November, but in the case of that month, the focus is on mental health care.
But why January and why white?
Because traditionally it is the beginning of a new cycle, characterized by the New Year and it is when people generally propose new challenges and changes in their lives, set personal and professional goals, make and try to follow a plan, as well as reflect and make a balance of what they did in the previous year, among other things.
All of these aspects are closely related to the mind and its sanity. When things don’t go well, the mind is negatively affected. When, on the contrary, the results are positive, the influence on the mind is also positive.
The choice of white color is due to the fact that white light is the one that makes it possible to see everything better and that subjected to a prism, is decomposed into all others. White is also symbolism of peace and purity, a state that the mind must reach.
Why take care of mental health?
Dedicating a month especially to the concern for mental health is important due to the many stereotypes and paradigms and sometimes even prejudices and taboos surrounding the topic.
Issues related to people’s psychological or even psychiatric status are generally not treated openly and with the attention they should receive.
As quoted by the psychologist and consultant in the area of Human Resources at psisegAndressa R. Teixeira, “the culture of taking care of the body and physical health is already established and is seen as normal and even desirable. It’s past time for people to understand that the same posture must exist when we talk about the mind, after all, still in the first century, the Roman poet Décimo Júnio Juvenal, already preached in one of his works, mens sana in corpore sano (A healthy mind in a healthy body).
She continues further: “It is not possible to dissociate the physical from the mental, as if they were independent or if one deserves more attention than the other. When talking about mental health, many are related to The absence of illnesses such as depression, anxiety, stress, or the so-called burnout syndrome. However, there is already a reasonable consensus in the field that the health full depends on a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
What is the role of the company in White January?
Contrary to what some might imagine, the company’s role in caring for mental health is fundamental.
After all, professional pressures are increasing and many times an individual spends the most hours in the company environment, even more than with family, friends and in situations of his private life.
In this context, the organizational climate not only reflects on the performance of employees, on the quality of corporate communication and its consequences, but also has an influence on the overall results of the organization, also points out consultant Andressa Teixeira.
But not only that. Life in the organizational environment presupposes a series of situations and consequences, with different degrees of influence.
Among the many, we can highlight the quality of life at work (QWL), the coexistence and relationships of different generations present in the labor market and the differences and characteristics inherent to them, and even social responsibility.
The understanding that the search for social well-being needed to happen first internally and with the individuals that make up the company, is increasingly clear. It is impossible to think of a company that develops actions aimed at prosperity and the guarantee of the most fundamental rights of the society of which it is a part, if this does not also happen with its employees.
It is based on these assumptions that companies need to rethink policies and develop organizational culture, considering the physical, mental and social well-being of those who work there.
In practical terms, there is much that can be done by Human Resources professionals, such as:
- Onboarding – the integration of new employees, also known as onboarding, aims, from the moment of admission, to adopt actions and procedures to ensure that the adaptation of the new employee to the others occurs quickly, but also organically, as well as the reciprocal also being true. In addition to the already known benefits for the company, there are also benefits for the individuals involved;
- Actions on mental health – the creation and implementation of activities, group dynamics, workshops, seminars and lectures, serve to bring information and awareness about possible mental problems, as well as contribute to demystify and remove the aura of taboos and prejudices around of the subject;
- Home Office – the home office was consolidated during the coronavirus pandemic, but even before, it was already known of the many benefits that remote work can produce, both for the employees who participate in it, as well as for the company;
- Talent management – if at first glance talent management aims to make the most of the skills and the set of hard and soft skills of professionals, it can also contribute to good mental health insofar as there is a feeling of recognition, appreciation , satisfaction and professional achievement;
- Courses and professional training – by establishing mechanisms for continuing education, permanent education and professional training, in addition to the direct benefits of professionals who are better able to develop their activities, the personal and consequently psychological consequences are also evident. Examples, which are not uncommon, are courses in personal financial planning and effective time management, which several large companies have applied to their staff;
- Employee channel – the HR department has implemented the employee channel as a means for people to address issues the company can contribute to;
- Corporate psychological duty – psychologists, in addition to conducting selection processes in order to hire the right people, have also gained space in the performance of their primary function and thus, professional monitoring within the company can occur with a view to mental health.
Conclusion
White January is the month dedicated to attention to mental health, a role that companies can play well beyond simple support and dissemination of campaigns.
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