Mental Health Triggers in the Workplace

When you’re working with people in the office, it can be difficult to ensure everyone feels heard.

While your colleagues may not want to tell you their innermost struggles, mental health should still be discussed in the context of the company.

Mental Health

Discussing mental health is imperative to your employees.

To ensure that there are instructions, orders, and systems in place to support your employees as they go through times of trouble, you may need to discuss with your employees what they want to see from your leadership.

Everyone will have their own opinion on this matter, so it’s critical that you keep this in mind as you explore the topic.

Triggers

As everyone has their own experience with mental health, people may have their own triggers alongside it.

A trigger is a thing that evokes a negative response in someone. For example, the discussion of sexual assault in the workplace may trigger someone who has previous experience and send them into a period of dissociation, or worse.

Triggers can also be more subtle, such as a pregnancy announcement could be a trigger for someone who has experienced baby loss, or a celebratory event could be a trigger for a past bereavement associated with that date.

For some, triggering puts the individual back into the mentality of their negative experience. They may not see what is around them or understand where they are. This is why it’s crucial that triggers are discussed openly in the workplace.

Your Role

Of course, it is not your responsibility to monitor your employee’s responses, triggers, and mental health situation.

In time, individuals will learn to better understand which situations will cause them to have this response, or which situations may impact them.

If you have any employees who struggle in this regard, it may be worth looking at the ways OH One can help with employee mental health.

If you are looking for the most common triggers in a workplace, then here is a list that highlights a few:

• Opposing beliefs: It can be difficult to managing colleagues if they don’t get along, and while you can’t dictate the beliefs of another, if they do create tension then it can cause disruption for everyone.

• Stress: Over-working an employee who is already struggling can be a tipping point for many people. Be cautious of the employees who are responding to this pressure. Someone who is struggling may exhibit signs such as finding it difficult to breathe, a flushed face, or disorientation.

• Past trauma: We’ve mentioned how trauma can impact people and trigger them. So, in the workplace, it’s critical to promote an honest environment that highlights what should and shouldn’t be allowed.

A solid mental health system is critical for every employee. If you still need help, then get in contact with us via the OH One website.