It has been nearly two weeks since my boss asked if I would write an article on mental health and productivity in the workplace.

In my haste to be the model employee and to prove my worth to the company, I answered immediately with a resounding “yes”, without even counting the cost of the price I might have to pay for doing so.

Little did I know at the time that his invitation would catapult me to experience feelings of inadequacy and anxiety that threatened to derail my first foray into the field of journalism /blogging/writing for public reading, critiquing and evaluation.

After all, I’ve convinced myself over the years through that wonderful thing called self-talk that I don’t write very well and therefore detest writing. This is a mindset that I’ve fertilised, watered and given plenty of sunshine to since elementary school days but was forced to fully confront and successfully navigate away from during my college years.

However, since graduating from college, I eventually crawled back into my armour-plated, tortoise-like shell that I called “I can’t write” and “I hate writing”. While serving its purpose of shielding me from public scrutiny, it has also hindered my ability to swiftly and nimbly respond to work and personal responsibilities.

Mental health can be described as your mind’s mental wellbeing. Factors such as past and present life experiences, environmental issues and relationships converge to determine the state of a person’s mental health. Unfortunately, in many communities, including Bermuda, mental health issues are often viewed negatively. This results in people not seeking and receiving the support needed to address their mental health issues.

The World Health Organisation and the International Labour Organisation recommend that managers receive training that “build their capacity to prevent stressful work environments and respond to workers in distress”.

While my story is on the lower end of the spectrum of how mental health can affect productivity, it is noteworthy that the key to unlocking my fear of writing came through receiving the non-judgmental and educated support of my co-workers.

It is typically accepted that approximately one third of our adult lives is spent at work. Some industrial organisational psychologists have even calculated that approximately 90,000 hours of our lives are spent at work.

Such data raises questions: what impact is today’s working environment having on our wellbeing and productivity? And are we working to live or living to work?

The World Health Organisation estimates that globally more than 300 million people suffer from depression and anxiety, which equates to approximately one trillion dollars in lost workplace productivity.

US estimates indicate that mental health and substance abuse cost US companies $80 billion to $100 billion annually or 400 million workdays in absenteeism.

In Britain, workplace mental health problems cost companies approximately £70 billion annually. The WHO’s June 2022 World Mental Health Report estimates that in 2019, 15 per cent of working-age adults experienced a mental disorder.

Although we do not have any readily available local data, a cursory search of two popular online local news sources yielded more than 200 articles relating to a broad spectrum of issues that directly and indirectly have an impact on our mental health, including substance abuse, anxiety, depression, data protection and everything in between. These issues influence how we interact at our places of employment and homes, and, ultimately, our level of productivity individually and corporately.

Work amplifies wider societal issues that affect mental health negatively, including discrimination and inequality. Bullying and psychological violence (also known as “mobbing”) is a key complaint of workplace harassment that has a negative impact on mental health. Yet discussing or disclosing mental health remains a taboo in work settings globally.

It is notable that my breakthrough in this area that initially threatened to morph into crippling anxiety occurred when I chose to be vulnerable and share what I was experiencing with my work colleagues. This has given birth to the words penned in this article.

Perhaps the answer to providing adequate mental health support in the workplace lies in finding a balance between embracing emerging technologies such as AI while simultaneously ensuring that the mental health of all employees remains a priority.

• Roger Trott recently joined the Bermuda Clarity Institute partner, Benedict and Associates. For more information, e-mail gayle@clarity.bm or roger@benedict.bm