Importance of Regular Mental Health Check-Ins for Teams

Work-life balance is an illusion, the "silent scream" a neglected reality. The "silent scream" is my pet name for all the stressors and conflicts radiating in the background of our lives. To pretend we set it aside when we log on for work, or leave it outside when we walk into an office is asinine and inhumane. We're all humans living in complex societies, navigating multiple cultures every day. The silent scream includes but isn't limited to: Family members abroad living and dying in, or fleeing active war zones. A cancer diagnosis. Constant code-switching to fit in. Family members withering in the grip of addiction. That unexpected bill that blows the budget. A lingering injury that you don't have time to rehab properly. Divorce proceedings. The circuitous second guessing of whether your looks impact how seriously your peers take you. The silent scream is often so pervasive, so prevalent that we don't even hear it. But the scream is there and will make itself heard or felt sooner or later. What if we could address it in the place where we spend most of our waking lives and energy? What if you could include wellness goals in performance reviews? Managers don't need private details, of course. But what if your check-ins weren't just about the job? What if employees could articulate and work toward a goal that helps ease the scream? How's the marathon training going? Did you meet your goal of stopping work at 5 pm? Are you on track to achieve 3 hikes this quarter? Were you able to sign up for Toastmasters to help with your fear of speaking? How's it going with trying a five-minute meditation every morning? Did you achieve a goal of actually using 1 day of your "unlimited" PTO this month? Managers aren't therapists, but nor should they be required to be numb to those around them. This idea isn't a cure-all by any stretch. But I think there's value in starting to think through these questions to engender cultures of care and consideration. Work-life balance is an illusion.

🖼 Fuseli’s “The Nightmare” (1781) is one of my favorite paintings. I like it not because it’s comforting, but because it captures something we still don’t talk about enough: what it feels like to carry unseen stress. In this iconic Romantic-era work, a woman lies draped in sleep while a grotesque imp squats on her chest. Behind her lurks a shadowy horse, eyes wide in horror. It’s a visual metaphor for night terrors, but it resonates deeply with how anxiety can feel in waking life, especially in high-pressure work environments. 👉 The truth? Mental health still isn’t treated like physical health in many organizations. We champion fitness challenges and healthy snacks in the break room but ignore signs of burnout, chronic stress, or depression. Let’s change that. Here are a few best practices I’ve seen (and implemented) that make a real difference: ✅ Normalize check-ins that go beyond performance. Managers can ask, “How’s your workload feeling this week?” Not just “Are you on track?” ✅ Make mental health resources visible and easy to access. If your EAP is buried in an intranet or requires a scavenger hunt, it won’t help anyone. ✅ Treat PTO like recovery time, not a privilege. Don’t just approve time off. Encourage it. Model it. Respect it. ✅ Design work rhythms that allow for decompression. From no-meeting Fridays to quiet hours, small tweaks reduce the cognitive load. ✅ Train leaders in emotional intelligence. Psychological safety starts at the top. Art like The Nightmare reminds us that invisible burdens are just as real and sometimes just as paralyzing as any physical obstacle. Let’s build cultures where our people don’t need to wait until nightfall to be haunted by stress . 💬 How is your organization championing mental health? What’s working—and what still feels like a dream? #MentalHealthAtWork #PsychologicalSafety #Leadership #EmployeeWellbeing #Fuseli #OrganizationalCulture #LearningBites #WorkplaceAnxiety #MentalHealthAwareness

Last week, one of our contractors resigned unexpectedly. When I asked him why, he explained that he had set high expectations for his performance, which he felt he wasn’t meeting. He believed resigning would be doing the client a favor. However, the client had no issues with his performance and considered him a valued team member. It would be a shame for him to leave, according to the client’s feedback. Why did he feel this way? He lives alone, works on a global, fully remote project, and none of his friends are in IT to discuss his day-to-day experiences. As a result, he found himself isolated and in his own bubble. After discussing his feelings and how ITRAC and the client could support him, we found a way to help. We also provided advice on what to do if he finds himself in a similar situation in the future. By the end of the call, he felt much more positive and decided to stay on the project. While remote working has its benefits, it may not be suitable for everyone. If you are a remote worker feeling isolated, don’t suffer in silence. Reach out to anyone you can, attend in-person user groups to meet peers, or even travel and work from different locations to meet new people. Don’t remain in your own space with no one to talk to. If you’re a company with a remote workforce, regularly check in on your team’s mental health and provide frequent feedback, not just during annual reviews. This can make a big difference. Many people tend to ask “How are you?” and move on without truly noticing. Next time, after someone replies with “I’m good,” ask again, “But how are you really?” This can go a long way.

While I’m a big advocate for remote work, there is a real downside to seeing each other less. 👇 It’s harder to know when you need to be asking: “How ARE you? How is your mental health?” So, what can we do about it? 1️⃣ Normalise the conversation, starting at the top. Talk about mental health. Tell your employees, hey, if you’re struggling in any way, I want to hear about it. 2️⃣ Train your HR teams and your managers to do the same. There has to be a trust factor. If I don't feel safe as an employee, I won't talk to you about it. 3️⃣ Proactively check in. If you think someone might be struggling, ask them if they’re okay. In the future, I see the potential of having a feedback mechanism to help. Not just a survey or review asking about performance and work/life balance—something that actually helps us to measure our employees’ happiness. In addition to: - How well is this person performing? We ask: - How happy are you in this job? - In your broader life? - How do you feel right now? All of this will help to create a culture where people feel comfortable talking about their mental health, and employers can feel empowered to provide help where and how it’s needed. What do you think? Am I on the right track? #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #HR #humanresources