Employees feel pressured to “put on a brave face”

According to new research released this week by Lime Global ‘Pleasanteeism’ is still a major problem for employees in the UK, especially as Christmas approaches.

‘Pleasanteeism’ refers to the pressure that many employees feel to conceal stress, anxiety or other difficulties, so they do not appear disruptive or undependable. This has been particularly noticeable during the pandemic and the restrictions it brings.

For example, Lime Global’s survey of 2000+ UK workers highlighted:

• 42% worry they have to put on a brave face – having to act like everything is ‘okay’ – when socialising with their colleagues this Christmas;
• 43% were concerned about doing this in front of friends and family.

Many people admitted to struggling alone rather than opening up to others about how they really feel:

• 22% worried talking about their problems would bring other people down, while
• 29% did not want to make a fuss about what they were coping with.

It seems that Pleasanteeism is much more likely to affect younger people – in both their work and personal lives this Christmas:

• 48% of those aged 16-34 worry they need to put on a brave face while socialising with colleagues (49% with family and friends), whereas
• 33% (29%) of those aged 55 and over had the same concerns.

But the good news is that there are simple things you can do to improve mental wellbeing during the festive season and beyond:

• do not put pressure on yourself to attend every Christmas event if you are not feeling up to it.
• prioritise yourself and practice self care – do not let wellbeing routines fall by the wayside.
• let your loved ones help – do not be afraid to open up about how you really feel over the festive season.

You can read the full article by following this link. or read their report “Keeping Up Appearances” which they published in July 2021.

Join us for a Mental Health webinar on Monday 24 January 2022

Moving forward, there are various way to seek help:

• Contact Able Futures https://able-futures.co.uk/individuals who can help you manage your mental health at work so you can enjoy more good days
• Get mental wellbeing tips from the NHS https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/mental-wellbeing-tips/
• Join us for our online Mental Health webinar on Monday 24 January 2022 – just follow this link to go to our Event Booking page. We will be releasing more details in the New Year but the Be Ready Employer Hub has linked up with Apex HR to host an informal discussion about mental health in the workplace.

This post was based on an external news article – all publishing rights and copyright remain with the original publisher and author.