Cybersecurity: Mental health and Ethos
Mental health may not be the first thing you think of when discussing cyber threats or innovation in cybersecurity. However, "AuraLawgic" had the privilege of sitting in on a captivating and very important panel discussion earlier this week at a cyber-security conference which highlighted the importance of mental health.
Some stories were told by the panellist with the purpose; to highlight how important it is for senior leaders to support their workforce (and themselves) both in maintaining good mental health and in providing support when needed. The factors that accompany poor mental health, stress, anxiety, depression, have a deleterious effect on physical health, which can compound the tangible impact for corporates in the form of poor productivity and increased levels of absence from work altogether.
In other words, mental health is good for the bottom line. Moving from understanding to action is important. Those in leadership roles need to help drive a healthy and supportive workplace ethos in which positive action can occur, even if that isn’t the case company-wide. Examples include creating Mental Health First Aiders, which was certainly a concept that was new to me. The idea is to have individuals trained (as you would with a medical first aider) to spot the signs of mental health issues, be an initial point of contact for someone seeking help and to be able to steer them towards resources and professional support. There were a number of examples of creating avenues and tools for employees to seek support but crucial to their success was creating an enabling environment.
Back again to that elusive beast called culture. It’s hard to define but easy to identify when it’s poor. Getting it right delivers demonstrable benefits – a healthier, happier, more productive and adaptable workforce for starters. Outcomes all of which support each other and help further drive the type of culture that draws in and retains talent.
Identifying stress in an employee, all so prevalent in an always-on, 24/7 digital world is crucial. For example, while an employee that is working all the time and is continuously switched-on may be much valued, they likely need to re-focus on things other than work. Appreciating hours put in over health is the type of culture that many a millennial will run from and a progressive manager will realize, in the long run, is self-defeating. Throw in the continual threat environment that those in cybersecurity operations and the tension levels may well become unsustainable in an unhealthy workplace.
Some stories were told by the panellist with the purpose; to highlight how important it is for senior leaders to support their workforce (and themselves) both in maintaining good mental health and in providing support when needed. The factors that accompany poor mental health, stress, anxiety, depression, have a deleterious effect on physical health, which can compound the tangible impact for corporates in the form of poor productivity and increased levels of absence from work altogether.
In other words, mental health is good for the bottom line. Moving from understanding to action is important. Those in leadership roles need to help drive a healthy and supportive workplace ethos in which positive action can occur, even if that isn’t the case company-wide. Examples include creating Mental Health First Aiders, which was certainly a concept that was new to me. The idea is to have individuals trained (as you would with a medical first aider) to spot the signs of mental health issues, be an initial point of contact for someone seeking help and to be able to steer them towards resources and professional support. There were a number of examples of creating avenues and tools for employees to seek support but crucial to their success was creating an enabling environment.
Back again to that elusive beast called culture. It’s hard to define but easy to identify when it’s poor. Getting it right delivers demonstrable benefits – a healthier, happier, more productive and adaptable workforce for starters. Outcomes all of which support each other and help further drive the type of culture that draws in and retains talent.
Identifying stress in an employee, all so prevalent in an always-on, 24/7 digital world is crucial. For example, while an employee that is working all the time and is continuously switched-on may be much valued, they likely need to re-focus on things other than work. Appreciating hours put in over health is the type of culture that many a millennial will run from and a progressive manager will realize, in the long run, is self-defeating. Throw in the continual threat environment that those in cybersecurity operations and the tension levels may well become unsustainable in an unhealthy workplace.
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