Mental health involves a person’s emotional, psychological, and social well-being and consequently affects how they think, feel and act.

Professor Leon de Beer is the director of WorkWell Research Unit, a multidisciplinary research unit. WorkWell emphasises research and postgraduate education in the context of the economic and management challenges facing Africa and the globe.

The idea of career satisfaction is intertwined with the idea of job satisfaction. Professor De Beer has identified a few instances of mental health issues at work, such as employees who experience anxiety, occupational depression, and burnout.

“You can imagine what an influential role mental health plays in terms of team dynamics,” De Beer adds. Employees who are engaged may be frustrated with the lack of enthusiasm from the other employees. The burnout employee may feel that their colleagues are expecting too much and this adds to their exhaustion.”

Professor De Beer’s research has shown that organisations that provide the necessary resources to employees in a work context can lead to a better person-job fit.

“It is important for organisations to strike that balance between resources and the demands of their employees and that they have a conducive working environment,’’ says De Beer.

“The World Health Organisation estimates that there is an increase of about 25% in anxiety and depression as a result of the pandemic. This means that 1 in 4 employees was struggling with their wellbeing.”

The pandemic has influenced how future organisational psychologists are being trained. “The pandemic has changed the way we work. We all had to switch to online mode to survive. In this new world of hybrid work, organisational psychologists will need to educate students accordingly.”

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