IFTM Comments is a partnership between the Macau News Agency and the Macau Institute of Tourism Studies.
By Mary Eddy-U
Mental health is a hotter topic than it ever was before the Covid-19 pandemic. Although societal attitudes toward mental health issues and therapy began to change before the pandemic, the virus and associated online study and work habits, job losses, Travel bans and social restrictions have quickly brought mental health awareness to the forefront. People around the world have started talking about the anxiety, depression, burnout, loneliness, and a host of other mental health issues exacerbated by the pandemic. And this trend will persist in the years to come.
Some argue that mental health should have been an important topic years ago and that it’s unfortunate that it took a global pandemic for schools, businesses and families to recognize that life can be stressful. ways to manage stress in a healthy way. Others say this new focus on mental health is “overblown.” They believe that the undesirable impact of the focus on mental health is a reduction in productivity. Their biggest question is how students and staff can effective and productive when they take so much time for their mental health. This divide is partly (but not entirely) generational.
Whatever your personal stance on this issue, this new openness to discussions about mental health and wellbeing means that young people entering university and the workforce have different expectations than young people in few years ago.
In the classroom, students can expect everyone to be as willing to talk about mental health issues as they are. Teachers, who are typically not trained to guide students through anxiety, depression, or suicidal thoughts, find themselves having uncomfortable discussions and carrying additional emotional burden from their students. As therapy becomes more normalized, some students may openly discuss the mental health issues for which they are receiving treatment, while others are unwilling to seek help even if they realize their mental health issues mental health have a negative impact on their studies. Dealing with a person’s mental health issues requires confidentiality and caution. Having a broken leg is still more socially acceptable than dealing with psychological issues, and those suffering from mental health issues may tell their teacher or supervisor but don’t want their peers to know.
Young people entering the workforce may not realize that mental health issues are often viewed in a different light by those in older generations. A university student I spoke with recently felt it was perfectly acceptable to request a change of job interview date for “mental health reasons” or “personal reasons”, without realizing that Such a request could cause him to lose the chance of an interview altogether.
Research shows that achieving work-life balance is more important for millennials (those born between approximately 1980 and 1995) than for their parents. Generation Z (born between approximately 1996 and 2010) continues this trend, and their own well-being is often more important to them than finances or company goals.
More mature professionals may find this insistence on having enough time for their own mental health, well-being and personal goals unreasonable and frustrating. However, these young people are the future of the industry, as well as current and future guests. HR and learning departments need to keep in mind the importance of mental health and wellbeing for their young employees. Service providers can consider ways to promote the wellbeing, mental health and acceptance of their clients more broadly. And finally, remember that “it takes one to know one”; Don’t forget to listen to Gen Z team members when brainstorming and planning the business.
