Australian NGO Cares for Small Biz Owners’ Mental Health
If you own a small business anywhere in the world, you understand why you and your colleagues have trouble falling asleep.
You’re under stress 24/7. Even if you’re successful, you’re stressed. You worry if you’ll be successful tomorrow. This does not bode well for your physical and mental health.
I recently came across an article about an Australian NGO whose mission is to reach out to small business owners and simply ask “Are you OK?”
Jaelea Skehan, director of the Hunter Institute of Mental Health, speaking at the National Small Business Summit in Melbourne about small business and mental health, described the great effort by the members of R U OK – http://RUOK.org.au
Introducing her discussion about R U OK, Skehan rhetorically asked “are our small business owners and workers OK? And if they’re not, what are we going to do about that?”
Small businesses are a valuable commodity in America and elsewhere. According to the US Census Bureau, there more than 28.8 million small businesses with 56.8 million employees across the country. The Small Business Administration found that about two-thirds of businesses with employees survive at least two years and about half survive at least five years.
In other words, in five years your neighbor’s business can fail and its employees will be out of a job.
Small businesses and their owners fulfill a major role in our national economy as well the neighborhood. In addition to employing fellow Americans and providing goods and services they offer humanitarian and civic initiatives such as sponsoring the local Little League baseball team.
Skehan wrote: “But there are a number of unique risk factors faced by small business owners, which can result in poor mental health, poor general health, family conflict and feelings of isolation.
“These can include financial pressures, high work demands and long work hours, market variability and disruption, and a tendency not to prioritize self-care over the business bottom line – including many who go to work even when they are sick, stress and tired.
“A considerable amount of small business operators work from home or on their own, many are mobile, a large number live and operate in rural areas and many have English as their second language.”
The pressure is enough to keep even the most stalwart, steely small businessmen and women on edge.
In Australia, the R U OK movement is dedicated to reminding business people and consumers to check in regularly with family, friends, colleagues and the people around. And how many times have you thought about reaching out to someone in small business.
Skehan explained that “R U OK is about strengthening our relationships and bridging the gap between caring about someone, and letting them know that you are there for them when they need it.
“So if you know someone in small business, and especially if you know they have been doing it tough, why not reach out and start a conversation?”
Sounds like public service announcements about looking in on the elderly and infirmed during inclement weather or health alert days, doesn’t it? The deleterious outcomes could be the same.
“If you are in small business, why not reach out to a peer and start a conversation? If there is one thing I have learned from 20 years working in mental health and suicide prevention, it’s that small acts can indeed make a big difference,” Skehan said.
She suggested the following four steps to asking R U OK?
Step one: Start the conversations – ask R U OK? To be honest, use any words that you feel comfortable with.
Step two: Listen without judgment and don’t try to solve the problem. Just be there.
Step three: Encourage action, whether that is telling someone else or making an appointment with their doctor or getting more information from a service online.
Step four: Check-in. Follow-up with them again tomorrow at work or put a note in your diary to call them in one week.
This is a worthy project for civil society that is involved with mental health or not as well as small businesses. Check in on your colleagues and neighbors.
You can also visit the SBA.gov website or the Small Business Development Center. They’re located in towns and counties across the country. Each office has free information and advice on business and other important questions. I stay in touch the New Jersey Small Business Development Center – https://www.njsbdc.com/ – that is hosted by Ramapo College. Ask for Vincent Vicari, regional director. They may offer you insights.
Send your examples
Join the conversation in cyberspace about boosting your business by looking in on your colleagues and let me know your impressions. If you have examples of how you used social media to boost outreach, let me know about it and I’ll help you spread the word about your success.
I’d also like to invite you to visit my Thought Leadership website:
If you’re looking for advice on recruiting, company handbooks and other human resources topics, I’d like to suggest to you this interesting website:
No comments:
Post a Comment