Many people let this one slide, but how many times have you asked how your mental health has affected your work life? Landrum (2017) argues that we need to rethink and adapt business culture because millennials report a higher number of cases for depression than previous generations. 45% of the cases are untreated – resulting in a potential economic cost of $147 billion annually.3
She mentions that in an interview, Simon Sinek suggests that the millennials’ “cultural fascination” with social media is a key cause of depression because the obsession of the newsfeeds of friends and neighbours reduces the feeling of security of our own lives and accomplishments. Furthermore, every time we receive desired notifications (such as likes), a dose of dopamine is released in our body; as the doses accumulate, we become more dependent and depressed.3 Sinek notes that millennials were not properly raised; they were raised in a more subjective and individualistic environment.1
Because social media has created the loss of security, I believe the belonging and self-esteem needs from Maslow’s hierarchy4 seem to be most affected by the changes in the millennials’ culture, values, and attitudes, therefore reaching the self-actualizing level is rather difficult and may require hard emotional labour. Studies have shown that people often forget that their friends on social media only post the greatest highlights of their lives2 and equity theory seems to apply to this case (people seem to feel under rewarded).
When coming to job enrichment, managers and employees should be able to collaborate when redesigning jobs. Designing a job that suits the family and social values of millennials will help create a healthier workplace culture that discourages excess use of social media and encourages putting value into things employees do in life. Together, employees and managers can design a workplace culture through job redesign that is supportive for those suffering from depression.
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References
1 Crossman, D. (2016, October 29). Simon Sinek on millennials in the workplace [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hER0Qp6QJNU
2 Degges-White, S. (2015, July 16). 17 minutes a day?: How many minutes a day on your cellphone is too many? Retrieved January 26, 2017, from Psychology Today website: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/lifetime-connections/201507/17-minutes-day
3 Landrum, S. (2017, January 17). Why millennials are struggling with mental health at work. Retrieved January 25, 2017, from Forbes website: https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahlandrum/2017/01/17/why-millennials-are-struggling-with-mental-health-at-work/#668079714a9b
4 McLeod, S. A. (2016). Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Retrieved January 26, 2017, from Simply Psychology website: http://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html
Image Source
Leadership and management [Image]. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.insperity.com/blog/ millennials-in-charge-how-theyre-changing-the-workplace/