SANGU STORIES, The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands

Mental Health at Workplace with Deanne Garling, Director of Human Resources

October 11, 2021 Host: Mark Hehir - General Manager Season 4 Episode 4
SANGU STORIES, The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands
Mental Health at Workplace with Deanne Garling, Director of Human Resources
Show Notes Transcript

Welcome to a new episode of Sangu Stories!

As we are celebrating World Mental Health Day today, we have the pleasure of discussing mental health at the workplace with Deanne Garling, our Director of Human Resources, an expert in employee relations with over 20 years of experience in the industry. Various topics, from the evolution of this topic in the workplace to creating a safe and healthy work environment, are discussed in this podcast. 

For any further information or assistance, please contact Aminath.Haadhee@ritzcarlton.com , Marketing Communications Manager.

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Mark Hehir:

Welcome back to Sangu stories. Today, we have Deanne Garling, our Director of Human Resources, an expert on employee relations for over 20 years in the industry. Today, we discuss mental health at the workplace. There's still a stigma around this topic and we believe by addressing mental health issues are essential to creating a safe and healthy work environment for our Ladies and Gentlemen. Welcome Deanne. Nice to have you here today.

Deanne Garling:

Thank you for having me.

Mark Hehir:

It's such an important subject. We're going to talk about today, mental health and, you know, I wanted to really understand, you know, as our Ladies and Gentlemen have gone through so much over the last year and a half, and we've all gone through, you know, as the world has sort of come to realising this is part of our life. Um, and I really think it's helps amplify other things in our life, not just the workplace functional role, but really the emotional connection and things we do everyday is really linked in. And, and, uh, so I really want to understand from your side what mental health means to us in the workplace and how important is

Deanne Garling:

Certainly I feel that mental health is important in the workplace, especially somewhere like the Maldives where we call our workplace, the home away from home and mental health Ladies and Gentlemen, you know, leads to greater productivity and we are able to better withstand all of the challenges that we face day to day. We've also noticed that the Ladies and Gentlemen are taking less sick leave. They're able to work longer hours put in extra effort and ultimately, it's creating positive energy within the island itself.

Mark Hehir:

Wonderful, wonderful. You know, you've seen many changes over the years. You've, you've been involved in the industry, really lovely to share to our listeners some of the experiences you have in this topic and how it's evolved over the years.

Deanne Garling:

Certainly in my career mental health has started off as a stigma, that's within society within companies sometimes within our own personal groups where but I think as time has evolved, people have become more understanding that it's not a stigma anymore. It's a condition where everybody is unable to face any challenges that they have in their lives, whether it's fatigue, anxiety, emotional breakdown, you know, everybody is a lot more understanding as the years have gone by especially here at the resort. Um, we certainly do not tolerate any form of discrimination in the workplace. We've accepted that, you know, this pandemic period, people have coped in with different ways in particular. Um, and I think that, you know, to create an environment where everybody is inclusive, we're all there for each other. It's about open communication and dealing with any problem at hand.

Mark Hehir:

Certainly, uh, when we look a bit more deeper into mental health practices at The Ritz Carlton Maldives, Fari islands, what do you want to share with our listeners?

Deanne Garling:

Certainly. So here we've identified that it's important to have a work-life balance. We've created Halo events for each month where the Ladies and Gentlemen have an opportunity to participate in daily activities and ultimately creating small community groups, which allows everybody to socialise more on a personal note, we have over 16 different nationalities on the island, where everybody is interacting with one another. And we also encourage that everyone connects with their loved ones atleast daily, um, to check in, to make sure that they're all aware of, you know, how they're going, uh, staying in contact, you know, with communicating from home and knowing what's happening at home. We encourage the open door policy. Um, so if any of our Ladies and Gentlemen, uh, do have a problem, there's a healthy relationship between ourselves and the Ladies and Gentlemen. We've also, um, linked with a company in Singapore called Mind Well 360 where the Ladies and Gentlemen have an opportunity to speak to, um, counselors on a professional level who are qualified. There's a confidential helpline. We also have a fantastic program called meQuilibrium where you log onto the site. It's an app, you answer some very basic questions and it's very interesting. It gives you a feedback on the stress levels that you're feeling and what you're coping and giving you tools to aid those stressful moments in your life. And, you know, it also gives you a place setting in your daily calendar for'me' time. Um, so that's really great. It's, you know, bits and pieces on, you know, motivational quotes, whether it's, you know, taking time to do some yoga, some meditation, um, but it's very, very beneficial. We've found with, um, the Ladies and Gentlemen,

Mark Hehir:

I think it's a great initiative and you're signed up, we signed up a few months ago and it really helped me put an hour a day into my calendar where it just creates space for us to think and, and think through situations and also have a personal time just to sort of deal with other matters that's going on in our lives. So when you talk about technology like that, is there any other technologies that you wanted to, and we have so much technology happiness with us everyday, but I'm just wondering if there was any other technology that you wanted to let us know about.

Deanne Garling:

I think technology has played a two-sides in our lives and with mental health, because, you know, technology is so accessible to us. It's sometimes very hard then to disconnect. You're unable to, you know, sometimes physically, you know, do those outdoor activities. People are stuck on their mobile phones or their computers, and therefore it doesn't give you an opportunity to de- stress, you know, have that downtime. And also, you know, the going on in the media, you know, good and bad, you know, you can have Ladies and Gentlemen reading articles in the news that may inspire them. And then there may be others that, you know, causes more fear and anxiety to them. So I think, you know, there's got to be a healthy balance because then you have the technology side where you can also listen to podcasts and videos that are also self-development. Um, so there's two sides I believe, to, you know, to the negative impact. And then there's a positive impact where you can also learn and grow.

Mark Hehir:

Yeah. I think putting those things in ordering and creating time and space is what we're trying to do here as an organization at The Ritz-Carlton Maldives as well, where we say, if you're coming into a meeting, that we, that we can have with a room, let's bring you a note pad, leave your phone in a basket. We have a basket, we have a bit of fun with that, but we also ask not to bring the laptop unless you presenting let's have you all of you into the call emotionally as well. And I think, uh, we have those meetings. I've seen more engagement when there's just a pen and paper- old school. Yeah. So we look at best practices and maybe that's one of them. What's your advice for other, for our managers and other managers listening to that regarding mental health,

Deanne Garling:

We definitely need to encourage and keep encouraging our leadership team who is really strongly focused on putting people first and their wellbeing. It's, you know, truly our number one priority here at the resort. Um, it's, you know, building awareness, trying to avoid that stigma of health problems. People, you know, are not coping with difficult situation. The open door communication, are having a healthy environment, you know, having, uh, you know, different ways and tools for the Ladies and Gentlemen to be able to balance that healthy lifestyle. Um, it's all truly simplest thing, you know, genuine care and encourage everybody that people are different and all Ladies and Gentlemen will handle different situations differently. And that should be accepted. We had a great, Let us Pamper you week a few weeks ago, whereby the management team did a lot of social activities, the Ladies and Gentlemen, and it certainly did Al add value and it was appreciated by all. And I think everybody got a lot of, out of it, whether it's, you know, from the rank-and-file up to the management level, I don't think it's necessarily always about high value, physical items, but it's just that true, you know, hand-in-hand moment where you're standing there side-by-side and working through all the challenges together, inspire and aspire, um, to always lead by example.

Mark Hehir:

Yeah, definitely. And I think, you know, as we've looking back over the last eight months, but we've been working remote and then we've come together and then we still have moments where we've got to work through this COVID-19 situations that are happening to us every other day for different reasons where we're struggling to recruit or people who have been recruited can't arrived when they arrive, they need to go into quarantine. And there's a lot of stress on the one about Ladies and Gentlemen there. And I think we all need to find ways to innovate and connect. Especially in the remote destination, like the Maldives where people are far away from their loved ones. So we appreciate your time today, Deanne. And I know that that is a constant evolution of best practices and working through new the new normal, if you like it. And I appreciate your time today

Deanne Garling:

Thank you Mark for the opportunity.

Mark Hehir:

Well, I hope you enjoyed today's podcast. Join me next time. When we discover more about The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands

Deanne Garling:

Take care.