Management and Leadership

Never before in history have, we been more educated, wealthier, and lived longer with more opportunities in life. Conversely, we have never been more stressed, anxious, depressed or lonely. In One Life, the philosopher and business executive Morten Albæk investigates this paradox and the absurdity that all of the world’s impressive socio-economic advancements have not been translated into more existential wellbeing. It is critical to understand why those of us, especially in prosperous countries with high living standards, continue to get sick, particularly due to work-related stress and poor leadership. The cure is not more ‘work-life balance’, but that we stop separating our persona into a working human being and private human being, and instead see ourselves as one human being with one life. That one life should be as meaningful as possible; it is meaning – not happiness – that is the most important basic ingredient for the sustainability of our lives, our businesses and our society.

Whether you work with 10 people, 10,000 people or just yourself, paying attention to mental health in the workplace has never been more important. We all face mental health challenges, regardless of our gender, age or sexual orientation, and too often we can be guilty for taking our mental health for granted.

This book aims to build on the current progressive movement around mental health awareness and is in line with current thinking on mental health in the workplace. In this book, the authors provide employees with a resource to develop greater mental health in the workplace and provide employers with a resource to develop greater wellbeing amongst their employees therefore increasing quality, performance, productivity and overall business effectiveness.