Archived Is it unprofessional to talk about mental health on the Sales floor?

[Rozu18]

I have come a long way at Target. I have social anxiety and I used to not be able to talk to coworkers or guests and every day was a real struggle. I have worked there for three years, I have gotten comfortable with the position, I've made friends, and I am on Anxiety medication. I am very open about it. I have to be because the physical symptoms of my anxiety still show so I make jokes about how my face gets red and how I get shaky and stressed out and it helps a lot.

However, my boss keeps shutting it down. She doesn't like if I mention my mental health or if I causally am talking to a coworker about medication or even if they are talking to me about their stress, she still shuts it down

Is it unprofessional to talk about mental health on the sales floor? It just comes up in conversation sometimes. Very casually. Like how we would talk about shoes while working. I like being open about my mental health and helping anyone else with it if they need. As well as it gives me an outlet to assess my own feelings and lets my coworkers know if I am getting stressed out. Which I feel is important because a lot of us softlines girls end up crying in the backroom and that emotion affects our work performance.

Should I not be honest about it? Keep it a secret? Not address it on the sales floor?

 

[commiecorvus]

You have every right to talk about it as you see fit.
I often discuss my epilepsy because I think it is something that people should know about and understand.
If she is shutting you down because you are talking rather than working, that is one thing.
But she can't tell you not to talk about your mental health.

On the other hand, she doesn't get to discuss your mental health with other people when you are not around, there is a law against that.
So maybe that is why she is gun shy.

 

[NPC]

I think this is a generation thing for sure. I talk openly about that kind of stuff too. I once heard my mom talk about how shocked she was that someone at her work was openly talking about her antidepressants. Even though there are people in my family who take all kind of depression/anxiety medications.

I feel like for her generation, it's more taboo. You're also not supposed to talk about money, religion, or politics too. Kinda makes you wonder what the fuck are you allowed to talk about. I wouldn't go censoring yourself over that old taboo. You sharing your experiences can make other people feel less alone or shameful for having problems too, or even inspire them to get help if they need to.

 

[Planosss]

How often are you talking about your mental health issues? I mean it could be perceived as redundant, and therefore un-useful.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

Guests might be able to hear you. I would do it off the floor or no where near a guest.

 

[graffiti]

How often are you talking about your mental health issues? I mean it could be perceived as redundant, and therefore un-useful.

?? I mean, it sounds useful to the OP...

Keep talking about it if it helps you. For all I have to hear about video games and sports allll dayyy everrrryyyy daaaayyyyyy, hearing about personal matters can be a welcome change.

 

[Planosss]

?? I mean, it sounds useful to the OP...

Keep talking about it if it helps you. For all I have to hear about video games and sports allll dayyy everrrryyyy daaaayyyyyy, hearing about personal matters can be a welcome change.

If it’s causing a distraction though, OP should be mindful of others mental health aswell.

 

[Far from newbie]

I am amazed at the lack of privacy we have reached as an entire society!
reality tv shows that make you feel like a voyeurs/Facebook posts that share every move/twitter that blasts every thought ? Is nothing sacred and private anymore ?

There is a difference between taboo and just plain personal !
I agree: shush about politics/religion/money/ and anything about your own private BODILY functions, including medical issues ! Honestly, those topics make MANY people VERY uncomfortable 😣. Did it ever occur to you that you could be causing someone ELSE anxiety with your lack of personal space?
I have work to do - find a professional counselor to talk to.
Ok, Sounding unpassionate but really, I could give you bad advice. Check me out of your problems.

 

[commiecorvus]

Could be because I work in the field but this is our regular type of conversation.

 

[Tessa120]

Keeping something a big secret can and often will cause anxiety/shame/etc, and it can result in people not approaching you in a way that is helpful to you and is downright hurtful.


If we were talking about someone with cancer who jokes about their bald head, should that be shut down as inappropriate?

If we were talking about someone with chronic pain who's mentioning how she needs a breather now and then to get back in the game, would that be inappropriate?

If someone had a big birth mark on their face that gets even more obvious when the person works harder, would explaining why it's so obvious right now be inappropriate?

If someone has reactive hypoglycemia and is explaining why they sometimes shake really badly, is it wrong for the person to tell others, because knowledge is safety?


The brain is no different, if the brain affects the job, then it's appropriate to discuss the brain.

If @Rozu18 finds it safer and reduces anxiety to explain why she shakes, why her face changes color dramatically, why she needs a breather, then that's what she needs to do. It's affecting her performance, it's affecting her mental fortitude to be able to face future tasks, it is relevant. It's not "FB/voyeurism", it's important and appropriate to the job situation.

Just because the brain is hidden doesn't mean that the effects are hidden and also doesn't mean that it's bad to talk about an illness. People talk about physical illnesses all the time, especially when the job is worsening the symptoms, or the symptoms are causing difficulties on the job. Not an omg I have to go on FMLA, but how some days are just rougher than others, and just like people with physical illnesses, rougher days can affect output. You hear all the time about a pregnant woman's back or how a person's diabetes is causing a foot issue that day, or someone with low thyroid is just feeling utterly lousy, or someone with anemia needing to take a breather or five. Why are all those fine but anxiety, which big time affects the job, isn't?

 

[NPC]

I am amazed at the lack of privacy we have reached as an entire society!
reality tv shows that make you feel like a voyeurs/Facebook posts that share every move/twitter that blasts every thought ? Is nothing sacred and private anymore ?

There is a difference between taboo and just plain personal !
I agree: shush about politics/religion/money/ and anything about your own private BODILY functions, including medical issues ! Honestly, those topics make MANY people VERY uncomfortable 😣. Did it ever occur to you that you could be causing someone ELSE anxiety with your lack of personal space?
I have work to do - find a professional counselor to talk to.
Ok, Sounding unpassionate but really, I could give you bad advice. Check me out of your problems.

Can I take a wild guess at how old you are?

 

[unknown]

No talking on the salesfloor unless it's work related. Target doesn't pay you to socialize. And they certainly don't care about your mental health. The sooner you quit, the sooner they can replace you.

 

[ServiceSoFast]

It’s up to you to share your personal life. If it doesn’t detract from helping the guest and it doesn’t make anyone else feel uncomfortable, do it to it. Sometimes you just need to joke about yourself to connect with people.

 

[WalksforMiles]

1. People don’t care.
2. They’re more likely to spread gossip about you.
3. Leadership sees you as a liability and less of a worker.
4. They won’t help you.
5. You’ll just end up hating the work environment even more.
6. They’ll get tired of listening to you talk about your issues.

This is based on my personal experience at my store, so take it with a grain of salt.

 

[Aredhel]

Be careful who you confide in or talk in front of. Predators.

 

[Targetedbullseye]

Get a lawyer and shove it up there ass, target has lost it from the Top to the bottom, don't talk to any-one in your store, think about your -self just check out your options with a lawyer, you have nothing to lose and every-thing to gain ! Good -luck !

 

[IWishIKnew]

I feel like discussing medical situations at work, regardless of what they are, can veer into TMI territory fairly easily, which is unprofessional, so I tend to be more broad & circumspect about them. However, if someone mentions something about their mental health struggles and you mention you've had some issues and are getting help, including meds, as a form of support for your TM, I wouldn't consider that unprofessional. It's people being people, with other people. If you're spending 10 minutes digging into the details of your struggles, meds you've tried, side effects and other details...yeah, that might be a bit much. Not because it's discussing a mental illness, in particular, but many people don't want to share the details of their medical situations, or hear about the details of coworkers medical situations, and given that you have the general public in the mix, it's prudent to be aware of the situation and how much to discuss.

I would say, rather than discussing medications or other specifics at the time, you're better off saying something like "Hey, I get what you're going through, I'm happy to share my experiences with therapy/medication/etc. if you want on on break or off the clock" rather than discussing them on the floor.

 

[Tessa120]

I feel like discussing medical situations at work, regardless of what they are, can veer into TMI territory fairly easily, which is unprofessional, so I tend to be more broad & circumspect about them. However, if someone mentions something about their mental health struggles and you mention you've had some issues and are getting help, including meds, as a form of support for your TM, I wouldn't consider that unprofessional. It's people being people, with other people. If you're spending 10 minutes digging into the details of your struggles, meds you've tried, side effects and other details...yeah, that might be a bit much. Not because it's discussing a mental illness, in particular, but many people don't want to share the details of their medical situations, or hear about the details of coworkers medical situations, and given that you have the general public in the mix, it's prudent to be aware of the situation and how much to discuss.

I would say, rather than discussing medications or other specifics at the time, you're better off saying something like "Hey, I get what you're going through, I'm happy to share my experiences with therapy/medication/etc. if you want on on break or off the clock" rather than discussing them on the floor.

But look at the flip side. If you have an injured arm and that affects your performance some but not enough to not hold your job, you're likely going to need help from your co-workers. If you have diabetes, there will likely be times where you need coverage to step off-stage. If you have hearing loss, you're going to need to let people know so that they know to speak louder around you.

Mental illness is just like those. It colors everything you perceive, and that altered perception changes your actions and your reactions. It's not like the mental illness makes your heart race during a difficult encounter but everything is peachy keen the rest of the time. No, the actual attack may be intermittent but the mental and biological "foundation" is there and active 100%, and therefore sharing with others may be exactly what's needed so the person can a) get assistance when there's a flare up and b) just have the lowered stress of any flare up already having been explained in advance and therefore nothing need be said at the time of the flare up.

 

[Far from newbie]

Can I take a wild guess at how old you are?

Sure. Probably older than you. Nearly the oldest in my store.

 

[NPC]

Sure. Probably older than you. Nearly the oldest in my store.

Thank you for being my example for the older generation's hang ups on mental health. We are learning from your generation's mistakes.

 

[Far from newbie]

Thank you for being my example for the older generation's hang ups on mental health. We are learning from your generation's mistakes.

Hey, I just want to get my work done, not raise more children.

 

[NPC]

Hey, I just want to get my work done, not raise more children.

No one wants you to.

 

[Far from newbie]

Your job is not the place to show your weaknesses and get advice. Use professionals when you are off the clock.

 

[NPC]

Your job is not the place to show your weaknesses and get advice. Use professionals when you are off the clock.

Like I said, our generation is learning from your generation's mistakes. Thanks for the reminder.

 

[Far from newbie]

OKThen, best of luck to you if you would like to follow the advice of someone who decides to work for Target....
I just don’t understand the value of sharing every problem/ailment with total strangers that frankly don’t care.