Against the Darkness: Promoting mental health in Arctic workplaces.

• Author: Kay, Alexandra

"AIthough psychosocial risks can be found in all sectors, some workers are more likely to be exposed to them than others, because of what they do or where or how they work," notes a World Health Organization (WHO) fact sheet titled "Risks to Mental Health at Work."

If the "where" is north of the Arctic Circle, workplaces face unavoidable risks from geographic isolation, extreme weather, and dark winter days, "Physical and social isolation due to weather and socioeconomic burdens, as well as the lack of sunlight leading to a marked deficiency in Vitamin D, all contribute to mental/emotional health struggles," says Joseph Delong, a physician assistant with Alaska Behavioral Health, which provides behavioral healthcare services around the state.

In Utqiagvik, Alaska's northernmost town, the sun is down for sixty-five days in a row in winter. "Towards around February, you start getting a little itchy," says Jeff Seifert, general manager of radio station KBRW. "I've seen folks that just cant take it."

To compensate, city streets are well lit, but little can be done about the town's remoteness. Seifert says, "I don't know what we'd do if we didn't have air service. A couple of times this winter, we've gone several days without being able to get a plane in. When that happens, people get a little nervous."

The landscape itself adds to the desolation. "It's just flatter than a fritter here," says Seifert. "There's no mountains; there's barely hills. You can look out on the tundra and actually see the curvature of the earth. I mean, it just goes on forever."

Fortunately, there are many things employers can do to help support employees' mental health and well-being.

Offer Flex Work Schedules

"Think outside of the conventional 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday work week," says Sarah Koogle, clinic manager in Fairbanks for Alaska Behavioral Health.

According to WHO, risks to mental health at work can include "long, unsocial, or inflexible hours" and "conflicting home/work demands." WHO recommends that employers prevent mental health conditions at work "by implementing organizational interventions that target working conditions and environments... [including,] for example, providing flexible working arrangements."

Flexible work arrangements are schedules that differ from the traditional work week. These can include reduced hours, a compressed work week, where employees work longer days to have more days off; remote work; flex time; opportunities for job sharing; or leave time of various types. According to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, flexible work arrangements help employees manage responsibilities outside of work and lead to "increased job satisfaction, energy, creativity, and ability to handle stress."

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