You Manage It! 3: Global Mental Health: A Global Concern
Hazards in the workplace can pose risks to mental health, just as they can pose risks to physical health. Unfortunately, poor mental health sometimes can have a negative connotation and is often not addressed. Fortunately, the importance of mental health in the workplace is being recognized in multiple countries.
Mental health problems can influence how someone experiences life (including work), how engaged they are, and their effectiveness as an employee. It is estimated that each year one in four people will experience a mental health problem, with depression and anxiety being the most common problems.a Further, it is increasingly being recognized that mental health problems can be brought on or exacerbated by workplace conditions. A recent survey found that two-thirds of respondents believe that heavy workloads, unrealistic expectations, and overwork cause or exacerbate mental health problems.
In Europe, stress-related sick leave is estimated to total 91 million working days per year—an enormous loss to European business. Europeans are taking a proactive approach to the problem. In 2005, 52 countries endorsed a “Mental Health Plan for Europe” that highlights the importance of workplace interventions to improve mental health. According to the plan, employers need to recognize and accept mental health as a legitimate concern and take responsibility for minimizing workplace causes of mental health problems. European companies are being advised to conduct an audit or survey to identify workplace characteristics that may be problematic. European companies are also being encouraged to develop mental health policies, take steps to raise awareness and reduce stigma, and introduce preventive and rehabilitative steps. Further description and updates regarding this program can be found online at www.mhe-sme.org .
The importance of mental health in the workplace is also being recognized in Canada. A recent Canadian survey of 100 organizations found that over three-quarters of the organizations believe mental health issues are a leading cause of short- and long-term disability claims.b Unfortunately, although recognizing the importance of mental health, few Canadian companies seem to be doing much about it. The problem isn’t that companies don’t want to do anything; they just don’t know what actions should be taken to improve employees’ mental health. In 2009, the Mental Health Commission of Canada released a report regarding mental health and work titled “Stress at Work, Mental Injury and the Law in Canada: A Discussion Paper for the Mental Health Commission of Canada” (available at [no longer online] https://www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/English/node/488 ). The discussion paper is meant to increase awareness and lead Canadian employers to take on the duty of providing a psychologically safe workplace.
China also recognizes the importance of the mental health of employees. Chinese workers are facing increasing workloads and stress on their jobs, and depression and anxiety are increasing.c China announced that it will introduce a program to help employees improve their mental health. The intent of the program is to apply models that have been effective in other countries, such as employee assistance programs, to improve the mental health of Chinese workers. Recently, however, a thirteenth Chinese employee at iPhone-maker Foxconn attempted suicide; ten of the thirteen succeeded in their suicide attempts. Harsh working conditions have been blamed for the rash of suicides.d
Critical Thinking Questions
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16-27. Mental health problems often have a negative stigma. What, if anything, do you think companies can do to reduce this stigma?
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16-28. Recognizing the importance of mental health in the workplace seems like the only moral thing to do. Yet, employers face difficulties in effectively dealing with this area. For example, mental health is less visible and apparent than physical health. How can an employer be protected from feigning and fraud if it takes a liberal approach to dealing with mental health?
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16-29. Mental health problems can be caused by many factors outside of the workplace. For example, genetics and family life may predispose or cause mental health difficulties. Nonetheless, these difficulties can show up in the workplace. Does the employer have some responsibility for dealing with these mental health problems? Explain.
Team Exercise
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16-30. The European model includes an audit as well as actions to improve mental health. Place yourselves in the position of a mental health task force for a company. As a team, develop steps to address mental health in the workplace. Specifically, what would your team recommend for an audit? What should be measured and how? What actions would you recommend to reduce a negative stigma that can be associated with mental health problems? Finally, identify actions companies can take to improve mental health in the workplace.
Share your team’s recommendations with the rest of the class. With the direction of the instructor, the class should put together a combined plan that puts together the best recommendations from the team presentations.
Experiential Exercise: Team
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16-31. The increasing importance of mental health in the workplace can be attributed to the characteristics of modern work. Technology has brought about increased efficiency, but also more rapid change and stress. Work must now be accomplished more quickly and often from remote sites. In addition, downsizing and outsourcing have increased pressure and uncertainty for workers. These work characteristics can take their toll on employees’ mental health.
However, some experts question whether the workplace has really become more stressful.e Work is not meant to be a therapeutic environment. Further, the stress of today’s work pales in comparison to working conditions in the past. Previous generations of your family probably worked for little pay, no pension, no health care, and under oppressive conditions. Claiming to be “stressed out” can just be an employee’s excuse for time away from work.
Select representatives for two opposing teams reflecting the two positions just described. One team takes the position that mental health in the workplace is an important issue that calls for proactive employer actions. The other team takes the position that mental health is not the employer problem it is made out to be and that special employer actions are not needed. Each team should identify its assumptions and rationale.
As a class, determine whether there was a clear winner to the debate. Is there a consensus in the class on the workplace mental health issue?