Mental illness costs SA big
PRESENTEEISM: IMPACT ON PRODUCTIVITY IS MASSIVE
Depression costs South Africa more than R232 billion, or 5.7% of GDP, in lost productivity either due to absence from work or attending work while unwell, the London School of Economics and Political Science 2016 IDEA study has found, the Psychiatry Management Group (PsychMG) said yesterday.
In a statement ahead of World Mental Health Day on October 10 – focusing this year on mental health in the workplace – PsychMG chairperson Dr Sebolelo Seape said organisations and individuals alike needed to be more aware of the reality and impact that mental health had on the workplace.
“With more than 9.7% of the SA population (or 4.5 million people) suffering from depression, the chances are quite real that the person sitting next to you in the office is at some stage in their lives of coping with the condition.
“It’s not only the duty of the individuals suffering from mental health issues, but also organisations and colleagues to fight the stigma associated,” Seape said.
Depression has a significant impact on productivity.
“Depression causes problems with memory, procrastination, extreme fatigue, difficulty concentrating, anxiety, fear, and panic which will add to work-related stresses, crippling the output from the employee.”
Seape said the cost of presenteeism – those being at work while suffering from depression – had the most significant impact and equated to a loss of 4.23% of the country’s GDP, and based on a world-wide study, the proportion lost to GDP from this in SA was the highest in the world.
“In SA, employees are very likely to keep working during depression, impacting their productivity and performance at work.
“This can be due to fear of losing their jobs, being ostracised by colleagues, or not understanding why they are going through a spell of periods of not being well.
“Even those who take a sick day here and there because they are not mentally up for it are in essence self-diagnosing and their perceived coping mechanism will draw negative attention.
“In addition, they could be losing out on the support structure offered by their employer.”
Taking a few days off but then only sitting at home doing nothing would not help one to cope on returning to work.
“You need to work together with your medical doctor and psychiatrist to determine the best treatment and how to manage your time off special needs required at work, or flexible working hours.
Although depression is not a disability, it can cause impairment at work and have an impact on daily life, from sleeping to work, concentrating, regulating emotions, or caring for oneself and needs to be addressed via the correct channels.
“By discussing the issues with your line-manager or human resources department and finding out the options available to you might alleviate a lot of the anxiety associated with depression while working.”
The law in SA stated that an employee with a mental health
Dr Sebolelo Seape, PsychMG chairperson
condition had a constitutional right to equality, human dignity, reasonable accommodation, and fair labour practice.
An employer, therefore, could not demote, transfer or reduce a person’s salary because of a mental health condition, he pointed out. – ANA