Managing workplace mental health

COMPANIES have health and safety policies to ensure safe working conditions, committees to ensure these polices are implemented, and regular inspections to make sure the working environment is safe.

But how many companies have policies in place to ensure the working environment supports the good mental health of employees?

Wow. This question, posed at the recent Work Mind Matters conference on corporate mental health in South Africa, made me sit up and think.

This comment prompted me to question what pre-emptive measures could be put in place, rather than responding reactively when staff suffer mental ill-health.

This means that we, as employers, have to consider carefully not only how we can assist workers already taking mental and emotional strain, but have systems in place to prevent this happening in the first place.

According to the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag), as many as one in six

South Africans suffer from anxiety, depression or substance abuse-related problems – and only a quarter of the people with a diagnosable mental disorder are receiving treatment.

The workplace and the working environment are huge contributing factors to an employee’s mental health,” noted Sadag’s operations director, Cassey Chambers. And an increasing number of South Africans are taking strain because of debt and the ever-increasing cost of living.

According to DebtSafe’s Financial Reality Survey of more than 1000 respondents, the results of which were released in June, financial concerns affected the respondents’ overall health and relationships.

A breakdown of the key findings revealed that, due to financial stresses: 56% of the respondents suffered increased stress levels; 40% said it impacted their sleep patterns; 28% felt their financial worries impacted their overall health; and 26% felt it impacted their relationships.

With October being Mental Health Awareness Month, it’s a good time to take stock of our environments and relationships to assess how they impact our mental health. If you need mental health assistance visit www.sadag.org or call Sadag at 0800 21 22 23.