Promote mental health and it will pay dividends
Employers who invest in stress-relief measures in the workplace reap returns in terms of productivity, writes Grace Khoza
Stress, depression, generalised anxiety disorder, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are all mental health disorders that may affect people in the workplace. Statistics often quoted in World Health Organisation (WHO) research prove that higher levels of illness-leave, grievances, employee relations issues, loss of management time, higher illness-pay liabilities and health premiums, legal claims and reputational damage reflect a lack of understanding of such issues and how their effect on an individual can be detrimental in the workplace. According to the WHO, with roughly 30% of the South African population battling a mental disorder at some time, 76% to 85% of people with severe mental disorders receive no treatment. There are only 1.2 psychiatrists for every 100,000 people in SA, and fewer than 400 psychiatrists practise in the private healthcare sector, which serves nearly 9-million people. This backlog in care has an obvious effect on the workplace, and places demands on employe...
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