Name: Penielle Lydia Herman
Matrix No: 2020816802
Group: HS243 4C
Work has become an essential component of the lives of many people. It is where we
spend the majority of our time, where we earn money for a living, and where we can get
acquainted with a network of people. Having an enjoyable career can be beneficial to your
mental health and overall well-being. However, life gets the best of us at times, and it could
be work-related, such as deadlines or unavoidable business trips. It is critical that we secure
a conducive work environment by addressing the mental health issues that are present
among every employers and employees alike.
The World Health Organization (WHO) states that “health is a state of complete
physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”.
Therefore, this also implies that mental health is more than just the absence of mental
disorders or disabilities. Mental health is a state of well-being in which an individual can
comprehend their own abilities, capable of working with the normal stresses of life, able to
work productively and can make a contribution to their community [ CITATION WHO18 \l
17417 ]. A person’s performance and productivity in the workplace is strongly tied to their
overall health and wellbeing, thus a company or an organization’s culture and values should
prioritise in investing in and caring of the welfare of its whole workforce [ CITATION Had18 \l
17417 ].
In terms of work performance and productivity, the mental health of working staffs is
always crucial for both the employee and the employer. It is critical that you recognize the
warning signals and provide help to your team as needed. To monitor the mental health of
their employees, companies or any other work organizations can implement monthly mental
health check-ups by providing them with the Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale (DASS) Test.
The DASS Test is a widely used psychometric test to check for the severity of symptoms of
depression, anxiety, and stress. Through a series of 21 questions, the assessment expands
each of these three mental health issues into their individual symptoms, which will help to
explore the condition of the mental health of a working person. It can be used as an early
indicator of whether an individual needs mental health counselling and treatment or not.
Being put under pressure at work can spring from an underestimation of an
employee’s work expectations. An individual cannot be expected to carry out their job
effectively and with maximum productivity without clear instruction or direction. Therefore, it
is extremely crucial that employers provide a very clear and detailed job description to their
employees. Communication that happens among the workplace hierarchy should be open
and honest to encourage and motivate staff to achieve the best results in their work which
will in turn increase productivity and work performance. This can also make employees feel
more valued and appreciated which boosts positivity for their mental health. This two-way
communication method can assure the employees that their comments and opinions matter.
Keeping staff constantly in a positive mood during working hours are capable of boosting
their morale as well as reduce stress and anxiety at workplace.
A fun and conducive work environment is one of the most key methods to uphold the
positivity that will be great for the mental health of employees. This can be done by providing
a quiet room or “break-out spaces” in a workplace. Beehive PR sets an example by
maintaining a quiet room called the ‘InZone’ whereby employees can dedicate their time to
recharge in a room that is not connected to any wireless internet signal. The InZone also
features a meditation room, free weekly yoga classes, monthly professional development
sessions, cardio workout space and a café with free fresh fruits and other healthy snacks as
well as workplace policies that provides time flexibility, access to high-quality technology,
professional expertise, and generous paid time off [ CITATION Ste15 \l 17417 ].
Additionally, one of the most prominent example of a fun work environment is
Google’s implementation of Company Culture. Google’s culture promotes work flexibility
where its employees are encouraged to work whenever and any way they like. Constructing
a sense of community has become the fundamental to forming a more positive company
culture. Break-out spaces gives people the opportunity to be involved during lunch hours
through shared conversations which enhances creativity to create and innovate with other
fellow employees.
Moreover, in my opinion, companies and organizations should normalise allowing
their employees to take mental health days off. This does not need to be presented with a
legitimate proof of mental health illness from a doctor’s note. The famous saying goes by
“prevention is better than cure”, hence it is crucial that every working person let themselves
give their mind and body a break every now and then. Allowing staffs to miss a day of work
is enough to let them refresh and revitalize themselves to help them prevent a worse mental
health issues in the long run. Self-care is a critical part of life where all focus should solely be
put on the individual’s physical, emotional, and mental health. This way, an employee will be
present at work with more productivity and willpower to continue working on their job tasks.
In conclusion, there is a growing awareness of the social and physical impact from
mental health issues at workplace that needed to be addressed with appropriate urgency.
Excessive workloads can worsen the mental health of a working person, which can
eventually lead to severe depression. Various governmental and non-governmental (NGOs)
agencies have been continuously finding ways to promote the establishment of a more
favourable company policies that benefits both the employees and employers in terms of
physical, social, emotional, and psychological health. Due to the fact that the majority of
people spend their lives working, the workplace has become an ideal setting for public health
initiatives that approaches the prevention, promotion, and rehabilitation of mental health
illness. End.
REFERENCES
Haddon, J. (2018). The impact of employees' well-being on performance in the workplace.
Strategic HR Review, 17(2), 72-75. doi:10.1108/SHR-01-2018-0009
LIfeSpeak. (n.d.). 10 ways to improve mental health in your workplace. Retrieved from
LIFESPEAK: https://lifespeak.com/10-ways-to-improve-mental-health-in-your-
workplace/
Stelner, A. (2015, April 10). Company-wide culture shift earns Beehive PR an American
Psychological Association award. MinnPost. Retrieved from
https://www.minnpost.com/mental-health-addiction/2015/04/company-wide-culture-
shift-earns-beehive-pr-american-psychological-a/
WHO. (2018, March 30). Mental Health: strengthening our response. Retrieved from World
Health Organization: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-
strengthening-our-response
