ASSIGNMENT COVER SHEET
STUDENT DETAILS
Student name: Lại Khiết Ân Student ID number: 23004863
UNIT AND TUTORIAL DETAILS
Unit name: Business Academic Skills Unit number: BAS-T32324-PWB-2
Wednesday, 15:50 -
Tutorial/Lecture: Lecture Class day and time: 18:45
Lecturer or Tutor name: Mr. Trey Hash
ASSIGNMENT DETAILS
Title: Individual report
Length: 1,299 Due date: 06/08/2024 Date submitted: 06/08/2024
DECLARATION
I hold a copy of this assignment if the original is lost or damaged.
I hereby certify that no part of this assignment or product has been copied from any other student’s work or from any
other source except where due acknowledgement is made in the assignment.
I hereby certify that no part of this assignment or product has been submitted by me in another (previous or
current) assessment, except where appropriately referenced, and with prior permission from the Lecturer /
Tutor / Unit Coordinator for this unit.
No part of the assignment/product has been written/ produced for me by any other person except where
collaboration has been authorised by the Lecturer / Tutor /Unit Coordinator concerned.
I am aware that this work may be reproduced and submitted to plagiarism detection software programs for the
purpose of detecting possible plagiarism (which may retain a copy on its database for future plagiarism
checking).
Student’s signature: Lai Khiet An
Note: An examiner or lecturer / tutor has the right to not mark this assignment if the above declaration has not been
signed.
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BUSINESS ACADEMIC SKILLS
Title:
MENTAL HEALTH IN THE WORKPLACE ENVIRONMENT
By:
Lại Khiết Ân
Student ID:
23005863
Lecturer:
Mr. Trey Hash
Date:
06/08/2024
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Executive summary:
The tremendous growth of industries along with the impact of the pandemic results in the concern of
mental health bringing headaches to businesses and experts all over the world. This report will
broadly expose the current problems related to mental health issues in the workplace and their
subsequent impact. Subsequently, the causes of the severe problems inherently occur in the
workplace, which are discrimination, workload excessiveness and job insecurity in the workplace.
However, several solutions could tackle the problems from the company's perspective, which should
establish stricter policies for employee prevention and education programs for employees. The
business should further foster open communication to ensure that employees can balance their
life-cycle.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Executive summary.............................................................................................................................. 3
Introduction.......................................................................................................................................... 5
Problem description and background................................................................................................ 7
Causes of the problem..........................................................................................................................8
Possible solutions................................................................................................................................ 10
Conclusion...........................................................................................................................................12
References........................................................................................................................................... 13
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Introduction:
Mental health has been a headline of all discussions between experts. The impact of the pandemic
has accelerated the crisis in our overall mental health significantly. The results from loneliness,
self-distancing and carelessness between people have further disrupted the workplace environment,
which significantly affects the overall economies. Apart from that, the spotted factors that contribute
to mental health issues among employees are named for discrimination, overwork, and job insecurity.
To clarify, mental health refers to a person's psychological and emotional well-being that determine
how people feel, think, and behave (CDC, 2023). Based on research from a 2023 Champion Health
report, about 67% of employees suffered from moderate to high levels of stress (Life and Progress,
2023). Apart from that, doctor Bui Hong Quan proclaims that the proportion of the community
experiencing depression and anxiety has thunderously increased after COVID-19 (TUOI TRE,
2023). According to researchers, 42% of Vietnam employees who suffered from depression during
the working hours (TUOI TRE, 2023). Moreover, these statistics have successfully emphasised the
significant alert of mental health in the workplace environment.
Therefore, this report will broadly highlight the causes of mental health in the workplace, and
provide solutions aligned with recommendations to resolve the problems.
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Problem description and background:
The acceleration of mental health issues has severely affected the business activities and economic
growth of a country. Stress, anxiety and burnout are common terms of mental health problems that
employees endure, which negatively affect individual well-being and further affect the progress of
business activities.
The negative impact derived from mental health risks in the workplace is complicated, which not
only disrupts the business operation but also damages the economic landscape. Employees endure
depression because of discrimination and are unable to present in the office would lead to a decline
in productivity and an increase in the cost of an organization. According to the globe, there were
about 12 billion days lost because of depression and anxiety, which caused a heavy toll of 1000
billion USD on productivity annually (TUOI TRE, 2023). Additionally, presenteeism - where people
are physically present in the workplace, but do not work with full efficiency. According to the
statistics, presenteeism has resulted in the deduction of $15,1 billion each year (Aid, 2022).
Moreover, accidents could also occur when employees are under depression which causes lost
productivity and higher healthcare expenses. Therefore, the company must be aware of these
unexpected situations and align to address the problems.
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Causes of the problem:
There are many controversies about mental health problems in the workplace atmosphere as well as
advice for companies to implement the solutions. However, in today's era, companies often prioritize
their needs and lack of managing skills, subsequently omitting the benefits of employees which
resulted in depression and turnover.
The first aspect that leads to a remarkable mental issue is discrimination in the working environment.
The situation occurs when an employee suspects of the less supported interaction within a company,
as well as benefits and level advancement ignorance. Workplace discrimination has a substantial
impact on both physical and mental health, including increased rates of depression, and anxiety and
further leads to serious physical health issues such as heart disease and hypertension. An article by
Fenton M.K. (2022) shows that 61% of employees in America proclaim that they have witnessed
workplace discrimination. There are many types of discrimination, the most common case is
retaliation which is reported in 55,8% of cases in the US followed by disability, race and age
discrimination (Fenton, 2022).
Another aspect that should be considered is excessive workloads. Data has been shown by (JIO
HEALTH, 2023) that 73% of workers announced that the amount of assigned tasks is the main factor
that causes stress and burnout. The possible reason for this problem derives from the failure of
communication between the people within the organization. For example, clear communication
between the manager and staff would result in missed tasks or duplicated efforts. Therefore without
straightforward transmission, the business needs to face an increased rate of stress and burnout. In
2019, 94% of employees in the United States reported suffering from stress at work resulting in
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burnout and depression (Harris, 2023). Although the average of full-time American employees is 49
hours a week, the statistic indicates that 40% get off work later than intended and 70% are working
at the weekends (Harris, 2023). Without further tackling, the issues would lead to sleeping disorders
and concentrating ability which will drive the reduction of productivity and business cash flows.
Additionally, mental health risks also arise from job insecurity due to financial concerns and limited
opportunities for career advancements (An et al., 2023). The article also mentioned that the
disappearance of potential benefits or level advancement would increase anxiety rate and loss of
organizational commitment. Moreover, uncertainty comes from organizational failure, and
bankruptcy further fosters employee intimidation, induces work stress and a higher turnover rate (An
et al., 2023). Job insecurity leads to declining business income as employees with mental health
issues perform ineffectively. In consequence, the problems resulting in increasing healthcare costs
and decreasing in business profits affect the companies critically.
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Possible solutions:
Besides the detrimental causes of the problems, there are several solutions that would be effective for
organizations to consult.
Firstly, the company should implement stricter policies and legal rights protections against
workplace discrimination. Every employee should be provided with a copy of the policy on
discrimination and a note of acknowledgement that the employees are able to comprehend (Admin,
2023). Besides, the company should indicate a broad range of acts of discrimination with a resolve
section to handle the problem. Moreover, education also plays a vital role in eliminating
discrimination in the workplace as the company managers hold anti-discrimination training regularly
to prevent discrimination. By ensuring that employees fully understand the problems, it is also able
to report any allegation to resolve the problems proactively (Admin, 2023).
Moreover, promoting open conversation at work would be a proficient way to address mental health
problems. James Humes aptly stated, “The art of communication is the language of leadership”.
Therefore open conversation would enable employees to relieve their stress and anxiety along with
being capable of reducing the job insecurity that further enhances the productivity and relationship of
the business. To illustrate, a recent report conducted by Harris Poll shows that 72% of business
leaders deem highly that communication has fostered their company’s productivity (Pumble, 2022).
Lastly, from the employee's perspective, a balanced life-cycle was an initial term for problem
resolution. The workers must ensure that leisure time is separate from working time and organize
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their tasks systematically. For example, the employees should note down three significant things or
the most time-consuming tasks that they need to perform, and identify the productive time to work
on the hardest tasks (Harris, 2023). Working must be set aside for self-care to guarantee the balance
between health concerns and life activities. Once effectively balancing the work-life cycle,
businesses would be able to minimize the presenteeism and absenteeism rate, concurrently decrease
healthcare and operating costs.
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Conclusion:
In conclusion, mental health issues result in absenteeism and presenteeism and further severe
consequences, which adversely affect business performance. The problems caused by workplace
discrimination, workload excession and job insecurity, leading employees to undergo depression and
anxiety which leads to productivity reduction and increased cost. Therefore, the company must
enhance robust policy aligned with a proficient mental health supervisor to address the problem.
Additionally, a balanced work-life experience should not be omitted to enhance the overall
workplace performance.
A major limitation of this research is the shortage of the most recent statistics and a comprehensive
view of all affected industries. Therefore, further reports should adapt both primary and secondary
data appropriately with recent studies to provide nuanced information about mental health issues and
possible cases of resolution.
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References:
CDC. (2023, April 25). Learn about mental health - mental health - CDC. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention.
https://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/learn/index.htm#:~:text=Mental%20health%20includes%20o
ur%20emotional
TUOI TRE, O. (2023, November 30). 42% người lao động việt nam thường xuyên gặp căng thẳng.
TUOI TRE ONLINE.
https://tuoitre.vn/42-nguoi-lao-dong-viet-nam-thuong-xuyen-gap-cang-thang-2023113017101
1879.htm
Life and Progress. (2023, May 15). Mental health awareness week: Theme, dates, and how to get
involved. Https://Www.lifeandprogress.co.uk/.
https://www.lifeandprogress.co.uk/latest-news/mental-health-awareness-week-2023-essential-inf
o-for-hr/
Aid, A. W. F. (2022, July 25). The reality of mental health in the workplace. Australia Wide First Aid.
https://www.australiawidefirstaid.com.au/resources/mental-health-and-workplace
Fenton, M. K. (2022, July 18). Employment discrimination statistics in 2022. Wenzel Fenton Cabassa,
P.A.
https://www.wenzelfenton.com/blog/2022/07/18/employment-discrimination-statistics-employee
s-need-to-know/
JIO HEALTH. (2023, March 13). JioHealth - phòng khám đa khoa cao cấp, chất lượng cho cả gia đình.
Jiohealth.com. https://jiohealth.com/tin-tuc/bao-cao-suc-khoe-nguoi-lao-dong-nam-2023
Harris, H. (2023, March 3). Overworking: The effects on mental health | nivati. Www.nivati.com.
https://www.nivati.com/blog/overworking-the-effects-on-mental-health?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZ
W0CMTAAAR1zCVohGGX28KxFl0IQE3F_sW5i_2Ohcv_jAoCBtEZRtUCbtEkPPBGwUyw_
aem_qPJghb1jzP3SoXLDKYoUyA#:~:text=Overworking%20and%20its%20Effects%20on
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An, H., Gu, X., Bojan Obrenovic, & Danijela Godinic. (2023). The role of job insecurity, social media
exposure, and job stress in predicting anxiety among white-collar employees. Psychology
Research and Behavior Management, Volume 16, 3303–3318.
https://doi.org/10.2147/prbm.s416100
Admin. (2023, January 18). How can an employer prevent discrimination in the workplace? | HR team
ireland. HR Team.
https://hrteamservices.com/how-can-an-employer-prevent-discrimination-in-the-workplace/
Pumble. (2022). Workplace communication statistics (2022). Pumble.
https://pumble.com/learn/communication/communication-statistics/
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