Tasmanian School of Business and Economics
Developing capabilities for
managing employee mental
health in the workplace
Module 1:
Introduction &
background
Learning Objectives:
• Define and explain mental health and mental
illness
• Examine the prevalence of mental health issues in
the Australian workplace
• Consider the legal and ethical obligations
managers have to deal with mental health issues
in the workplace
• Identify the symptoms of depression and anxiety
Ground Rules and Expectations
• Discussions about mental health conditions and situations
involving workplace mental health may be sensitive for
some participants
• Any participant who feels distressed as a result of
discussing mental health issues is encouraged to speak
with the facilitator
• During today’s discussions people may choose to disclose
experiences of workplace mental health – we ask that you
don’t mention employers or employees by name
• Please respect the confidentiality of discussions arising
from this workshop.
Reflective / Discussion Questions
• Define the term ‘mental health’ in your own words.
• Do you think there are any reasons
managers/organisations should be concerned with
employee mental health?
• Do you think there are any reasons
managers/organisations should not be concerned with
employee mental health?
• Would you have any areas of concern related to managing
an employee who has a mental health issue?
What is Mental Health?
Mental health is defined as:
• “a positive sense of well-being;
• Individual resources including self-esteem, optimism, and sense of mastery and
coherence; and
• the ability to initiate, develop and sustain mutually satisfying personal relationships;
and the ability to cope with adversity (resilience).”
(Mental Health First Aid, England, 2013 p 3)
Mental illness is a health issue which can significantly influence how people feel,
think and behave. The term ‘mental illness’ is commonly used to refer to
diagnosable conditions such as:
• mood disorders (e.g depression, bipolar disorder)
• anxiety disorders (e.g post traumatic stress disorder, social phobia)
• psychotic disorders (e.g. schizophrenia).
(Australian Human Rights Commission 2010 p 7)
Common Mental Health Conditions
• Depression - persistent, severe mood change & negative
feelings.
• Symptoms can include:
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Low energy
Loss of interest in things that would normally be enjoyable
Loss of confidence
Feelings of hopelessness
Difficulty concentrating
Changes in sleep & appetite
• Observable symptoms include:
• Socially withdrawn, less productive, indecisive, poor concentration, low
mood, reduced motivation, tiredness, reduced confidence.
Common Mental Health Conditions
• Anxiety - excessive and unrealistic feelings of worry and/or
dread.
• Symptoms can include:
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Feeling ‘keyed up’ or on edge
Increased worry
Poor sleep/difficulty relaxing
Headaches/Neck Aches
Trembling, dizzy spells
Irritable
• Anxiety and depression commonly occur together and are
associated with increased substance abuse
• Effective treatments are available for anxiety and depression
Tasmanian School of Business and Economics
Mental health in the workplace
•
1 in 4 adults have a diagnosable mental health condition
•
50% do not seek professional help
•
Reduced motivation, concentration, decision making
capacity, impaired interpersonal functioning = poor work
performance
•
Depression is the leading cause of disability
•
Organisational cost = $48.9 billion AUD p.a.
(beyondblue; http://www.beyondblue.org.au/resources/in-the-workplace/fororganisations-and-businesses/the-business-case-for-taking-action)
Mental Health in the Workplace
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Recent Australian studies indicate:
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68% managers have worked with or managed an employee with a
mental health condition (Shann et al., 2014)
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BUT only 25% managers receive training about MH in the workplace
(Martin, 2010)
Managers need both conceptual and procedural knowledge
to respond effectively to employee mental health issues
(Martin et al, 2014)
•
Legal/ethical obligations: “the employer is not expected to be
a diagnostician [however] the situation [should not be made]
worse by clumsy and inappropriate actions or intrusive
inquiries.” (Shain, 2010; p.10
Mental Health and Corporate Social
Responsibility
•Mental health problems are the result of a complex interplay between
biological, psychological, social and environmental factors. There is
increasing evidence that both the content and context of work can play a role
in the development of mental health problems in the workplace.
Organisational strategies needed to address this include:
•increasing employee awareness of mental health issues;
•supporting employees at risk;
•providing treatment for employees with a mental health problem;
•changing the organization of work
•reintegrating employees with a mental health problem into the workplace.
References/Readings
Australian Human Rights Commission. 2010. Workers with Mental Illness: a Practical
Guide for Managers.
Mental Health First Aid England. 2013. Line Managers’ resource. London: Mental
Health First Aid England.
Shain, M. (2010). Tracking the perfect legal storm: Converging systems create
mounting pressure to create the psychologically safe workplace. Calgary, CA,
Mental Health Commission of Canada. Retrieved 1 August 2013 from
http://www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/English/node/506
Health and Safety Executive (2007). Line Managers’ Resource: A practical guide to
managing and supporting people with mental health problems in the workplace.
World Health Organisation (2005). Mental health policies and programmes in the
workplace. Mental Health Policy and Service: Geneva.
References/Readings
Martin, A. (2010), ‘Individual and contextual correlates of managers’attitudes towards
depressed employees,’ Human Resource Management, 49, 647-668.
Martin, A., Woods, M. & Dawkins, S. (2014). Managing employees with mental health
issues: Identification of conceptual and procedural knowledge for development
within management education curricula. Academy of Management Learning and
Education. Published online before print January 8, 2014, doi:
10.5465/amle.2012.0287
Shann, C., Martin, A. and Chester, A. (2014), ‘Improving Workplace Mental Health: A
Training Needs Analysis to Inform beyondblue’s Online Resource for Leaders,’
Asia Pacific Journal of HRM. Do: 10.1111/1744-7941.12032
LaMontagne, A. D, Martin, A., Page, K., Reavley, N. J., Noblet, A. J., Milner, A. J.,
Keegel, T. & Smith, P. M. (2014). Workplace mental health: Developing an
integrated intervention approach. BMC Psychiatry. In press..
More Information & Resources
• Lifeline crisis support https://www.lifeline.org.au
• Beyondblue
• Depression support and information
•
E-learning programs to aid awareness of common mental health disorders,
early intervention and prevention specifically designed for workplace settings
www.beyondblue.org.au
• Australian Human Rights Commission - 1300 656 419
Information related to Federal legislation on human rights, anti-discrimination,
social justice and privacy
humanrights.gov.au
• Job Access – 1800 464 800
Information for coworkers, employees and employers on how to assist
people with disabilities to obtain or maintain employment
jobaccess.gov.au
• Safe Work Australia
Leads the development of national policy to improve work health and
safety and workers’ compensation arrangements
www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au
• Work Cover
– please add the details for your state’s Work Cover office
• Work Place Standards
– please add the details for your state’s Work Place Standards office
• Fair Work Act
- please add the link to your state’s Fair Work Act
• Anti-Discrimination Act
- please add the link to your state’s Anti-Discrimination Act