Mental Health and Well-Being of Workers

24 October 2012 13th National Occupational Safety and Health Congress OSHC Complex, Diliman, Quezon City

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Workers health, safety and well-being

The issue extends even further beyond individuals and their families and is of paramount importance to the productivity, competitiveness and sustainability of enterprises, communities, and to national and regional economies.

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Global Health Burden

About two million people die each year as a result of occupational accidents and work-related illnesses or injuries Another 268 million non-fatal workplace accidents result in an average of three lost workdays per casualty, as well as 160 million new cases of workrelated illness each year

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Why develop a healthy workplace initiative?

It is the right thing to do: business ethics. It is the smart thing to do: the business case.

It is the legal thing to do: the legal case.

Companies that promote and protect workers' health are among the most successful and competitive, and also enjoy better rates of employee retention. Businesses that fail to provide healthy work environments may become involved in costly litigation under national or international labour laws

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Work and Mental Wellbeing

Work has an important role in promoting mental wellbeing. It is a determinant of self-esteem and identity Work can provide a sense of fulfilment and opportunities for social interaction Work can also have negative effects on mental health, particularly in the form of stress.

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Causes of stress at work

high demands and low control; lack of control and poor decision-making latitude low social support imbalance between effort and reward monotony and unpleasant tasks poor communication and information; unclear or ambiguous instructions and role, unclear organizational and personal goals lack of participation emotionally distressing human services work such as health care or teaching job insecurity; time pressure bullying, harassment and violence; and organizational change).
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Mental Health: an important workplace issue

Globally, mental disorders are leading causes of disability. In some high-income countries, as much as 40% of disability can be attributed to mental disorders. The productivity of individuals with unsupported mental health needs may decline while at work: presenteeism. presenteeism Mental health problems can affect work performance in terms of increase in error rates, poor decision-making, loss of motivation and commitment, tension and conflicts between colleagues. Burnout and depression as well as stress-related physical conditions such as high blood pressure, sleeping disorders and low resistance to infections can result in an increase in overall sickness absence.
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Mental Health: an important workplace issue

Mental health problems in the workplace have serious effects also for the productivity and competitiveness of businesses and thus the economy and society as a whole. Employees mental health status affects employees performance and rates of illness, absenteeism and staff turnover. Sickness absenteeism can lead to substantial productivity losses. Early retirement and exclusion from the labour force due to work-related stress and mental health problems account for an enormous share of long-term social welfare benefits.
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Costs of Mental ill-health

The costs of mental ill-health for the individuals concerned, employers and society at large are enormous. A conservative estimate from the ILOput them at 3-4% of gross domestic product in the European Union. (OECD, 2011) In the United Kingdom, the total cost to employers of mental health problems among their staff is estimated to be nearly 26 billion each year, equivalent to 1035 for every employee in the workforce. The business costs comprise 8.4 billion per year in sickness absence, 15.1 billion per year due to reduced productivity at work and 2.4 billon per year in replacing personnel who leave their jobs because of mental ill health (Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health, 2007).
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Stigma and Social Exclusion

Mental disorders affect individuals and their employment much beyond the economic issues. People with mental disorders face stigmatization, social exclusion and barriers in obtaining equal opportunities at all levels of life. Finding a job in the open labour market, returning to work or retaining a job after sickness absence due to mental health problems is often a double challenge because of the stigma attached to the label mental. People with mental health problems have twice the risk of losing their jobs and are disproportionately out of work.
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Promoting mental health, preventing mental disorders

Work increases self-esteem and the quality of life. Providing a healthy and inclusive working environment can prevent mental health problems and enhance opportunities to enter, remain at or return to work when experiencing such problems.

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Strategies to improve the health and well-being of people at work

can be achieved through a combination of: improving the organization of work and the working environment; promoting active participation; and encouraging personal development.

-(Luxembourg Declaration on Workplace Health Promotion in the European Union )

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Good practices in the workplace

Linking workplace health with relevant enterprise policies and ensure that it becomes part of daily practice (integration); Involving the employees in planning, implementing and evaluating workplace health action (participation); Seeking to improve the quality of working life and conditions and focus on the behavior of the individual employee (a balanced approach); and Ensuring that any action is based on an analysis of the health requirements and needs of the various stakeholders within enterprises and is part of continual improvement (needbased). .
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Good practices in mental health promotion

Individual level: for example, improving coping skills to prevent stress and burnout and empowerment to be able to manage transition periods and interpersonal relationships; Social environment: creating social supportive structures (corporate culture) and developing policies against bullying and moral harassment; and Working conditions: for example, reducing risk factors, the design of workplaces and the organization of work, including supportive structures for women combining work and child care.
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Common workplace Interventions

(1) Skills trainingbroadly defined knowledge about stress and coping, training of mostly social skills such as stress and occupational stress management, problem-solving, communication and cognitive skills; (2) Improvement of occupational qualifications job-specific knowledge and skills; (3) Working conditions improvementmodification of external workplace characteristics such as working time, work organization, schedule and strategies or employeeemployer relationships; (4) Relaxationphysiological aspects of occupational functioning and coping with stress, e.g. progressive muscle relaxation; (5) Physical exercisehealth and physical fitness enhancement by various sports disciplines, e.g. swimming, walking, aerobic;
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 Prevention of mental disorders and promotion of mental health in the workplace can be achieved not only by providing working conditions conducive to health but also by promoting suitable individual behaviour, in particular, enhancing personal resources for coping with daily stressors. At the focal point of all efforts must be a culture of trust and appreciation, as well as involvement and personal responsibility. Mental health promotion initiatives make it possible for men and women to successfully cope with stress factors, to remain healthy and, at the same time, contribute to the social and economic development of their societies. - EU Thematic Conference, Promoting mental health
and well-being in workplaces, March 2011, Berlin

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