Training & Development


“


Organisations that invest in ensuring employees feel included and part of the organisation they belong to reduce feelings of isolation, stress and separation which are often associated with poor mental health and depression at work


more people are experiencing stress at work would be a useful starting point. Determining what is and what isn’t working currently in terms of, for example, Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs), feedback about work pressures to line managers, absenteeism rates and stress related sickness levels allows for the amendment and introduction of policies appropriate to the organisation.


Having a mental health policy is something that demonstrates an employer’s commitment to taking care of employees that work within the organisation. Such an initiative shows that the organisation recognises and accepts that mental health is an important issue and emphasises the organisation’s commitment to promoting the mental health of its workforce. A focus on raising employee engagement levels is one that research shows to have a powerful impact on wellbeing and motivation at work.


Organisations that invest in ensuring employees feel included and part of the organisation they belong to, reduce feelings of isolation, stress and separation which are often associated with poor mental health and depression at work.


Management Training and Development


Employee education, about depression and its treatment, needs to be included in the training plan of the organisation, with the starting point of effective stress and


142 I PC AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2014


depression prevention practices at work being good people management. Employees must learn to self identify depressive symptoms.


By recognising symptoms within the


individual’s own performance early, and by educating staff as to the supports provided by the organisation, problems are less likely to escalate further. Up skilling managers to identify stress and anxiety among their teams, and to intervene when needed in order to prevent the situation getting worse, is one of the most effective ways of supporting people at work and ensuring staff feel engaged, cared for and motivated to continue to perform to their maximum capabilities.


Training managers and supervisors to identify the symptoms and recognise when intervention is necessary is a vital first step. Several researchers have shown that organisations that train their managers to avoid the following practices are likely to reduce the instances of depression among the workforce:


- Setting short work deadlines that are not realistic


- Giving staff complex work responsibilities, but no decision making authority


- Giving staff routine and monotonous jobs only


- Poor management practices where managers are seen to be unfair or non supportive of staff


- Failing to give praise and recognition to staff


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144  |  Page 145  |  Page 146  |  Page 147  |  Page 148  |  Page 149  |  Page 150  |  Page 151  |  Page 152  |  Page 153  |  Page 154  |  Page 155  |  Page 156  |  Page 157  |  Page 158  |  Page 159  |  Page 160  |  Page 161  |  Page 162  |  Page 163  |  Page 164