Stress and mental illness are the cause of escalating problems
in Australian workplaces for the victims, organisations and their
stakeholders, and those who are paid to manage them.
Long hours and poorly designed systems of work are taking a toll
at all levels. A recent set of data published by the ABS showed
that 56% of managers worked, on average, more than 50 hours per
work. Concurrently the level of accrued leave entitlements continues
to rise. This latter trend requires businesses carrying over accumulated
and inflating liabilities from one trading period in the future
whilst experiencing a loss of operational effectiveness due to jaded
or burnt-out operatives.
A NEW DIMENSION
Evidence is emerging that excessive workloads and long and irregular
hours of work are contributing to an increasing number of suicides,
to the extent that workplace legal practioners are predicting wave
of prosecutions against employers for literally working employees
to death.
Recent amendments to WorkCover legislation in NSW point to jail
terms as possible outcomes in cases where it is proven that principals
in firms do not honour their duty of care to provide a safe workplace
for all employees.
NATURE OF THE PROBLEM
Work organisation – the how, when, where and to what expectation
work is preformed, leads to a phenomenon known as "organisation
stress".
Well-managed stress can lead to positive outcomes for the individual
and the organisation, (e.g. higher rewards and greater productivity).
Unfortunately, and all too frequently, stress and stressors are
present in the workplace and aren't either recognised or dealt with
in a constructive and humane manner.
Those who suffer from stress are far more likely to indulge in
destructive behaviour. In some cases this can start a vicious cycle
of decreasing confidence leading to more serious emotional problems
such as depression, accompanied by increased and excessive use of
drugs and alcohol, and ultimately to major physical health problems.
THE COSTS
Measured in human, societal or organisational terms, the costs of
dysfunctional organisational stress and associated depression are
staggering.
Depression alone is estimated in economic terms to:
- Reduce workplace performance by 40%
- Contribute to the loss of 6 million working days annually
- Constitute 5.8% of workers compensation claims made in 2003,
with an average time off of 96.1 days, compared with 28.9 days
for other claims.
In organisational terms depression and associated stress related
issues may lead to:
- Low quality service, with increased incidents of complaints
received and customers lost
- High staff turnover, with inherent costs associated with staff
selection and training
- Loss of reputation and confidence with clients and or 'quality'
candidates
- Workplace conflict, with the inherent loss of time and cost
of resources spent in resolving workplace issues.
With one in five of the population suffering depression, from
the human perspective the costs are invariably more substantial,
for whilst work performance may suffer, depression takes its toll
on family and friends first.
ADDRESSING THE PROBLEM
The first step in putting in place effective strategies to combat
the problem of organisational stress and its attendant psychological
or psychiatric ailments, is to recognise that tis exists and acknowledge
the potential damage it can do to your business.
Depending upon the size, nature of the enterprise, and the level
of resources available, initiatives aimed at achieving the necessary
long-term cultural change in the workplace need to include:
- Active systems implemented to manage workload and hours of
work effectively to minimise stress, including ensuring that leave
is taken when it falls due, and removing policies/procedures that
discourage employees taking leave to attend to personal or family
related health matters.
- Ensuring a close fit between the organisation's needs and those
of the workforce by having in place the most appropriate Workplace
Relations arrangements.
- Regular monitoring of individual's work performance particularly
in relation to key indicators, such as timely completion of assigned
tasks, absenteeism and punctuality.
- Provision of ongoing, appropriate and adequate training to all
levels of management that will equip individuals with supervisory
responsibilities with the necessary skills for the identification
of the symptoms associated with stress and or depression. This
will enable early and possible more effective intervention to
support the sufferer, with the objective of assisting the employee's
return to normal work performance.
Other, more interventionist strategies could go to:
- Providing free, confidential counselling for employees with
personal problems
- Providing access to sports facilities and or flexible work
arrangements (e.g. extended mid-work period breaks) to encourage
participation in organised sports or recreations aimed at promoting
the healthy and fitness of employees.
- Making available programmes to help employees stop smoking,
drinking or drug usage, including regular and free health checks.
- Provision of quality in-house catering facilities offering
improved dietary options, available at all times when the workplace
is in regular operation.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Organisational stress arises over time as a business grows and
evolves, and therefore can be insidious and pervasive in eroding
work performance.
As depression is a treatable condition early diagnosis and treatment
can be more cost effective than recruitment of new candidates, particularly
for key roles.
Failure to deal with the issue of organisational stress and the
associated mental health issues, such as depression, in a humane
and empathetic manner could ultimately lead to a costly and highly
incidence of workplace legislation. |
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