The accelerated pace of work due to expanding technology can feed stress and anxiety in the workplace, but depression is a different animal. It’s a clinical diagnosis “with specific criteria, which severely impact a person’s ability to function.” It can thwart an employees’ ability to concentrate, be effective and stay healthy enough to hold down a job.

Workplace Communication

Getting messages across to employees that help is available, is the first step. Such communication is a crucial part of workplace culture in a competitive global marketplace, says Fran Melmed of Context Communication Consulting. She specializes in workplace health communications, and is well aware of the challenge.

“If you look at the stressors employees face, downsizings, job insecurity, economic insecurity, doing more with less, doing jobs we’re not fully trained for, etc.; emotional well-being doesn’t get the necessary attention it needs,” says Melmed.

Melmed says when depression or another emotional stress comes knocking at the door, employees might be unaware that the company offers professional and confidential counseling service.

“Building employees’ capability to make smart, healthy choices about their health and healthcare can only be accomplished by committing to on-going health communications,” says Melmed.

And on-going communications means implementing year-round strategies to help employees handle mental health, beyond the typical annual healthcare coverage review. With the “new normal” of an unsustainable pace in a global marketplace, Clare Miller, Director of the Partnership for Workplace Mental Health says, “there seems to be more openness to addressing stress and depression.”

Miller says there are two important fundamental reasons for companies for look at depression,”First and foremost is the human impact of this serious illness. Second is the huge financial impact of untreated (or poorly treated) depression.”

Due to the stigma of seeking help, Miller adds that it behooves companies to encourage help-seeking behavior. When workers finally seek help, she says, it’s generally in the eleventh hour, after a decade or more of delays.

Is employee depression on the radar of big business? Should it be?





http://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2012/10/23/tackling-depression-at-work-as-a-productivity-strategy/

mukina2 I see you're depressed..
just take it easy, life no get part 2.

Make I go eat eba for buka 1st am comin back 2 comment.

When the inner strength is lacking i.e God strength then depression will take over.

Darn! I'm so depressed that I wanna blow up my damned shrine

employees might be unaware that the company offers professional and confidential counseling service.

In Nigeria, this part is debatable. Someone will ask, does my company really do this? Not a lot of companies even care about your mental being - the interest is in meeting targets!