Why mental wellness matters in the workplace

Many employers either do not care about the psychological welfare of their workers, or are ignorant of their workers’ and (their own) need for psychological services.

A recent study has revealed that many middle and top-level organisations in Kenya, including Government departments and agencies, are populated by workers who are suffering unattended from a wide range of mental illnesses, including depression, stress, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and anger.

Research has also shown that these health problems cause more days of work loss and work impairment than many other chronic conditions, like diabetes, asthma and arthritis.

Further, there is evidence that lower worker-counsellor ratios decrease both the recurrence of absenteeism and the number of workers involved in a disciplinary incident.

Job engagement

Mental health and psychological services are essential for workers to perform optimally, and such services should be considered mainstream, not optional. Preventive counselling occurring before workers are in crisis reduces the risk of employees slowing down a business.

Workers in organisations that have in place a sound employee assistance programme show better appreciation of their organisation, significant understanding of career possibilities, more future orientation, increased job engagement and greater self-efficacy than their counterparts that don’t enjoy this essential programme.

Not many people in Kenya appreciate the role of professional counsellors in helping heal various mental maladies. This is because services typically provided by counsellors are already delivered by other established mental health providers, such as psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, teachers, clergy, family members and friends.

What’s more, counselling is subsumed under other mental health systems and is not an independent profession. There is a sense in which everyone giving advice deems himself or herself a counsellor, which is partly why professional counselling hasn’t made much impact locally.

The absence of a viable counselling association similar to the Singapore Association for Counselling, American Counseling Association or Canadian Professional Counsellors Association is another serious drawback.

National standards

A strong counselling association would help establish umbrella organisations, national standards for training and accreditation, and the development of an ethics code. There is a world of difference between everyday untrained counsellors and those trained in various counselling techniques.

Properly trained counsellors can play an important role in preventing problem behaviours from developing, identifying and serving at-risk populations and reducing the deadly effects of work-related and non-work-related stresses on others.

Workplace employer assistance programmes provide brief psychological therapy for employees, with the expenses catered for by the employer. During such counselling sessions, troubled workers are helped by professional counsellors or therapists to confront confusing, painful and humiliating situations in the workplace and in their own lives.

Such programmes also provide legal advice, telephone help lines and critical incidence debriefings.

Its benefits to the employer include reducing sick days, acting as an alternative conflict-resolution mechanism, reducing the pressure on managers of dealing with difficult staff, and earning the firm the reputation of being worker-friendly.