May 2015 Employee Wellness Communication

EWC NO 64

Mental Illness Awareness Month

July 2015

July is Psychosocial Disability Awareness month

According to Statistics South Africa, employee absenteeism costs the South African economy between R12 billion and 16 billion annually, a large portion of which can be attributed to workplace stress, burn-out

and employee ill health. Recently, a

study by Bloomberg ranked South

Africa as the second most stressed

nation on the planet.

FIVE WAYS COMPANIES CAN HELP

1. Educate employees on depression and especially how cognitive symptoms can affect work performance.

2. Raise awareness of any existing employee assistance programmes AND emphasise that they can help with mental health problems, like depression, too.

3. Promote a culture of acceptance around depression and other psychiatric disorders – they are no different to diabetes or asthma.

4. If an employee shares their struggle with depression, refer them to a mental healthcare professional and reassure them the illness can be treated.

5. Explore creative ways to support an employee’s recovery, like flexible/adjusted working hours or working from home for a while.

Alan Brand POSITIVELY ALIVE cc Employee Wellness Consultant and Specialist Trainer Mobile: +27 (82) 453-0560 Direct Line: +27 (11) 482-5605 Fax to mail: 086 245 6833 E-mail: albrand@iafrica.com Website: www.positivelyalive.co.za

Visit the South African Federation for Mental Health for more info at www.safmh.org.za

Or The South African Depression and Anxiety Group at http://www.sadag.org/ Emergency Number: Dr Reddy's Help Line 0800 21 22 23