Stress Management And Mental Health

In recent years more and more attention has been focused on the health and welfare of employees within companies of all sizes yet it is only very recently that businesses have began to address the mental health issues faced by staff.

The Confederation of British Industry conducted a survey on the issue in which 90 per cent of correspondents agreed that employees’ mental health in the workplace should be of concern to companies, but less than a tenth of them had formulated a mental health policy.

With more and more the workforce spending an increasing amount of their time at their places of work, the state of their mental health is becoming ever more important. This alone should ensure that stress management and mental health in the workplace is as equally as important as other employee health and safety issues. Indeed, it could be argued that stress management and mental health issues should be of paramount importance.

On a positive note, an increasing number of employers are becoming more aware of stress and mental health issues in the workplace and are lending their encouragement to management and staff attending stress management and mental health in the workplace courses.

Mental health awareness courses are of great benefit to workers. It makes them aware of stress and gives them the skills to deal with it. It also enables them to recognise signs of work related stress when it appears in colleagues.

These courses on mental health and stress in the workplace are also crucial for companies themselves. The effects of stressed out employees can have a detrimental affect on productivity and that leads to a fall in profits. Stress can also lead to other problems in the workforce, including absenteeism. Allowing employees to attend mental health in the workplace courses will help those already struggling with stress to deal with it, and allow others to guard against its effects and deal with it should it occur.

Perhaps the biggest benefit in allowing management and staff to attend a mental health training course is the knowledge that they will gain from being able to understand what stress is and where it comes from.