Does your employer care about your mental health or should they.

CalamariFritti

My employer as a multinational corporate entity probably cares mostly about liability and risk as far as my sanity or stress levels are concerned. The actual people working in HR probably care a little more. I've heard of colleagues in difficult life situations who were accommodated if not supported and treated very fairly overall.

Which is nice.

Permabear

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bucketybuck

Permabear wrote: »

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Careful now, he used to be an American Libertarian. :pac:

Permabear

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Elements of truth in what Simon Sinek says about leadership whether you agree or not. As Sinek suggests, organisations should show greater leadership and they will be rewarded by their employees when they do. Sadly in reality they often dont and are corrupted by power

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmyZMtPVodo

branie2

They really should care

ressem

The circle of nearby management & other employees would be concerned, at about the same level of empathy that we might hold for a fellow regular passenger on the train that seems to be suffering.
Call it self-protective cowardice but we wouldn't know how to treat and approach the issue, aside from giving space and time. That shouldn't be surprising as family and friends often feel the same paralysis / fear of making things worse.

After that, managers have to look after the company stability.
What approach should they take? Ask the employee to visit the company's choice of doctor, as they might for a physical injury?

What is an employer to do if an employee turns out to have mild autism or borderline personality disorder that won't just go away with a few weeks rest? (which in some cases will be spent in isolation and self-recrimination by the employee )

OldMrBrennan83

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Irish Guitarist

My employer doesn't care about my mental health. I work in a factory that makes those "you don't have to be crazy to work here but it helps" signs.

Tell me how

Patww79 wrote: »

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This is fast becoming a marginal viewpoint and rightly so if you ask me.

More and more studies are showing that a happy worker is a vastly more productive worker, in every sense. It's in employers interest to care about their employees from a bottom line sense if not from an ethical one.

OldMrBrennan83

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Do they? Yes, to the extent it affects your performance.

Should they? Yes, but I wouldn't have massive expectations from them on it.

Tell me how

Tell me how wrote: »

This is fast becoming a marginal viewpoint and rightly so if you ask me.

More and more studies are showing that a happy worker is a vastly more productive worker, in every sense. It's in employers interest to care about their employees from a bottom line sense if not from an ethical one.

I don't see employee happiness as being the employer's responsibility. There are too many variables there

bucketybuck

Tell me how wrote: »

It's in employers interest to care about their employees from a bottom line sense if not from an ethical one.

But some people think companies should care just for those ethical reasons, that independent of productivity the company should be responsible for mental health like some sort of benevolent parent.

Its already accepted that happy employees are better employees, there is no discussion there.

Deleted User

Deleted User wrote: »

I don't see employee happiness as being the employer's responsibility. There are too many variables there

Well it affects productivity if the employee is unhappy and unhappiness is not something we choose

Wanderer2010

Im surprised bullying hasn't been mentioned more. If a company has a bullying culture and people end up leaving over it, then that's 100% proof that they couldn't care less about your mental health. In general, I agree with the mindset that your employer isn't your mother or your therapist- you come in, do your job well, change if you are doing it wrong and then get paid. Simples. But if you are under severe stress and you tell your employer about it only to get brushed off, you really should look elsewhere for a more reasonable employer.

Companies exist for profit nothing else. You might be lucky and get a boss who has some humanity and doesn't expect their workers to be unfeeling robots and will give you time off for health issues, family emergencies etc but its the luck of the draw who you end up with.

[Deleted User]

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Well it affects productivity if the employee is unhappy and unhappiness is not something we choose

'Unhappiness' is a vague construct, so this whole topic is difficult. I would suggest that even unhappy employees should be productive (it's called leaving your problems at home and being professional).

If your problems are work related rather than personal (of course these areas can blur), then get out of the job

Stacksofwacks

Yes i think responsible companys/employers should care about their employees mental health and general health. Many large companies will have avenues whereby a person with health/mental health issues can go and talk about problems they may be experience in their lives and some do offer to send their employees to see a therapist if needs be, if depression etc.

Deleted User

Deleted User wrote: »

'Unhappiness' is a vague construct, so this whole topic is difficult. I would suggest that even unhappy employees should be productive (it's called leaving your problems at home and being professional).

If your problems are work related rather than personal (of course these areas can blur), then get out of the job

God if only life was as simple as you describe. How do you just get out of a job when there is a severe shortage?
You can be unhappy and still work your a*se off. The fact of the matter is that companies will fill you with this 'our people are our biggest asset' blurb but in many cases this rhetoric is horse shít

[Deleted User]

[Deleted User] wrote: »

God if only life was as simple as you describe. How do you just get out of a job when there is a severe shortage?
You can be unhappy and still work your a*se off. The fact of the matter is that companies will fill you with this 'our people are our biggest asset' blurb but in many cases this rhetoric is horse shít

Life is not simple, but that approach has worked for me all my career.

Of course it's rhetorical horse ****, who doesn't know that. Instead of moaning about insincere companies, get educated, play the game, and don't be moaning on boards that the 'man' doesn't care.

Professor Moriarty

Deleted User wrote: »

Life is not simple, but that approach has worked for me all my career.

Of course it's rhetorical horse ****, who doesn't know that. Instead of moaning about insincere companies, get educated, play the game, and don't be moaning on boards that the 'man' doesn't care.

Hmmm. Not always rhetorical in my experience. I have know many companies who went the extra mile to take care of their employees. In many cases, they were repaid with loyalty and flexibility when needed. But often it was done just because it was deemed to be the right thing to do.

Every man for himself is not my kind of society but each to his own.

Stacksofwacks

Wanderer2010 wrote: »

Im surprised bullying hasn't been mentioned more. If a company has a bullying culture and people end up leaving over it, then that's 100% proof that they couldn't care less about your mental health. In general, I agree with the mindset that your employer isn't your mother or your therapist- you come in, do your job well, change if you are doing it wrong and then get paid. Simples. But if you are under severe stress and you tell your employer about it only to get brushed off, you really should look elsewhere for a more reasonable employer.

Companies exist for profit nothing else. You might be lucky and get a boss who has some humanity and doesn't expect their workers to be unfeeling robots and will give you time off for health issues, family emergencies etc but its the luck of the draw who you end up with.

Thing is at work is try not to take things personally. of course companies exist for profit, If your boss or co-worker is clearly bullying you then you need to have a talk with them or their superior or HR. If it dosent stop then you leave. If you have reported bullying and it was ignored, then you may have a legal case. If you were sacked for reporting bullying then you could have an unfair dismissal case.

Deleted User

Deleted User wrote: »

Life is not simple, but that approach has worked for me all my career.

Of course it's rhetorical horse ****, who doesn't know that. Instead of moaning about insincere companies, get educated, play the game, and don't be moaning on boards that the 'man' doesn't care.

Im not moaning, im given my opinion on the wider topic. The only way we will ever see a time where employers look after employees better is when there is an overall employment surplus across most or all sectors where employers have to start thinking about retention or go through the hassle of retraining continously

[Deleted User]

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Im not moaning, im given my opinion on the wider topic.

Sorry, I didn't mean you specifically

Professor Moriarty

Professor Moriarty wrote: »

Hmmm. Not always rhetorical in my experience. I have know many companies who went the extra mile to take care of their employees. In many cases, they were repaid with loyalty and flexibility when needed. But often it was done just because it was deemed to be the right thing to do.

Every man for himself is not my kind of society but each to his own.

Hmmm yourself. It's not every man for himself. Of course rely on friends, family, supportive colleagues etc. Just don't rely on your employer to take care of you

Chancer3001

they pay you money to do a job.

Stop expecting employers to look after your health either physical or mental.

That's not their concern

Professor Moriarty

Deleted User wrote: »

Hmmm yourself. It's not every man for himself. Of course rely on friends, family, supportive colleagues etc. Just don't rely on your employer to take care of you

So employers shouldn't give a damn about their employees' mental wellbeing. OK.

OldMrBrennan83

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DEFTLEFTHAND

My father is my employer, we don't really talk about my issues, he does love me but he's the stiff upper lip type.

I know that he does worry about succession issues, handing over the reins to a flakey son.

Professor Moriarty

Patww79 wrote: »

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I disagree. Thankfully, a large majority of employers also disagree.

OldMrBrennan83

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Professor Moriarty

Patww79 wrote: »

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Every employer you ever met doesn't give a damn about their emplyees' mental wellbeing? Very odd.

bucketybuck

Professor Moriarty wrote: »

I disagree. Thankfully, a large majority of employers also disagree.

No, they do not disagree. The vast majority of employers will look after their employees because it is good business practice and to increase productivity.

They do not do it because of altruism, or because it is inherently their problem.

bucketybuck

Professor Moriarty wrote: »

So employers shouldn't give a damn about their employees' mental wellbeing. OK.

Professor Moriarty wrote: »

Every employer you ever met doesn't give a damn about their emplyees' mental wellbeing? Very odd.

By the way, passive aggressive nonsense never convinced anybody yet.

Professor Moriarty

bucketybuck wrote: »

No, they do not disagree. The vast majority of employers will look after their employees because it is good business practice and to increase productivity.

They do not do it because of altruism, or because it is inherently their problem.

In my experience, it's been a mixture of both. Good business practice and concern for another person. Of course there are people who don't give a damn and just want to squeeze every last penny out of their employees without a thought for their welfare. Haven't met many though.

anewme

it's saddening, some of the replies on here show that there is still a stigma attached to mental illness in Ireland.

So, people should just shoulder on with stress and pressure and not burden their employer, even though job pressures may be causing or adding that stress?

An employer has a responsibility towards their employees to provide mentally safe place to work.

"It's ok not to be ok"

Tell me how

Patww79 wrote:

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You completely misunderstand the concept if you think being aware of mental health difficulties and impacts is molly coddling.

Professor Moriarty

bucketybuck wrote: »

By the way, passive aggressive nonsense never convinced anybody yet.

I don't think you know what passive aggressive means. It's just that I don't find your points about your personal experience to be very believable, that's all.

Tell me how

Deleted User wrote:

I don't see employee happiness as being the employer's responsibility. There are too many variables there

Nobody is saying it should be the responsibility of the employer, just that they are cognizant of the reality that their employees may be having difficulties and support them within reason.

Permabear

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Running Balance

Deleted User wrote:

We could learn alot from the quaker ran businesses who were very much about showing care toward the employee. I hear that Cadbury's had a reputation for excellence in the pre Kraft days

Cadburys , Frys, barclays all quaker business and why Cadburys built Bournville village.

They seen their social responsibility. But then they weren't answering to shareholders share price and dividends.

Also helped that they didn't seem to mind to use slaves on plantations for cocoa harvest..

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

Patww79 wrote: »

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Black and white views are very black and white... I didn't think such a small post could contain so much ignorance.

Employees well being is very important to businesses. A poor business wouldn't accept that view.

Explosive Lollipop wrote: »

It's ok not to be ok, it's not ok to expect an employer to manage employees personal neuroses.

Try telling a hedge fund manager that he is entitled to a "mentally safe place" to work. Some professions will cause deep stress and anxiety. If you can't accept that don't sign the contract.

Nobody is expecting employees to manage the employees personal neuroses. They can't, they are most likely not qualified to do so.

Anyway, the question is about caring for, not managing mental health. So please, less straw men, red herrings or what ever other logical fallacies you managed to squeeze into those few sentences.

OldMrBrennan83

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anewme

The times are changing and people are more and more speaking out about unacceptable workplace practices and not tolerating it.

This is relevant whether you are a hedge fund manager or a gardener cutting hedges.

Simon201

He asks if I'm mental sometimes


Does that mean he's concerned?

whiskeyman

These days, most large companies will play the tune that they care deeply about their employees wellbeing and mental health. It looks good and plays well into their HR policy.
In reality, they don't give a flying f*ck so long as you turn up and do your job.
The real key is if your management personally care for you or not.
I'm lucky that my line manager is a genuine friend and would tell me to go home if I wasn't feeling well, or has looked out for me when I needed it.
Its pointless if a company says it has lots of nice and fluffy wellbeing policies if the boss you work for is an arse...

Christy42

Patww79 wrote: »

They should if it effects work/profits. Outside that, nope. It's not their problem and paying someones wages in exchange for work does not make it their problem.

That is a stance companies can take but they should not suddenly be surprised if the employees are inefficient or jump ship at the earliest opportunity. I mean why should an employee care about a company aside fulfilling their side of the bargain if the company does not care about them?

Even if they don't have mental health issues employees will notice when a company does not give two iotas about its staff through this and other areas.

Then there is the fact that mental health is a societal problem that affects society as a whole. Companies add to this issue massively so I see no issue with them being forced to help deal with an issue they have helped create.

Certainly some jobs are always going to be high stress but even jobs that shouldn't be can put pressure on its employees above what is actually required.

OldMrBrennan83

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One eyed Jack

anewme wrote: »

it's saddening, some of the replies on here show that there is still a stigma attached to mental illness in Ireland.

So, people should just shoulder on with stress and pressure and not burden their employer, even though job pressures may be causing or adding that stress?

An employer has a responsibility towards their employees to provide mentally safe place to work.

"It's ok not to be ok"

I can see your general point and overall I agree, except for the bits in bold there. It's not ok not to be ok because accepting that it's ok not to be ok makes you a delusional liability to yourself and everyone else around you, including your co-workers. You as an employee have a responsibility to care about yourself as much as an employer has a responsibility to care about you as an employee.

It's that kind of telling people it's ok not to be ok is actually what increases the stigma about ill mental health IMO, because it's lunacy. It's a nonsensical, worthless, simplistic platitude, and I certainly would look twice at someone who came out with that. Generally there's a stigma against mental health everywhere, in every country and every society in the world, and the reason should be bloody obvious - because it's bad! Nobody wants to experience ill mental health, and telling people it's ok not to be ok isn't reducing any stigma, it's treating people like idiots.

That being said, throughout my working life I've experienced many employers who actually go above and beyond what is expected of them and their responsibilities towards their employees as an employer, and that goes for working in blue collar manufacturing industry where we were around heavy machinery all day and if you weren't in top physical and mental condition, you weren't just putting yourself at risk, you were putting your co-workers at risk too, right through social care where my employer provided monthly counselling sessions which were paid for by my employer, to being self-employed where I had a responsibility towards my clients to care for my own mental health, to working in large multi-nationals where I was expected to be in top physical and mental shape, to now working for an employer who cares almost too much about their employees physical and mental health, and sometimes, genuinely I find it a bit suffocating, but as has been observed in the thread already - that's the way employers small, medium and large are gone now, because a job isn't just a job any more, it's talked about in terms of a lifestyle and achieving a work/life balance and people being open about everything about themselves.

Sometimes I do long for the days when I could just clock in, do my work, and go home, but I just don't see that making a comeback in todays world.

McCrack

Patww79 wrote: »

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I take that you are not an employer?