According to the International Labour Law (ILO) and World Health Organization
(WHO), occupational health is "the promotion and maintenance of the highest
degree of physical, mental, and social well-being of workers in all occupations
by preventing departures from health, controlling risks and the adaptation of
health in the African workplace is a pressing and growing concern, mental
occupational health greatly varies, employment and working conditions and
environments are well-known factors that contribute to health. Although mental
health in the African workplace is a pressing and growing concern, mental
health care accounts for less than 2% of global healthcare, with marked
inequality across continents. Africa has the smallest proportion of mental health
service providers and the highest rate of out-of-pocket expenditure for mental
health service users. Poor mental health at the workplace results in costs to
workers, employers, and the economy. It is a crucial determinant of a person’s
overall health and that poor mental health is a contributory factor to a range of
physical illnesses like hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular conditions,
amongst others. In addition, poor mental health can also lead to burnout
amongst employees, seriously affecting their ability to contribute meaningfully in
both their personal and professional lives.
Mental health difficulties can also affect an individual’s functional and working
capacity in numerous ways. Depending on an individual’s age at the onset of a
mental health problem, his or her working capacity can be significantly
reduced.
In the workplace, this can lead to absenteeism, require sick leave, and
reduce productivity. Long-term mental health difficulties are, according to a
WHO report, one of the three leading causes of disability, along with
cardiovascular disease and musculoskeletal disorders, and they are a major
reason for granting disability pensions in several countries.
One of the major ways of alleviating the personal suffering of individuals who
suffered psychological injuries during employment is the inclusion of
compensation for such in the national framework for employee compensation.
Unfortunately, while most countries of sub-Sahara Africa have some legislative
provisions for physical injuries and disabilities sustained in the course of work,
scarcely any of them have a distinct provision for mental stress sustained in the
course of work. Although South Africa has a legal provision that allows for
application for retirement from work on mental health grounds[63], the
Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act of South Africa (as
amendedin1997); the Work Injury Benefits Act of Kenya, and the injuries
Compensation Act of Gambia just to mention a few, has no specific provision
for compensation for mental health injury. One country that has taken a step in
this direction, albeit very recently, is Nigeria with the inclusion of a distinct
provision for compensation for mental stress in the newly promulgated Employee
Compensation Act (ECA) of 2010.
A workplace mental health policy helps define the vision of improving
the workforce's mental health and establish a model for action. When a
well-formulated policy is in place, it will also identify and facilitate
agreements needed among the different stakeholders in the workplace.
Without policy direction, lack of coordination and fragmentation will reduce the
impact of any workplace mental health strategy.
Generally, the following steps can be followed to ensure the well-being of
employees at the workplace;
To this end, the World Economic Forum, World Economic Forum’s Global
Agenda Council on Mental Health 2014, gives guidance to the corporate that is
determined to positively impact their employees' mental well-being
employees. The WEF recommends these seven actions:
✓ Be aware of the workplace environment and how it can be adapted to
promote better mental health for you, your colleagues, and the
organization.
✓ Learn from the motivations of organizational leaders and employees who
have taken action.
✓ Don’t reinvent wheels, be aware of other companies that have taken
action, and how.
✓ Understand the opportunities and needs of you and your colleagues, in
helping to develop better policies for workplace mental health.
Get started!
Taking practical steps can only benefit an organization. A healthy
workforce is a productive workforce. This adage has been proven many
times over, with some of the best companies to work for implementing the
recommendations mentioned above as part of their strategies to create great
workplaces that are conducive to the well-being of their employees.
In conclusion
Employers of labour and human resource managers in sub-Sahara Africa must
pay attention to the mental health of their workers, not only because doing so is
in conformity with extant guidelines for OHS, but because it ensures continued
productivity. One of the simplest ways to achieve this is to invest in the welfare of
employees as an incentive to drive productivity rather than viewing employees'
welfare as an opportunity cost for sustaining profitability. Innovative approaches
include the establishment of a mental-health and welfare sub-committee
comprising representatives from the worker's body, human resource unit, and
mental health safety experts, as part of workplace occupational health and
safety policy. Such a committee will be responsible for the evaluation and
monitoring of compliance with pre-set occupational mental health goals and
recommend specific actions for implementation.
References
WHO Regional Office for Europe: Mental Health Action Plan for Europe. 2005,
Copenhagen: ILO.
Atilola O: Global Best Practices in Mental Health in the Workplace: Focus on the
Nigerian Setting. 2012, Nigerian Journal of Labor Law and Industrial Relations, In
press
Federal Government of Nigeria Employee’s Compensation Act: 2011, Abuja:
FGN
Emsley R, Coetzer P: Disability claims on psychiatric grounds. South African
Medical Journal. 1996, 8: 646-
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