The Importance of Mental Health in the Workplace: A Report

This report delves into the critical aspects of mental health and wellness programs within the workplace. It begins by outlining key components of such programs, including awareness creation, encouraging participation, increasing engagement, and rewarding health improvements. The report further explores various programs and activities, such as addressing cognitive health issues, developing and implementing mental health policies, and utilizing employee assistance platforms. Cultural considerations, gender-specific components, and the effectiveness of these programs are also discussed. Task 2 focuses on the development of a company-specific wellness program, detailing the development team, goals, key needs, target audience, activities, and delivery methods. The report emphasizes the importance of cultural components and the evaluation of program effectiveness through clinical outcomes, absenteeism, and employee commitment, offering a holistic view of workplace mental health initiatives.

Running Head: MENTAL HEALTH IN WORKPLACE 0
Mental health in workplace
The Importance of Workplace Wellness
(Student Details :)
8/10/2018

Mental Health in Workplace 1
Contents
Task 1....................................................................................................................................................2
Solution 1: Key components of Mental Health and Wellness Program.............................................2
Solution 2: Briefly description of Key Components..........................................................................2
Creating awareness........................................................................................................................2
Encouraging Participation..............................................................................................................2
Increasing Engagement..................................................................................................................2
Rewarding Health Improvement....................................................................................................2
Solution 3 Programs and Activities involved/offered........................................................................2
Investigating Cognitive health issues.............................................................................................2
Creating the policy.........................................................................................................................2
Developing approaches to execute the policy................................................................................3
Implementation and evaluation of the policy.................................................................................3
Solution 4: Employee Assistance platforms and referrals..................................................................3
Solution 5: Cultural considerations into mental wellness programs...................................................3
Solution 6: Gender-Specific or Sexual Orientation-Specific Components.........................................3
Solution 7: Effectiveness of Mental Health Wellness Programs........................................................3
Task 2....................................................................................................................................................4
Solution 1: Development Team Members.........................................................................................4
Solution 2: The Goals and Outcomes of Wellness Program..............................................................4
Solution 3: key needs and expectations of the program.....................................................................4
Solution 4: Target audience for Company wellness program............................................................4
Solution 5: Activities and Components of wellness program............................................................4
Components of Program:...............................................................................................................4
Activities during program:.............................................................................................................4
Solution 6: Delivering way of mental health programs......................................................................5
Solution 7: Cultural component in our program................................................................................5
Solution 8: Effectiveness evaluation of wellness program.................................................................5
References.............................................................................................................................................6

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Mental Health in Workplace 3
Task 1
Solution 1: Key components of Mental Health and Wellness Program
 Key components are, Rewarding Health Improvement, Awareness Creation,
Encouraging Participation, and Increasing Engagement.
Solution 2: Briefly description of Key Components
Creating awareness
As the value of workplace wellness programs is mainly depending upon Employee
accountability, therefore every organisation needs to create culture of Being Healthy by
promoting Diverse Functional representations, Positive attitude, and commitment to
consistent and on time reporting, interaction with Non-Participants.
If the organization will avoid discrimination and allow their employees to keep their
medical information confidential then it will create awareness in employees. Conducting
Health encouraging Events and promoting Physical activity on routine basis will make
healthy selection easy for people who are working there.
Encouraging Participation
 Building of Gym area, Cafeteria, and library in organization premises itself will
encourage employees.
 Providing Clean walking areas and staircases
 Encouraging Breaks and activity throughout the whole day
 While calling meetings, food or snacks should be included during meetings
 Instead of individual Birthday, celebrations there can be monthly celebrations.
Increasing Engagement
 Providing technology to promote engagement is appreciable as Fitness trackers
should be used over smart phones while working out.
 For activity logs, social sharing, fruit veggie and calories tracker, weight log, food
log and other health related tasks leveraging web and digital resources is good.
Rewarding Health Improvement
 Offering Strategic Incentives to promote healthy events and workshops can be
influential. Because incentives can inspire anyone to begin workplace wellness
journey
 Rewarding employees in impartial and consistently for their good performance
Solution 3 Programs and Activities involved/offered
Investigating Cognitive health issues
Resolving the mental health problems in an Organization is the key step in developing
an Organization mental health policy.
Creating the policy
An Organization mental health policy generally consists of a vision statement, a
statement of the principles and values on which basis the policy has been created, and a set of
objects.

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Developing approaches to execute the policy
Once the cognitive health policy has been developed, strategies to execute the policy
are to be prepared.
Implementation and evaluation of the policy
A cognitive health policy Implementation and evaluation mainly consists of
evaluating the outcomes, generating support, training, coordinating implementation, and
establishing demonstration programs.
Solution 4: Employee Assistance platforms and referrals
The EAP can be defined as professional workplace-established program developed to
support in documentation and undertaking of professional and unprofessional issues of the
employees lessened by personal troubles including, health, family, financial, drug,
emotional, alcohol, marital legal and other personal concerns which can undesirably disturb
employee job efficiency. EAPs provide short-term advising, education programs, and referral
services as well as promotion .These services are delivered in a confidential environment.
EAP referrals are an agency-paid benefit provided to person and his/her dependents to
manage their daily duties and life events better.
Solution 5: Cultural considerations into mental wellness programs
Cultural factors that should be considered are Religious differences, Distrust of
health care services, Faith in alternative medicines, Personal experiences, Fear of the
unknown (Care Search, 2018).
Solution 6: Gender-Specific or Sexual Orientation-Specific Components
The Canadian Psychiatric Association (referred as CPA) supports the policies and
laws, which gives protection to the rights, privileges of all humans irrespective of their
gender expression and sexual orientation. The CPA also opposes any private and public
discrimination on basis of sexual orientation or gender specific (Veltman & Chaimowitz,
2014).
Solution 7: Effectiveness of Mental Health Wellness Programs
Benefits of Employee Assistance Programs (Joseph, 2018):
 Mental Health Wellness Programs can give their employees an ability to cope up with
personal issues that can affect job performance, because work-related pressure also
troubles outside the office. Employees have cellular phone access to expert
counsellors 24 hours a day if necessary.
 Confidential: Employees will appreciate the fact that they are having resource that
they can use to discuss professional issues confidentially.
 Immediate assistance: Employees normally provided with immediate assistance, there
is no need to pass the time to seek assistance.
 Personal Issues: An EAP or mental health wellness program can also help employees
dealing with issues outside the office premises.
 Employer Benefits: Employee assistance programs can provide reimbursement to its
Employees.

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Task 2
Solution 1: Development Team Members
In Development team of wellness program of our company, supervisors and senior
managers are to guide employees, because mangers or supervisors can converse with
Employee assistance program’s staff about how and when to bring up an employee to the
EAP program.
Solution 2: The Goals and Outcomes of Wellness Program
 To announce Participation-based Incentives, Progress-based incentives, Outcomes-
based incentives to targeted audience of organization itself.
 To achieve a health standard fulfilling a certain health outcome of World health
organization
 To make significant progress toward specific health goal of organization
 To execute the Organization Health Assessment covering Depression, Anxiety, Stress,
Emotional instability
 Focus on awareness, active participation, or recognition and rewards.
 Connecting Health Care with Employees (Physicians, Doctors, EAP)
Solution 3: key needs and expectations of the program
 Physical Health
 To identify whether all Employees are “happy?” or not
 Financial Health
 Emotional and Mental Health
 Social / Community Health
Solution 4: Target audience for Company wellness program
The Primary audience for mental health and wellness module of our company
comprises our employer’s team, employees, mental health professionals, human resources
professionals, and other organization employees. However, the Centre of attention of the
module will be all Employees of our company.
Solution 5: Activities and Components of wellness program
Components of Program:
 Discussion on Work-related Risk factors for health, Creating a Healthy Workplace,
Supporting People with mental disorders at work, Discussion and Execution of Global
Plan WHO (World Health Organization) on Worker’s Health (2008-2017) and Mental
Health Action Plan as It consist of regulation on the development of Cognitive health
policies, their plans, and programmes at countrywide.
Activities during program:
 Mental Health Awareness Assignment : In this type of activity a project is assigned
to each three or four-person team to do a task of learning about any disorder
(Example: Generalized Anxiety Disorder) from the employee viewpoint, and from the
viewpoint of medical experts.
 Mental Health Awareness Quiz
 STOP Stigma Survey (Positive Psychology Program, 2018).
Solution 6: Delivering way of mental health programs

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EAP Plans are usually paid by the Employer for resolving personal problems of
employees that may be badly disturbing the employee’s performance. Yes, it is one time
program in a year which offer medical benefits such as treatment and counselling, when it
required by employees.
Solution 7: Cultural component in our program
When designing any Employee assistance mental health wellness program, we will
make professional guidelines based on our organization’s exclusive mission, operation, and
culture. It will also contain a coordinated set of policies, procedures, and events.
Solution 8: Effectiveness evaluation of wellness program
This Mental health wellness program will be evaluating by calculating the overall
effectiveness of counselling services from measuring clinical and professional outcomes.
Effectiveness will also be measured by absentee, presence and employee commitment at
work place.

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References
Gabriel, P., & Liimatainen, M. (2000). Mental health in the workplace. Geneva: International
Labour Organization.
Bailey, M. (2017, 03 29). 8 Key Components Every Workplace Wellness Operating Plan
Should Have. Retrieved from The bailey group: https://mbaileygroup.com/blog/8-
components-workplace-wellness-operating-plan/
Care Search. (2018). NSW Paediatric Palliative. Retrieved from
https://www.caresearch.com.au/caresearch/tabid/4027/Default.aspx
Cover Tek. (2018). 5 Essential Components of a 21st Century Corporate Wellness Program.
Retrieved from Cover Tek: https://www.cover-tek.com/5-components-of-modern-
wellness-programs/
Elkin , A., & Rosch, P. (1990). Promoting mental health at the workplace: the prevention side
of stress management. Occupational medicine (Philadelphia, Pa.), 739-754.
Halder, S., & Mahato, A. (2012). Mental Health at Work Place. International Journal of
Occupational Safety and Health, 2-6.
Harder, H. G., Rash, J., & Wagner, S. (2016). In Mental Illness in the Workplace:
Psychological Disability Management. Oxon: Routledge.
Joseph, C. (2018). What Are the Benefits of Employee Assistance Programs? Retrieved from
Chron: https://smallbusiness.chron.com/benefits-employee-assistance-programs-
2803.html

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Kemp, D. R. (1994). In Mental Health in the Workplace: An Employer's and Manager's
Guide. London: Greenwood Publishing group.
Positive Psychology Program. (2018). 28 Mental Health Activities, Worksheets & Books for
Adults & Students. Retrieved from https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/mental-
health-activities-worksheets-books/
Thomas, J., & Hersen, M. (2002). In Handbook of Mental Health in the Workplace.
california: Sage.
Veltman, A., & Chaimowitz, G. (2014). Mental Health Care for People Who Identify as
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and (or) Queer. Can J Psychiatry, 1-7.