LETTERS: Workplace mental health issues should be given due attention as the productivity at any organisation hinges on the wellbeing of their employees.
Employers must be aware that the neglect of mental health and psychosocial factors at the workplace is not only detrimental to the individual worker. It also directly affects productivity, efficiency and output of any organisation.
Employee performance, frequent illness, absenteeism, accidents and staff turnover are all affected by employees' mental health status.
Issues related to mental health at the workplace can also have a direct impact on all stakeholders of the workplace including employers, customers and the community in which the organisation is located.
No workplace is immune to mental disorders, and their impact in psychological, social and economic terms is high. Mental health should no longer be ignored. On the contrary, it should be given adequate attention alongside other business aspects.
Mental health problems among Malaysians, especially stress-related ones, are a serious concern and demand immediate attention at the workplace. This approach aims to avoid conditions such as depression, mental illness, and psychiatric disorders from arising.
Urgent action involving employers, employees and the relevant authorities need to be taken to address mental health issues at workplaces.
Employers should utilise Safety and Health Committees at the workplace to identify problems concerning the promotion of mental health care, and formulate sustainable programmes to address these problems.
Mental Health education and promotion is most essential, especially as we strive to achieve developed nation status, which inevitably brings tremendous pressure from daily responsibilities.
Psychiatric disorders and other forms of mental illness are poignant reminders of life's complexities, emphasising the need to prioritise mental health amid our quest to become a fully industrialised nation.
The impact of mental illness on society is enormous in terms of loss of productivity, legal problems and economic costs. Direct costs of mental disorders are high but indirect costs are estimated to be much higher.
Mental disorders also impact the quality of life in communities, which has a direct bearing on society.
In previous years, mental health has been a topic of low priority for the government and the community as compared to other health problems. But, as reflected worldwide, mental health has increasingly gained more prominence.
In Malaysia, we need to do more for those who suffer from mental illness.
On the welfare services front, the government should classify the mentally ill as disabled persons and bring them under the category of 'orang kurang upaya' or disabled persons. They should be accorded opportunities in employment to facilitate their return into mainstream society and not be a burden.
TAN SRI LEE LAM THYE
Chairman, Alliance For A Safe Community
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times