TOPIC 3

Employee Well-being, Mental Health, and Work-Related Stress

Work is an important component of our lives. It is where we spend the majority of our
time, where we earn our money, and where we frequently establish friendship. Having a career
that you enjoy can be beneficial to our mental health and overall well-being. Work is good for
mental health, but a negative and toxic working environment can lead to physical and mental
health problems. For a long time, businesses have struggled to incorporate employee wellness
into the workplace. In the past, many employers did not prioritize well-being efforts because
they were deemed unimportant. Things are, however, beginning to shift. In today's modern
society, work-related stress has emerged as one of the leading causes of adverse symptoms
of mental health and poor employee well-being. Work-related stress has caused some people
to acquire symptoms of depression, anxiety, and other negative mental health effects as a
direct result of excessive pressures and/or demands placed on them at work.

Work-related stress is defined as a response that employees experience or may feel

when presented with workloads and pressures that are not matched with their knowledge and
abilities and challenge their ability to cope. Job stress was defined by The United States'
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health as the harmful physical and emotional
responses that takes place when the requirements of the job do not match the capabilities,
resources, or needs of the worker. The inability to balance work and life may increase stress,
reducing the quality of Filipino workers’ output and making them more prone to hypertension
and heart disease. Job stress can, in turn, lead to poor health and even injury. Thus, dealing
with and overcoming work-related stress, is of utmost importance, Tomas Marcelo G. Agana
III, president, and chief executive officer of Pharex HealthCorp., said achieving work-life
balance does save lives.

The country’s workforce registered some of the highest stress levels in Asia. Over
forty-two percent (42 %) of Filipino workers reported that their stress levels have risen over
the past few years, said a Regus International survey. Meanwhile, the Grant Thornton
International survey said seventy-six percent (76%) of Filipino business owners are highly
stressed, pointing to heavy workload as the most significant driver. Work-related stress
adversely affects employers and employees alike.

But this kind of stress is not always about how well they know their job or how suitable
their KSAs are to the position they have. In a new study from multinational consulting
firm Willis Towers Watson, it highlighted the various sources of stress faced by employees –
and whether or not employers are on the same page. In the Asia-Pacific region, a leading
cause of stress named by employers is low pay – but employers ranked this 10th in several
identified stress-causing factors. According to the study, specific to the Philippines, the country
follows the Asia-Pacific trend, with low pay being the primary cause of stress.

Some factors can also be toxic and unhealthy working environment, unjust and
inhumane working conditions, uncooperative and incompetent team, and ineffective and
controlling superiors. Work-related stress occurs due to these reasons, but it is often made
worse when employees feel that they don’t have the support of their superiors. Here in our
country, unfair working conditions are also a top-tier factor causing this stress. We are all
aware how unsatisfying and inefficient the wage here is, especially that our basic commodities
are highly increasing. This can cause too much stress to employees for they are working hard
and sometimes performing beyond the prescribed minimum working hours, but they do not
get the enough stipend they think they deserve. Conflicts with co-employees and bosses also
contribute to this burden, working with someone who is not in the same state with you is really
traumatic and exhausting. It can cause a lot of pressure and disagreements that can lead to
serious conflicts. When this happens, the productivity rate of the organization will definitely
fall, and this should be avoided for it does not benefit any party, neither the employee nor the
firm. This workplace stress must be addressed properly for it negatively affects the employee’s
well-being and mental health, especially now that the latter is a very serious note and is timely
and relevant.

It is increasingly being recognized that mental health of employees is a crucial

determinant in their overall health and that poor mental health and stressors at the workplace
can contribute to some physical illnesses like hypertension and diabetes, amongst others as
well as mental illnesses. According to research mental illness has become the third most
common disability in the Philippines, wherein six million Filipinos live with depression and
anxiety. Because of this, the country has the third highest rate of mental disorders in the
Western Pacific (Martinez et al., 2020). Also, the Philippine World Health Organization (WHO)
Special Initiative for Mental Health conducted in 2020 showed that ≥3.6 million Filipinos suffer
from at least one kind of mental health issues (Department of Health, 2020). With that said,
the growing significance of managing employees’ well-being and mental health plays a special
role in any organization as various stressors within and outside the workplace keep coming
back and forth.

Poor mental health and well-being has a detrimental effect on a person’s cognitive,
behavioural, emotional and social and relational functioning. The capacity to participate in
work is impaired through a reduction in productivity and performance, and difficulty in retaining
or gaining work. Through presenteeism (or lost productivity at work), absenteeism and staff
turnover, workers, employers and the wider economy is affected (World Health Organisation.
Mental Health and Work). Mental health problems have an impact on employers and
businesses directly through increased absenteeism, negative impact on productivity and
profits, as well as an increase in costs to deal with the issue. In addition, they impact employee
morale adversely.

By addressing mental health at the workplace, psychological disorders can be better

identified and addressed, so negative sequela of mental illness can be mitigated. Offering
such services as employee assistance programs (EAPs), childcare and eldercare support
services, and financial counselling are some important benefits that can support mental health
and well-being of employees. Furthermore, the importance of implementing policies, services
and programs regarding that matter is fundamental to supress mental health issues.
Organizations as well as government should work together to support employee and society’s
well-being not only to aid that problem but also to reinforce economic stability of the country.
Having said that, recently, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has issued
“Guidelines for the Implementation of Mental Health Workplace Policies and Programs for the
Private Sector” took effect on March 4, 2020, meant to safeguard worker mental health and
assist workers with such issues. In broad terms, the new requirements are intended to
complement other existing laws pertaining to mental health, occupational safety and the
protection of disabled persons (most notably the Mental Health Act of 2018). This is one of
few examples of programs that can contribute meaningfully to the said matter.

Achieving health in the workplace begins by building and sustaining workplace cultures
that enhance health and well-being, and focusing on the protection of workers from safety and
health hazards in the work environment. Importantly, the design of work needs to address
worker safety, health and well-being as well as attending to the needs of individual workers
(Schill AL, 2017). The creation of healthy company cultures begins with top leadership support
and includes every level of management from the top to bottom employees. Physical and
psychological job demands should be within the capabilities of the worker and workers should
have an active role in deciding on how their work is to be done. The work environment should
foster support from both co-workers and supervisors. Through health-enhancing supervision,
worker skills and job demands are constantly assessed and modified as appropriate. Workers
are more productive when they perceive workplace health support from their employer (Chen
L, Hannon PA, Laing SS, et al. 2015) and encouraged by an environment that rewards
creativity, team work, safety, and resilience to sudden organizational changes. These
attributes of a healthy workplace can foster a heightened esprit de corp, and, in turn, act as a
magnet to attract and retain top talent.

Beyond primary prevention, employers should also have in place support for workers
showing signs of mental health problems. Secondary prevention methods such as early
detection of signs and symptoms of depression and other mental health problems (e.g.,
monitoring and screening tools) can help with diagnosis and proper referral for treatment
before the disease becomes full-blown. Early intervention is vital and employers can provide
these intervention through continuation of primary prevention efforts, such as increasing
mental health literacy and reducing stigma, as well as providing resources such as Employee
Assistance Programs (EAPs) (Dewa CS, et al., 2011). By increasing education about mental
health, providing support and understanding to mitigate the stigma and fear related to
exposing one's mental health problems, employees showing symptoms may be more likely to
taken of.

Work-related stress is a growing problem not only here in the Philippines but also in
other countries that affects not only the health of employees, but also the productivity of the
organization. Healthier employees who run under manageable stress levels will be happier
and more positive, helping to maintain a strong, healthy workplace culture that contributes to
creativity and productivity. In addition, having a positive impact on colleagues and employees’
well -being and mental health can improve performance and job satisfaction, which can lead
to reduced staff turnover. It can also help reduce losses (both short and long term), increase
productivity and promote employee engagement.

It is very essential to have a strong foundation in organization when it comes to the

relation of employees and employers and other bosses, aim of the supervisor is to manage
and calibrate the performance of their employee to its full potential and not to let them
comfortable on the same thing, for the development they tend to have another challenge in
work which sometimes led them to stress, it should not only focus on work performance, it
should balance mental health as well in return. The workload must always be attainable; it
must be efficient for employees to lessen the burden they carry. If the organization provides
motivation, it will also require development, not only for employees but also for organization.