Introduction
Depression is a menace that affects a number of people in different ways. From time immemorial, there has been no comprehensive answer that can be used in the identification of depression. However, a number of indicators have been designed to tell whether someone is depressed. Gloominess and hopelessness may be manifested in a person in many forms. This is an indication that people have distinct ways of portraying their depression. In the workplace for instance, there are a number of ways used to tell whether a person is undergoing mental stress. Similarly, there are ways to approach such cases and interact with the concerned persons effectively. This case identifies and analyzes different ways to identify and deal with cases of depression.
Symptoms and signs of depression
In the event that employees experience mental stress at work, there is bound to be great losses to an organization. This is because hopelessness amongst employees results to ineffective interaction between themselves and their employers. Ineffective communication and interaction amongst employees is one of the biggest contributors to failed projects, dumped goals, low productivity and demoralized staff in an establishment. For this reason, it is imperative that depression amongst workmen is identified and handled effectively.
Depression and stress may be manifested in a number of ways at the workplace. A person may show sings of distress through a significant loss of appetite. In most occasions, such people are never in the mood of any kind of food however hungry they may be. On the other hand, depression might also cause a noteworthy increase in appetite and subsequent increase in weight. Workmates must be able to identify such changes on their colleagues and know how best to tackle them (Gold and Shuman, 2009).
Endless depressed moods are also signs that can tell mental stress. When such moods are recurrent, they are bound to raise eyebrows and this may be an indication that someone is experiencing menacing mental depression. Such people are never comfortable even in the company of their closest pals. This is a prelude of intense mental depression that must be addressed in the best way possibly. Some of these conditions may come as a result of complications and discrepancies at work or at home. Given the consequences of workers’ depression, it is important that this menace is alienated inconsiderate of its root cause (Gold and Shuman, 2009).
Mitigation of psychological health at the workplace
In spite of the complexity of this subject, some strategies have been formulated to help curb the problem. Organizations have put in place ways to help their employees integrate meaningfully. Most establishments normally have routines of identifying physical and psychological job hazards that are most likely to lead to organizational risks. This is done by conducting customary reviews on mental health data of employees. Whenever a victim of depression is identified, he has to be in the best position to open up before he is interrogated. Sometimes, the victim is placed in the perfect locale especially clinical settings.
Establishments should also have a broad scope of information pertaining to their employees. Such information is significant in providing validated responses that can be used to assess mental complications of a concerned party. There have been negative comments in the past concerning victims of mental health at work. Some have said that workplaces are business platforms and not popularity contests where people make friends. This is a notion that contributed to immense losses because people seem to care less about others’ welfare. Others have seized to view effective interaction amongst colleagues as a way of meeting organizational goals but have instead thought of it as a setback to satisfying their personal interests (Gold and Shuman, 2009).
The depressed personalities at work should be given aspirations and hope by their colleagues in order to prevent suicidal thoughts. In the past, jobs were task-oriented and were barely defined. As a result, the need for mutual interaction and communication was dismal because all that was demanded from an employee after training was simple instructions pertaining to the job. Managers only required single-dimensional interaction with their employees. However, the case in the modern business environment is totally different. The rules that were traditionally used to establish employee credentials have been altered considerably. Today, the recommendations about employees, their performance and abilities are founded on the most visible traits like their capacity to interact freely with their colleagues. As a result, it is imperative to have employees with the capability to co-exist with others and share both interests and problems (Gold and Shuman, 2009).
Conclusion
It is estimated that persons affected by depression take three to four working days off every month all over the world. This amounts to the loss of billions of working days each year and its implication is felt all the way down to the economy of different countries. Additionally, depression also results to unimaginable number of days of reduced productivity at workplaces which amount to great organizational losses. For this reason, it is of utmost importance to promote effective interaction amongst employees at workplaces.
Reference
Gold, L. H., & Shuman, D. W. (2009). Evaluating mental health disability in the workplace: Model, process, and analysis. Dordrecht: Springer.