According to the article by Gallagher and Underhill (2012), there is an increased amount of evidence, which suggested that certain work and company characteristics have a direct impact on bad well-being, increased stress, as well as the tension in the work relationships. Therefore, occupational safety should not only account for the physical hazards at work but also psychological hazards. As evident from the presented scenario about a construction company, any employee can have mental issues associated with his or her occupation, regardless of gender. However, gender does play a role in the way employees treat their psychological problems, for example, male construction workers preferred self-medicating through alcohol and drugs.
Industry, occupational, and gender characteristics play a crucial part in the way mental health is addressed at work. Nowadays there is a growing need for addressing psychological issues in the workplace since employees are often stressed due to downsizing or immense workload and are expected to perform at the highest level to withstand competition (American Psychological Association, 2016). Because the majority of senior managers see no connection between mental health problems and the workplace environment, employees are currently juggling between excellent performance and the maintenance of a balanced and healthy mental state. Furthermore, male employees can often disregard mental issues they have as well as make fun of female employees that cannot withstand the stress as easily, as seen from the case study.
There is a variety of reasons why senior managers should develop effective mental health strategies in the workplace. The development of a safe workplace is important because it will increase productivity, account for the challenges some employees face in the workplace, minimise stress and boost morale, as well as achieve a higher level of loyalty and respect on the part of workers (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2010).
References
American Psychological Association. (2016). Stress at work. Web.
Australian Human Rights Commission. (2010). Workers with mental illness: A practical guide for managers. Web.
Gallagher, C., & Underhill, E. (2012). Managing work health and safety: Recent developments and future directions. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 50(2), 227-244.