Mental health issues are currently contributing to a high number of ailments such as stress and fatigue, all of which result in employees’ absenteeism and, consequently, poor organizational performance. Managers are bestowed with the power to create an environment that is conducive to all employees. As revealed in this paper, they have a role to play in adjusting the overall workplace atmosphere, including decision-making procedures, to enhance the recuperation and engagement of the affected workers.
Darley introduces a challenging task that company administrators have to handle, specifically, mental health matters linked to some workers, especially those who abuse drugs (55). Any company where issues such as employee turnover and job dissatisfaction prevail indicates the existence of an organizational culture that does not embrace proper administrative practices, for instance, the absence of programs that can help to address the needs of employees with mental health challenges (Gayed et al. 1).
As a result, turnover, workplace conflicts, and deteriorating profitability are common (Bauer and Erdogan 56). Nonetheless, a study by Hunt presents HR managers as people whose job entails hiring, personnel planning, developing remuneration packages, and maintaining a satisfied labor force (39). This finding implies that company administrators are supposed to ensure remarkable employee retention rates as a way of avoiding unnecessary expenses of having to recruit employees to fill the gap created following the turnover of workers who encounter mental health challenges.
Affected personnel may be holding sensitive organizational positions to the extent that ignoring their health conditions may destabilize a company’s overall performance. As a result, instead of incurring the cost of replacing them, the article by Gayed et al. acknowledges the need for equipping managers with the appropriate expertise through strategies such as online training (2). They can also share and discuss performance measurement results with workers to create an atmosphere whereby poor performing employees can open up about their challenges, hence creating a better opportunity for the respective manager to gauge the best approach to utilize in helping them.
In addition to monitoring employees with mental issues, managers need to give constant feedback pointing out areas that need improvement, including those that require commendation. Such a plan boosts the employee-manager relationship that, in turn, enhances organizational performance (Bauer and Erdogan 84). This move places administrators in a better position of assessing appropriate organizational transformations to make our decisions to deploy to augment the recovery of employees with mental problems (Bauer and Erdogan 156). Hence, the lack of proper talent management results in an organizational culture whereby workers are no longer committed, contented, or willing to give their best input, a situation that leads to poor organizational performance.
The above situation informs Darley’s suggestion of an intervention mechanism, particularly the implementation of collaborative care, whereby managers can minimize the effect of mental health issues on job performance and organizational profitability (56). Such an intervention recognizes the need for introducing motivation programs that seek to boost job satisfaction because some employees opt for substance abuse whenever they are discontented with their workplace managerial practices (Bauer and Erdogan 102).
According to Gayed et al., the best administrative strategy entails the adoption of an approach that thwarts any form of impairment, enhances constructive psychological well-being, and/or recognizes mental fitness in the administrative center, irrespective of the basis of the medical condition (2). Hence, managers are required to ensure high retention rates by implementing methods that address employees’ demands, including their health.
Conclusively, businesses that operate in the present-day competitive environment have been forced to implement strategies that minimize employees’ work pressure while at the same time enhancing their levels of input, well-being, and, consequently, organizational performance. Employee-based schemes such as work-life balance, motivation, relationship, and retention strategies, among others, play a huge role in helping workers with mental health problems to contribute positively to the overall organizational productivity.
Works Cited
Bauer, Talya, and Berrin Erdogan. Organizational Behavior. FlatWorld Knowledge, LLC, 2009.
Darley, Ewuria. “Collaborative Care: Working Together to Address Mental Health.” Benefits Magazine, vol. 54, no. 11, 2017, pp. 54-59.
Gayed, Aimée, et al. “A Protocol for the HeadCoach Trial: The Development and Evaluation of an Online Mental Health Training Program for Workplace Managers.” BMC Psychiatry, vol. 18, no. 1, 2018, pp. 1-9.
Hunt, Eleanor. “An HR Condurum: Talent Attract and Retention Abroad.” Baylor Business Review, vol. 32, no. 2, 2014, pp. 38-43.