MHM Magazine

At the start of the Covid-19 lockdown and at the height of load shedding, the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) surveyed its online community to seek out mental health implications and identify mental health needs. Work stress emerged as a strong theme in both instances. Given this, and the fact that the 2024 World Mental Health Day campaign is rightly workplace focused, the SADAG’s ‘Working Life’ survey was launched on 1 August 2024. 1471 respondents agreed to participate. There was a final sample amounting to 963. This was the first inkling of the immense time pressure that was liberally experienced across this largely female, racially balanced self-selected sample of urban employees. Respondents hailed from education, health, financial, retail and media sectors, as well as non-governmental and public sector workplaces. No matter the sector, the refrain contained a plea for psychological safety in work environments presently characterised by insufficient pay (44%) and extreme time pressure due to long hours, overtime, hiring freezes and reduced or removed EAPs. For roughly one in two, EAPs remain on offer, but there was simply no time to make use of mental health support services. With 75% of employees unable to stop thinking about work (even when not at work), South African workplaces are clearly always “on” and so are the workers who staff them. In some cases, the employees surveyed spoke of a toxic work culture, where managers would call, text and email outside of working hours. While South African By Dr Bronwyn Dworzanowski-Venter Senior Research Associate (UJ) bjd2006@gmail.com FINDING THE “OFF” SWITCH: DEALING WITH DEPRESSION IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN WORKPLACE “[H]elp employees feel psychologically safe enough to admit when they need help, and not feel burdened by feeling vulnerable or being seen as weak. The employee should have a sense of safety for their career and future if and when they do reach out for support”. (Employee in the Financial Sector) “No support, the company will blame it on the employee as there is ‘nothing’ wrong in the work environment….I didn’t utilise any mental health programme. There wasn’t any time to do so. Only work constantly.” (Education and Training Sector employee) MHM | 2024 | Volume 11 | Issue 5 | Finding the “Off” Switch: Dealing with Depression in the South African Workplace MHM 12 | MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS | 2024 | Issu 5 H