MHM Magazine

workers are protected by the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, there is no specific provision or law that gives them the “right to disconnect” in the same way that the new law in Australia does. In a country with staggeringly high unemployment figures, many feel fortunate to have a job, and in this survey, 4 in 10 were afraid of losing their employment. This scenario is not likely to create a culture where workers feel free to disconnect. When the inability to ‘switch off’ is coupled with the finding that over 30% of survey respondents had been medically diagnosed with depression, the internal landscape of the employee also became of interest. Are the one in three who received a depression diagnosis presently feeling depressed? Statistical analysis suggests that they are, per the findings obtained in the application of the Kessler 10-item Psychological Distress Scale. The literature documents an ongoing struggle in the treatment of cognitive aspects of depression. While specific medications can successfully elevate mood, alleviating the feelings associated with depression, symptoms such as the reduced ability to block or ignore negative stimuli (cognitive inhibition) and the tendency to ruminate (cycle through negative thoughts) has eluded drug treatments to date. Some strides have been made in the medication of depression-related cognitive slowing or impairment, but the challenge in determining the direct impact of medication on cognition remains. With depressed employees, suffering from associated conditions such as medically diagnosed stress disorders (25%), generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) (18%), burnout (13%) and trauma (10%), often unable to access mental health support, and struggling with the inability to switch off, exacerbated by the non-medicated cognitive aspects of their depression, what is to be done? Distraction is a common tool employed in the struggle against rumination. In order to break the cycle of negative thinking, such as fearing the loss of employment, for example, an employee might be advised to get on with a work- related task to reduce anxiety. However, there is a need to tread carefully, as this advice may plunge the employee ever deeper into the ‘constant work-fear of job loss’ cycle, where rumination becomes inevitable in the “always on” and “always accessible” and “always available” digital society. Before distraction or similar strategies can be employed, there is a need for boundary setting between employee and employer. The step before boundary setting is the flattening of hierarchies and the equalisation of power relations. This can be achieved when both employer and employee recognise their core human needs and engage in a degree of self- care. This strategy may be difficult to enact, especially in the media sector, where line managers and employees surveyed in this study engage in healthy interactions, but there is a disconnect between upper management and staff on the ground. There is a clear need for the creation of a psychologically safe environment from bottom to top, with alignment around boundary setting and the prioritisation of a co-created, mentally healthy workplace. These are actions that can be taken, but only if time is made available, and focused mental health initiatives (like EAPs) are prioritised. With 6 in 10 surveyed employees wishing they had sufficient funds to quit their jobs, and half feeling unhappy when starting work on Monday mornings, more needs to be done to secure sufficient time to ensure the health and happiness of the workforce. Only 8% of respondents felt that Covid-19 worsened their existing mental health conditions, with one stating that her mental health improved during lockdown as “work is the main stressor”. If daily work is more stressful than a pandemic, there is clearly something amiss. With EAPs becoming defunct and defunded, or only existing on paper, real help and support is needed. Moreover, the support that is required to ensure the quick and effective treatment of mental health conditions is only half of the story. Over half of this sample has been formally diagnosed with a mental health condition, yet only two in ten have been allowed to take a mental health day, and one in four report insufficient leave. With 30% of employees surveyed still engaging in some form of hybrid work, many more call for it to ensure that they can attempt to carve out a decent work-life balance. Some employees are actively seeking the “off” switch, but can’t locate it due to overwork, being underpaid and feeling unheard by senior staff who are similarly pressured to keep switched “on”. The “off” switch exists inside and outside of the employee. Mindfulness practices have been developed to help reduce rumination, for example, but without time to learn and engage, depressed employees (in particular) are compelled to keep the “on” switch “on”. Psychological safety at work requires an eco-system of senior management, line management and employees working together to purposefully create a mentally healthy environment. This will take time, and in the intervening period, immediate steps should be taken to ease pressure, and switch to a psychologically safer workplace culture. Finding ways to bolster and support ailing EAPs would ideally be the necessary first step. References available on request. “Nothing [ is done to support mental health in my workplace]. Quite the opposite, we now have to pay for EAP. It was previously not this way. I have [made use of EAP] in the past because the service was available and accessible and very helpful. Now...it is not as it is a paid for service. Therefore, we do not benefit. Humans are people who need support. Ignoring the employee means the client suffers. Listen to employees. Come to their level. It's not about the bottom line for employees until they get support.” (Health Care Sector employee) MHM | 2024 | Volume 11 | Issue 5 | Finding the “Off” Switch: Dealing with Depression in the South African Workplace MHM Issue 5 | 2024 | MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS | 13 MHM