Bhawna Vijay

Workplace mental health stigma has serious consequences for employees, leading to a reluctance to seek help and support for mental health issues. This stigma can cause employees to suffer in silence, exacerbating their conditions and reducing overall well-being. Fear of discrimination or negative judgment may prevent individuals from disclosing their struggles, resulting in decreased productivity, higher absenteeism, and increased turnover. Additionally, the lack of an open, supportive environment can contribute to a toxic workplace culture, further alienating those who need assistance. This not only affects the individual employees but also impacts team dynamics and organizational performance. Addressing mental health stigma through education, supportive policies, and open dialogue is essential for fostering a healthy, inclusive, and productive workplace.

In addition to the very good answer above by Rohit, workplace stigma can also cause self-stigma which describes how the person comes to believe the incorrect statements that other say and imply. This internalization of stigma entrenches the effects of stigma in the person, and causes them to be less confident and less productive, leading to more workplace stigma, so the cycle goes on. Patrick Corrigan has written about this in several research reports. Our team have written extensively about a strategy to prevent or manage this cycle. We developed a tool for managing personal information (MPI) in the workplace to reduce and prevent such stigma especially towards people with mental health conditions. Search google scholar under the words 'Patrick Corrigan self stigma', or my name and the words 'managing personal information'. If you have trouble finding the reports mentioned, contact me directly and I will send you some pdf copies that cover these relevant aspects of this topic.

social isolation, depression and low performance are some of the sequalae

Congrats ******* for your excellent and well-structured research article Bhawna Vijay Wishing you further success. Imo, the most important step in the scientific field of mental health is to move from static pathology classifications towards creating (!) conditions of mental well-being; this includes both, the physical factors (ergonomics) and the spiritual factors (meaning) in human working environments.

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Ref/.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Seligman

Seligman's foundational experiments and theory of "learned helplessness" began at University of Pennsylvania in 1967, as an extension of his interest in depression. Quite by accident, Seligman and colleagues discovered that the experimental conditioning protocol they used with dogs led to behaviors which were unexpected, in that under the experimental conditions, the recently conditioned dogs did not respond to opportunities to learn to escape from an unpleasant situation.

Seligman worked with Christopher Peterson to create what they describe as a "positive" counterpart to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders(DSM). While the DSM focuses on what can go wrong, Character Strengths and Virtues (2004) is designed to look at what can go right. In their research they looked across cultures and across millennia to attempt to distill a manageable list of virtues that have been highly valued from ancient China and India, through Greece and Rome, to contemporary Western cultures.

Their list includes six character strengths: wisdom/knowledge, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence. Each of these has three to five sub-entries; for instance, temperance includes forgiveness, humility, prudence, and self-regulation.The authors do not believe that there is a hierarchy for the six virtues; no one is more fundamental than or a precursor to the others.

Workplace mental health stigma has profound consequences for individuals and organizations. Stigmatized employees often experience increased psychological distress, reluctance to seek help, and decreased job satisfaction and performance. Fear of discrimination can lead to hiding mental health conditions, exacerbating symptoms, and impairing productivity.

Organizationally, stigma results in higher turnover rates, absenteeism, and reduced morale, creating a toxic work environment. It fosters a culture of silence and fear, hindering collaboration and trust, while legal and financial repercussions arise from discrimination and lost productivity.

To address this, comprehensive mental health education and awareness programs are crucial. Policies that protect against discrimination and promote mental health support, along with robust support systems like structured assistance programs, can foster a more inclusive workplace.

Workplace mental health stigma can have significant negative consequences on employees, including:

1. Decreased Productivity

Employees may struggle to perform at their best if they are dealing with mental health issues but are unable to seek help due to stigma.

2. Increased Absenteeism: Fear of judgment or discrimination may lead employees to take more sick days to manage their mental health privately.

3. Presenteeism: Employees may come to work even when unwell, leading to reduced effectiveness and potentially worsening their condition.

4. Poor Job Satisfaction and Engagement. A stigmatizing environment can lead to lower job satisfaction and engagement, as employees feel unsupported and undervalued.

5. Higher Turnover Rates. Employees are more likely to leave an organization where they feel their mental health is not respected or supported, leading to increased recruitment and training costs.

6. Health Deterioration. Unaddressed mental health issues can exacerbate, leading to more severe health problems over time, both mentally and physically.

7. Decreased Morale. Stigma can create a negative work culture, affecting overall team morale and cohesion.

8. Legal and Financial Consequences Organizations may face legal repercussions if they fail to provide a supportive environment for employees with mental health conditions, potentially resulting in lawsuits or compensation claims.

Addressing mental health stigma in the workplace involves creating an open and supportive environment where employees feel safe to seek help and talk about their mental health without fear of discrimination or judgment.

Workplace mental health stigma can have profound consequences on employees. Primarily, it can lead to a decline in mental health as individuals may feel isolated, unsupported, and reluctant to seek help due to fear of discrimination. This stigma can result in increased stress and anxiety, exacerbating existing mental health conditions. Additionally, employees may experience a reduction in job satisfaction and productivity, as they struggle to cope with their mental health issues in an unsupportive environment. This often leads to higher absenteeism and turnover rates, as affected individuals may leave their jobs in search of more accommodating workplaces. Furthermore, the stigma can create a toxic work culture, where empathy and support are lacking, negatively impacting overall team morale and cohesion. Addressing and reducing mental health stigma in the workplace is crucial for fostering a healthy, productive, and inclusive work environment for all employees.

Thanks sir for appreciating my research topic

Petro Petlovanyi

Deus Kagaba

Anatolii Tsarkov

Stephen I. Ternyik

António José Rodrigues Rebelo

Natnael Amare Tesfa

Rohit Kumar

1. العزلة الاجتماعية: قد يشعر الموظف بالعزلة والانفصال عن زملائه إذا تعرض للتمييز بسبب مشاكله النفسية.

2. تدهور الصحة النفسية: يمكن أن تؤدي الوصمة إلى تفاقم المشاكل النفسية، مثل الاكتئاب أو القلق.

3. أداء وظيفي ضعيف: الخوف من التمييز قد يدفع الموظف إلى إخفاء مشاكله الصحية، مما قد يؤدي إلى تراجع أدائه الوظيفي.

4. انخفاض الرضا الوظيفي: الشعور بعدم الدعم أو التفهم من الزملاء والإدارة يمكن أن يؤدي إلى انخفاض الرضا الوظيفي.

5. صعوبات في التقدم المهني: قد يواجه الموظفون الذين يعانون من وصمة العار صعوبات في الحصول على الترقيات أو فرص التطوير المهني.