VOICE OF THE
WORKERS ISSUE 27 July 2014
Mental Health at work
Awareness as the agent of change
Contents The private tear
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Investing in the greatest asset 03 Towards a framework policy for mental health at work
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Mental health at work: The essentials
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On average, most of us spend at least eight hours, or one third of our day at work. If one considers that we spend an average of eight hours sleeping, this means that we are talking about two thirds of our lives. A good number of workers spend more time at work than with family and friends It is every worker’s right to be happy at work, safe from physical as well as mental harm. Most of the time, however, we tend to give major importance to physical health and safety at work, but not enough to mental health. When work is going well, it does much more than provide an income. Work provides a connection to the world around you, a sense of purpose and meaning, a feeling of accomplishment, as well as a sense of personal identity.
VOICE OF THE
WORKERS
Generally, ‘good’ work is also a very good antidote to general anxiety and depression that may set in at some time during a person’s lifetime. The opposite is true when our work is devoid of purpose, too stressful, and where relations and the general ambience at work are strained or outright toxic. Although mental health can be down to the individual and to the job he or she is doing, there
Editor’s note josef Vella
“We need to acknowledge more that what happaens during work will affect the rest of our lives”
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