Organisational support for employees suffering with mental health issues: how Human Resource departments can work in conjunction with both employees and management to resolve this ongoing issue

Gill, Ross (2021) Organisational support for employees suffering with mental health issues: how Human Resource departments can work in conjunction with both employees and management to resolve this ongoing issue. Masters thesis, Dublin, National College of Ireland.

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Abstract

This study will examine the ongoing concern associated with mental health in the workplace, particularly within the IT sector, and will identify how various human resource (HR) teams can work in conjunction to make a positive impact on the day-to-day lives of employees who are suffering with mental illnesses. Addressing the issue of mental health is significantly important in the current COVID-19 era, where individuals across the globe have been deprived of many social freedoms which used to contribute towards attaining a healthy work life balance. For some the home is now the workplace, a tension filled office, and they have less relief from employment related issues. In addition there is the anxiety associated with being infected or of a loved one contracting the virus. Modern-day organisations employ a number of strategies geared at providing workplaces which are considered to be “psychologically safe” by their employees, and these strategies help to ensure that employees feel affiliated with the company’s brand so that they can bring their best selves to work. A combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches were utilised in the form of semi-structured interviews and online surveys to garner an accurate, real-time representation of the initiatives organisations within the technology sector are adopting to address the current mental health crisis. The research will also attempt to bridge the gap between what employers should be doing and what employers are actually doing to facilitate the mental health discussion. Findings from this research highlight that a substantial number of organisations do not invest appropriately in providing training for their employees on how to recognise and manage individuals with mental illnesses. The outcome of the research also indicates that despite the alleged awareness of the importance of mental health in this contemporary society, organisations still possess certain levels of unconscious biases with regards to hiring individuals who suffer with their mental health.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD28 Management. Industrial Management > Human Resource Management R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine > RA790 Mental Health H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > Issues of Labour and Work > Quality of Work Life / Job Satisfaction
Divisions:	School of Business > Master of Arts in Human Resource Management
Depositing User:	Clara Chan
Date Deposited:	21 Jan 2022 14:58
Last Modified:	21 Jan 2022 14:58
URI:	https://norma.ncirl.ie/id/eprint/5312

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