29 Aug 2019

Botswana National Productivity Centre (BNPC), on August 27 held a productivity summit under the theme: Reap More by Optimising the Worth of Human Resource, Processes, Systems and Change in your Company.

Speaking at the event, Co-founder of Botswana National Mental Health (BONMEH) and depression survivor, Ms Charity Kennedy said the summit was inspired by mental health in the workplace programme, which is all about having psycho education, recommending counselling and fighting depression.

She said after the realisation that mental health had an impact in productivity in the workplace, they decided to step up and voice it out.

“There are a lot of mental issues that happen in the work place and in the process affecting productivity, but the topic of mental health is surrounded by stigma as it is associated with insanity,” she said.

Ms Kennedy said workers who go to work depressed cost their organisations more than workers who were absent,citing that a supervisor could delegate the task of an absent employee but when a depressed employee was at work, tasks could not be delegated but they would not be delivered. She appealed to all to promote mental health in the work place.

“Let us revisit our work ethics and strategies and see where we can fit mental health so that our organisations grow in terms of productivity,” Ms Kennedy said.
She emphasised that the state of mind affected the whole being: physical, emotional and social aspects.

Giving a keynote address, BNPC Board Chairperson Mr Nelson Motshweneng said depression in the work place cost companies billions and affected the economy.

He said the workplace should be a place where new thoughts and courageous things are born, hence growth in productivity.

“At times, people get depressed at work because they look for wrong things and their emotions will be all over the place,” he said.

Mr Motshweneng also warned against engaging in sexual relationships in the workplace, as at times, they do not end well, affecting production.

He said attitude was also a contributing factor to making others feel less important and needed, advising that every time someone opens their mouth to speak, they should first think of whether it would pull somebody down or help them move one step up the ladder.

Ministry of Health and Wellness, mental health coordinator, Mr Patrick Zibochwa said both the employer and employee could be to blame for mental health issues in the workplace, which is why there should be good working relations.

He said at times, employees clash with employers because they let the work  pile up and try to do it at the eleventh hour, which at times becomes impossible.
Mr Zibochwa said mental health in the work place is silent and salient and that the silence of employees can be appreciated as the silent ones are usually said to be peacekeepers.

“We are killing each other in our work stations, being silent does not always mean that one needs peace. At times it means that they cannot voice out and depressions knocks,” he said.

He said 39 500 people are suffering from mental illnesses within a population of 2.2 million with at least 6 200 of them suffering  from depression,.

He observed that a lot of depressed people do not go to facilities.

He further said depressed men die silently as they do not speak out, but commit suicide, whereas women only attempt to commit suicide, which draws attention that they need help.

Mr Zibochwa said all the 27 health districts have mental health coordinators and multi-disciplinary specialists to address issues of depression.

He said the ministry came up with wellness offices where Safety Health, Environment practitioners attend to issues of mental health in the workplace.

He however said that at times, some depression was not caused by work but by personal things that people drag to work.

“When we are at work, let us try to focus and not bring our marital problems and family problems to work, it is very dangerous,” he said, adding that gossip was also a major source of hate amongst employees, which could affect those with low self-esteem to an extent of being depressed. Ends