23 April 2007
Companies urged to talk to employees about stress
Australian study finds many professionals aren't being taught to deal with depression effectively.
A survey of more than 17,000 Australian workers has found professionals, and lawyers in particular, are turning to alcohol and drugs to deal with their stresses and depression rather than talking to managers about problems.
The study, conducted by management consultancy, Beaton Consulting, and national depression initiative, Beyond Blue, discovered that 16% of professionals exhibit moderate or severe forms of the depressive behavior, a rate that's significantly higher than that of the general population.
Depressed employees cost businesses an average of AUS$10,000 a year each, so avoiding depression through good communications needs to be a higher priority.
The nature of a lawyer's work makes it more likely they'll struggle to talk to seniors about their negative feelings.
Legal stress
"Every different occupational group has its own stresses but from anecdotal evidence suggests that lawyers are under a lot of pressure to perform and meet deadlines," says Nicole Highett, Beyond Blue's deputy chief executive.
Lawyers are also more likely to deal with their negative feelings by using alcohol and drugs, rather than talking to colleagues or bosses about their issues.
More care needed
Michael Brett Young, the chief executive of the Law Institute of Victoria, says there are steps that law firms and other organizations can take to communicate to employees how they should deal with depressive feelings.
No-one should feel ashamed about being stressed, they should realize it's part of everyday life that people come up against.
"In a practical sense people need to take adequate annual leave, or if they've got issues of stress they could be provided with a mentor to go to, someone to talk things through with," he says.
"No-one should feel ashamed about being stressed, they should realize it's part of everyday life that people come up against and there's people out there who can assist them. I think firms should look at encouraging outside bodies to be a mentor."
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