Tag: employee depression

Pandemic-related uncertainty and stress saw human resource (HR) departments emerge as valuable partners in ensuring business continuity and success. The role of HR practitioners has evolved, and they are now more important than ever as crucial support structures for employees and facilitators of their overall wellbeing.

The myriad challenges that COVID-19 has forced on our lives have been stressful, none more so than for many working professionals. Based on our 2021 Stress Index, fear of loss of income and the fear of losing a family member to COVID-19 went head-to-head as the biggest stress factors of the last year.

For the first time ever, we can measure a person’s genetic capacity for resilience and improve it - thanks to a ground-breaking new DNA test which has been developed by a South African biotech company. Resilience refers to a person’s grit – their ability to withstand adversity and bounce back from difficult life events.

There has never been a more critical time than now for employers to celebrate worker’s month by providing their employees with structured wellbeing programmes with a particular focus on financial wellbeing that can ultimately affect the bottom line if not managed effectively.

In Legal Aid SA v Jansen (LAC), the employer appealed against the Labour Court’s decision whereby it held that the dismissal of the employee was automatically unfair in terms of section 187(1)(f) of the Labour Relations Act (LRA) and that he had been unfairly discriminated against in terms of section 6 of the Employment Equity Act, on the basis of him suffering from depression.

After working from home and collaborating at a distance, the importance of the workplace and all that it offers has become clear: An office is more than just a place to work and while some people have adapted to working from home (WFH), many people miss the office, perhaps even surprising themselves.