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Eligibility Guidelines For PIOS EurekAlert! offers eligible public information officers paid access to a reliable news release distribution service. Eligibility Guidelines AAAS Logo EurekAlert! is a service of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. * Login * Register News Release 23-Jun-2021 Toxic workplaces increase risk of depression by 300% University of South Australia Research News Share Print E-Mail IMAGE IMAGE: A stressful workplace can take its toll on our mental health. view more Credit: UniSA A year-long Australian population study has found that full time workers employed by organisations that fail to prioritise their employees' mental health have a threefold increased risk of being diagnosed with depression. And while working long hours is a risk factor for dying from cardiovascular disease or having a stroke, poor management practices pose a greater risk for depression, the researchers found. The University of South Australia study, published in the British Medical Journal today, is led by UniSA's Psychosocial Safety Climate Observatory, the world's first research platform exploring workplace psychological health and safety. Psychosocial safety climate (PSC) is the term used to describe management practices and communication and participation systems that protect workers' mental health and safety. Lead author, Dr Amy Zadow, says that poor workplace mental health can be traced back to poor management practices, priorities and values, which then flows through to high job demands and low resources. "Evidence shows that companies who fail to reward or acknowledge their employees for hard work, impose unreasonable demands on workers, and do not give them autonomy, are placing their staff at a much greater risk of depression," says Dr Zadow. Internationally renowned expert on workplace mental health, ARC Laureate Professor Maureen Dollard, says the study found that while enthusiastic and committed workers are valued, working long hours can lead to depression. Men are also more likely to become depressed if their workplace pays scant attention to their psychological health. Due to the global burden of depression, which affects an estimated 300 million people worldwide and shows no sign of abating despite available treatments, more attention is now being paid to poorly functioning work environments which could contribute to the problem. High levels of burnout and workplace bullying are also linked to corporations' failure to support workers' mental health. A second paper co-authored by Professor Dollard and published in the European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology earlier this month, found that low PSC was an important predictor of bullying and emotional exhaustion. "Lack of consultation with employees and unions over workplace health and safety issues, and little support for stress prevention, is linked to low PSC in companies. "We also found that bullying in a work unit can not only negatively affect the victim, but also the perpetrator and team members who witness that behaviour. It is not uncommon for everyone in the same unit to experience burnout as a result. "In this study we investigated bullying in a group context and why it occurs. Sometimes stress is a trigger for bullying and in the worst cases it can set an 'acceptable' level of behaviour for other members of the team. But above all bullying can be predicted from a company's commitment to mental health, so it can be prevented," Prof Dollard says. The global costs of workplace bullying and worker burnout are significant, manifested in absenteeism, poor work engagement, stress leave and low productivity. The extent of the problem was recognised in 2019 with the International Labour Organization (ILO) implementing a Global Commission on the Future of Work and calling for "a human-centred approach, putting people and the work they do at the centre of economic and social policy and business practice". "The practical implications of this research are far reaching. High levels of worker burnout are extremely costly to organisations and it's clear that top-level organisational change is needed to address the issue," Prof Dollard says. ### Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system. Share Print E-Mail Media Contact Candy Gibson candy.gibson@unisa.edu.au 61-883-020-961 http://www.unisa.edu.au/ --------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------- More on this News Release Toxic workplaces increase risk of depression by 300% University of South Australia Journal BMJ Open Funder Australian Research Council --------------------------------------------------------------------- Keywords * DEPRESSION/ANGER * MEDICINE/HEALTH * MENTAL HEALTH * STRESS/ANXIETY Multimedia Toxic Workplaces Increase Risk of Depression by 300% Toxic Workplaces Increase Risk of Depression by 300% (IMAGE) view more Related Journal Article http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-044133 --------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------- More in Medicine & Health * Edible Cholera vaccine made of powdered rice proves safe in phase 1 human trials University of Tokyo * Differences in human, mouse brain cells have important implications for disease research University of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences * Mayo Clinic researchers study potential new CAR-T cell therapy for multiple myeloma Mayo Clinic * Muscle's smallest building blocks disappear after stroke Northwestern University View all in Medicine & Health --------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------- Trending News Releases * 'Dragon man' fossil may replace Neanderthals as our closest relative Cell Press * New fossil discovery from Israel points to complicated evolutionary process Binghamton University * When pandemic hit, some people wanted more sexual activity University of Pittsburgh * Leopard gecko skin tumors traced to cancer gene Howard Hughes Medical Institute View all latest news releases --------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------- EurekAlert! 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