Complete Sentence Outline for Speeches

Specific purpose:  Inform the audience about the problem of mental health at the workplace.

Thesis: The problem of mental health at the workplace presents a major challenge to employers and employees. I will discuss this problem, looking at the risk factors for mental health at the workplace, consequences of the problem and ways to deal with it.

Main Points

1. Risk factors for mental health in the workplace
2. Consequences of mental health at the workplace
3. Dealing with mental health at the workplace

Speech title:   Mental Health at the Workplace

I.                     Intro

A.                One in every five adults in the United States has reported health problems related to mental health. This proportion adds up to more than 40 million people.  63 percent of Americans are engaged in the workforce. This suggests that a similar percentage of all the mental illness cases in the United States occur in or affect the workplace (Goetzel, 2018).

B.                 A majority of people with mental health conditions often need care for not only the mental health complication but also other conditions. The way we treat people with mental health, therefore, affects their overall health and determines the quality of lives they live.

C.                 To find an effective way to deal with the problem of mental health at the workplace, we must adopt approaches that will realize the greatest success in helping people with the problem.

D.                Thesis Statement: There is need to examine the risk factors, and consequences of mental health problems at the workplace, and available solutions to the problem.

Transition Statement:   One of the most critical aspects of the problem of mental health is the risk factors.

II.                 Body

A.                There are many risk factors for mental health in the workplace. Many of these factors are influenced by the work environment, type of work, relations between employees, support available at work and the employee (Follmer & Jones, 2017)

1.                    The first risk factor is inadequate policies on health and safety. Many organizations do not have in place health and safety policies tailored for people with mental illnesses. The absence of appropriate health and safety policies makes it difficult for organizations to respond effectively to mental health problems in the workplace.

2.                   Another risk factor for mental health at the workplace is poor management practices. Poor management practices such as poor communication makes it difficult for people with mental health illnesses at the work place to share their problem and seek health. Most people with such problems, therefore, do not communicate them, and this often escalates the problem (Follmer & Jones, 2017).

3.                   Limited participation in the decision making process can also expose employees to mental health problems. When employees are not involved in making important policy decisions in an organization, the resultant decisions will not address the unique challenges in the work environment. Many issues such as harassment and long working hours may eventually cause stress, depression and other mental illnesses among employees.

Transition Statement:  Mental health at the work place has dire consequences on both the employer and the employee.

B.                 There are three major consequences of the problem of mental health at the workplace: absenteeism, poor work performance and change of behavior and attitude (Maulik, 2017).

1.                    Workers with mental problems will exhibit increased absenteeism at work due to frequent sickness and general poor health. They will suffer from depression and stress, and may also develop chronic diseases such as high blood pressure and heart diseases.

2.                   Mental problem causes low productivity and the output of affected employees may reduce drastically. Employees suffering from mental health illnesses will also become prone to errors and accidents further affecting their efficiency.

3.                   Workers suffering from mental illnesses will show a sudden loss of interest and motivation in their work. They may suddenly begin reporting to work late, or work long hours with little returns.

Transition Statement:  The important thing about mental health is to find an efficient solution that will reduce the overall impact of the problem at the workplace.

C.                 Approaches to the management mental health in the workplace requires the involvement of the employer (Goetzel, 2018)

1.                   Employers can offer programs on stress and mental health management to ensure that they can cater for the needs of employees who may be suffering from mental health problems. This type of program will also make healthy employees less susceptible to mental illnesses.

2.                   Employers can provide integrated health insurance coverage that caters for physical, behavioral and mental health problems. A comprehensive medical insurance cover will encourage employees battling mental illnesses to seek help from mental health experts and access good treatment intervention in time (Goetzel, 2018).

3.                   Employers can also train their managers on how to identify signs of mental illnesses such as depression and stress in the people they work with. This will enable organizations to identify mental illnesses early enough and help the affected employee.

Transition Statement:  Mental health at the work place is, therefore, a crucial issue that whose consequences have a wide reach in the workplace

III.              Conclusion

A.                The challenge of mental health in the workplace requires that employees work very closely with their employers to formulate strategies that can help alleviate the problem, and reduce its impacts on both the individuals affected and the organization.

B.                 There is urgent need for clear policies and regulations to guide the identification of mental health problems in the workplace and facilitate the treatment of the affected workers to ensure that they get the best intervention.

C.                 There is little funding for research on the problem of mental health, and the relevant interventions. States and the federal government should direct more effort towards funding research in this area as the number of people affected by mental illness at the work place continues to rise.

References

 Follmer, K. B. & Jones, K. S. (2017).  Mental Illness in the Workplace: An Interdisciplinary Review and Organizational Research Agenda.  Journal of Management, Vol. 44 No. 1, January 2018 325 –351DOI: 10.1177/0149206317741194. Retrieved from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0149206317741194

Goetzel, R. Z.  et al. (2018). Mental Health in the Workplace, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine: April 2018 – Volume 60 – Issue 4 – p 322-330 doi: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000001271. Retrieved from https://journals.lww.com/joem/FullText/2018/04000/Mental_Health_in_the_Workplace__A_Call_to_Action.5.aspx

Maulik P. K. (2017). Workplace stress: A neglected aspect of mental health wellbeing. The Indian journal of medical research, 146(4), 441–444.  Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5819024/