Increasingly mental health issues are being raised in the workplace. Job stresses are being recognised as affecting the overall wellbeing of the registered nurse as well as the quality of care given to patients. This paper is going to critically discuss the impact of work environments on mental health, and the elements of workplaces that affect staff. This paper will also examine the early warning signs of poor mental health and risk factors that can lead to poor mental health. Specifically this paper will focus on bullying in the workplace and shift work. This paper will also critically discuss the implementation of staff education and mindfulness strategies implemented in the workplace to improve mental health promotion in the nursing workplace.
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Characteristics of unhealthy work environments are poor communication, abusive behaviour, disrespect, resistance to change, lack of leadership, no trust, conflict and loss of understanding (Ritter, 2011). This can also lead to poor patient outcomes, from lack of quality care due to work environment (Ritter, 2011). Unhealthy work environments can affect nursing staff’s health negatively, physiologically and physically. There are early warning signs that can be observed in an employee suffering poor mental health at work. Comcare (2014) acknowledges that the early warning signs for poor mental health are change in employee emotional responses, erratic behaviour, obsession with particular areas of work and neglect in others, low morale, disengagement, withdrawal, increased negative language, reduced levels of performance and most commonly increased number of unplanned absences. Nursing is a high stress area, Kidd and Findlayson (2010) explain that the nature of nursing leaves members prone to more risk factors such as shift work and bullying. With these risk factors leaving staff prone to burnout, which ultimately leads to poor quality of care for patients (Kidd & Findlayson, 2010). There are many risk factors that can increase the likelihood of mental health issues; they can be environmental or …show more content…
Nursing shift work can create a high-pressure work environment, resulting in very serious health problems among nurses and patients (Lin et al. 2014). Shift work can be linked to gastrointestinal problems, sleep problems, fatigue and depression. Employees who work fixed hours show less health issues than their counterparts. Al-Hammad et al. (2012) also discuss the link between shift work and perceived psychological stress which leads to reduced coping skill due to the disruption of the circadian timing system. A study conducted by von Treuer, Fuller-Tyszkiewicz & Little (2014) shows that it can even depend on the kind of shift work to how affected staff will be. This study showed that staff on rotating shifts and night shift where more prone to poor physical and psychosocial health outcome than those who worked day shift (von Treuer Fuller-Tyszkiewicz & Little, 2014). Buja et al. (2013) also came to the consulsion that nurses working night shifts are under a considerable strain and show more negative affects in their health. Buja et al. (2013) conclude that it is important for organisation to implement strategies to reduce the amount of burnout for staff working these shifts. There are strategies that organisations can implement to reduce the affects of risks to mental
Characteristics of unhealthy work environments are poor communication, abusive behaviour, disrespect, resistance to change, lack of leadership, no trust, conflict and loss of understanding (Ritter, 2011). This can also lead to poor patient outcomes, from lack of quality care due to work environment (Ritter, 2011). Unhealthy work environments can affect nursing staff’s health negatively, physiologically and physically. There are early warning signs that can be observed in an employee suffering poor mental health at work. Comcare (2014) acknowledges that the early warning signs for poor mental health are change in employee emotional responses, erratic behaviour, obsession with particular areas of work and neglect in others, low morale, disengagement, withdrawal, increased negative language, reduced levels of performance and most commonly increased number of unplanned absences. Nursing is a high stress area, Kidd and Findlayson (2010) explain that the nature of nursing leaves members prone to more risk factors such as shift work and bullying. With these risk factors leaving staff prone to burnout, which ultimately leads to poor quality of care for patients (Kidd & Findlayson, 2010). There are many risk factors that can increase the likelihood of mental health issues; they can be environmental or …show more content…
Nursing shift work can create a high-pressure work environment, resulting in very serious health problems among nurses and patients (Lin et al. 2014). Shift work can be linked to gastrointestinal problems, sleep problems, fatigue and depression. Employees who work fixed hours show less health issues than their counterparts. Al-Hammad et al. (2012) also discuss the link between shift work and perceived psychological stress which leads to reduced coping skill due to the disruption of the circadian timing system. A study conducted by von Treuer, Fuller-Tyszkiewicz & Little (2014) shows that it can even depend on the kind of shift work to how affected staff will be. This study showed that staff on rotating shifts and night shift where more prone to poor physical and psychosocial health outcome than those who worked day shift (von Treuer Fuller-Tyszkiewicz & Little, 2014). Buja et al. (2013) also came to the consulsion that nurses working night shifts are under a considerable strain and show more negative affects in their health. Buja et al. (2013) conclude that it is important for organisation to implement strategies to reduce the amount of burnout for staff working these shifts. There are strategies that organisations can implement to reduce the affects of risks to mental