Depression is a chronic condition that can have grave outcomes if not addressed. In fact, depression can be so severe that it becomes classified as a disability. For employees whose depression comes from the workplace, legal avenues through a disability lawyer Toronto may be sought after.
However, while it is the employee who is affected most by depression in the workplace, the business stands to lose from decreased productivity. Here are five examples of how this is possible.
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Low Energy
One common symptom of depression is fatigue. This fatigue does not necessarily come about as a result of work – it is caused by decreased energy levels. This makes you feel tired easily, mostly early in the day when you have barely completed your tasks. The result is a backlog of work and, consequently, reduced productivity. This goes beyond the workplace into one’s personal and social life.
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Distorted Cognitive Functions
An optimal state of one’s cognitive functions is crucial to getting anything done. For instance, you need to concentrate to get through a particular task in minimal time. You also need to think clearly to come up with solutions to problems in the workplace.
Depression in the workplace scrambles your cognitive functions and leaves you feeling dazed and disconnected from your fellow employees. This, consequently, makes it difficult to focus and get anything done at work.
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Frequent Accidents
As mentioned earlier, depression leaves you feeling disconnected from the rest of the world. It also leads to loss of one’s cognitive functions. Coupled with the stress that may have caused depression in the first place, these factors lead to clumsiness. This results in many accidents at the workplace. This not only decreases productivity but also leads to losses depending on the nature of the accident – in some cases, the depressed employee may be involved in serious accidents that may require litigation through a disability lawyer.
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Strained Working Relationships
99% of depression cases are accompanied by strained relationships, be it at work, at home, or in social circles. The depressed employee feels disadvantaged and insecure, and the ultimate reaction is either lashing out at other workers or hiding in the shadows.
Success demands cooperation with other people, and the most successful businesses are built by employees working together. For instance, there is a need for an IT specialist to take care of IT matters as well as a receptionist to liaise with clients. Failure to cooperate with other workers leads to a dysfunctional working environment and ultimately decreases productivity.
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Lack of Responsibility
Depressed people have bigger things to worry about than what is expected of them at work. They are in a constant battle with their challenges in their minds. This battle can be so immersive that they even forget personal responsibilities such as hygiene and nutrition. Professional responsibilities are no exception either, and a depressed worker will often do a shoddy job just to get done with it. This also results in reduced productivity and can ruin a business’ reputation.
