Manager Support of Employees With Depression May Reduce Absenteeism

A study published in BMJ Open of 15 countries found absenteeism is lower and presenteeism higher when managers offer help and support to employees with depression, reports Reuters Health . Moreover, employees who live in a country with a larger number of managers who avoid discussing depression tend to take more days off work. Managers who said they had one or more employees with depression responded variably across the countries, but managers in Asian countries tended to avoid those employees. Managers in Mexico were most supportive, with 67 percent saying they had offered help, as did 56 percent in South Africa and Spain. Among individual employees, those working in smaller companies or with high educational attainment tended to take more time off due to depression. Employees living in high-GDP countries also took slightly more time off, though at the national level, higher GDP was associated with rates of presenteeism. Individually, men aged 45-64 with medium to low education levels also tended to have higher levels of presenteeism, while 25-to-44-year-olds tended to have lower levels of presenteeism. "Managers at the top set the tone, which cascades into workplace policies and training programs that other managers can use to support their employees," says Sara Evans-Lacko of the London School of Economics and Political Science. "Managers often don't know what to say or don't want to make it worse, but talking about it helps." David McDaid of the London School of Economics and Political Science notes the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is reviewing its mental health policies.