SiW

Safety in the Workplace

Although individuals are responsible for their own health, it is in the interest of employers and institutions to invest in the health of their staff, learners or those in their care. People from diverse backgrounds spend at least 6- 8 hours at the workspace or institutions most of the week of the month for both their formative lives as well as their adult lives.

It can be stressful juggling the daily pressures of living and especially in the aftermath of COVID-19, politics and general rise in the cost of living. All these heighten social, economic and health demands on individuals.

Mental health (MH) is inaccessible for most people:

• Finances …the cost of consulting effectively with a MH are out of reach for most Kenyans.
• Finding a professional… there a few qualified MH providers in relation to the population.
• MH care is stigmatised…and so many people shy away from seeking services
• MH ignored and given a relatively low priority…in comparison to physical health
• Insurance companies…often these do not include MH in their services.
• Employers, at least a majority of them, have been reluctant to invest in wellness…. because they are not convinced that they will get a reasonable return for their investment.
• Employees and learners do not trust their employers or authorities with information about their MH…they fear that that sharing sensitive information can be used against them in some way resulting in them getting fired or expelled from the institution.
• People don’t really want to make difficult changes in their lifestyle…they prefer to take the chance that nothing will happen to them and either continue to suffer in silence or resort to maladaptive ways of coping.