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How is your employer addressing employee stress and mental health?

Eman Resu

I drink to dat
Joined
May 20, 2020
Member Number
440
Messages
111
Loc
DTW
Stress, anxiety, and tensions are running high around the workplace in recent weeks. In a office/shop environment having ~150 employees, 3 have quite and 4 were packed and out the door before returning after a chat. The problem isn't because of one specific person, clique, or group. Management has taken a few steps in an attempt to head-off the problem at-large. They've set-up a 24/7 confidential hotline with stress/life counselors without fees or visit limitations. The news feed (AP headlines, I believe) on the lobby monitor has been deactivated. TheDonald.win has been blocked due to "profanity", though no other news or aggregate sites have been blocked. Now they're considering stress management and hostile work environment training for all- likely a movie having the same production quality as high school health film "Syphillus and You".

The socio-political climate isn't going to change for the better anytime soon, so what has your employer done or is doing to get ahead of people flipping their shit at work?
 
Been with the new company for less than three weeks, in that time two guys have quit and two more were fired and since it's a small operation that is only going to create more stress and work for the drivers that are left.
 
Not doing a thing. No one seems more stressed than normal. Hell I hope i never have to go back there again. this work from home biz is awesome.
 
Seven weeks of vacation a year, and the ability to shoot animals off my back porch.

:D
 
Now they're considering stress management and hostile work environment training for all- likely a movie having the same production quality as high school health film "Syphillus and You".

Actually, it will be worse. While the high school film might have been a waste of time, at least nobody really had anything better to do as it was, plus you could joke about it later. Wasting adults' time with useless and often condescending training is the type of thing that makes for lower moral, increased work load (the time for the training has to be taken from somewhere else), and may even offend people to the point they just get up and walk out.

Have fun. :laughing:


As to my own employer, well, we have a simple system in place. They simply expect people to put on the big girl panties and get shit done. If they crack, then you stop paying them and hire somebody else.
 
getting kind of tired of the repeated
"if we don't get some more work in here we are going to have to start lay offs"
crap.....like I can make people crash their cars:rolleyes:
 
I dont see it as being the responsibility of the employer on this stuff. We are supposed to be adults, handle yer shit and go to work. Unfortunately there are many who see things the other way and boy are they noisy squeeky wheels. I believe it is a part of our medical but we have access to tele-mental health services and I think in-person if you need it. Although I cant say any but a very few have ever made use of it AFAIK. That is corporate. Our local "policy" is just keep it to a minimum and if someone gets out of hand, a coworker will take them aside and educate them on keeping the mouth shut. Seems to be working.
 
There is nothing being done. We just started back up this week after a four month layoff, so there’s no stress yet that I’ve seen. Most of the instructors are former military with time in the ME and we are working on a military base training service members that many have time in the ME or other deployments, so this shit is stress free compared to that.
 
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My employer isn't doing anything except for they furloughed half of our staff and expecting the remaining staff to pick up the workload. Ive never been more stressed and my company really doesn't care.
 
Stress, anxiety, and tensions are running high around the workplace in recent weeks. In a office/shop environment having ~150 employees, 3 have quite and 4 were packed and out the door before returning after a chat. The problem isn't because of one specific person, clique, or group. Management has taken a few steps in an attempt to head-off the problem at-large. They've set-up a 24/7 confidential hotline with stress/life counselors without fees or visit limitations. The news feed (AP headlines, I believe) on the lobby monitor has been deactivated. TheDonald.win has been blocked due to "profanity", though no other news or aggregate sites have been blocked. Now they're considering stress management and hostile work environment training for all- likely a movie having the same production quality as high school health film "Syphillus and You".

The socio-political climate isn't going to change for the better anytime soon, so what has your employer done or is doing to get ahead of people flipping their shit at work?

what line of work are you in?
 
There is nothing being done. We just started back up this week after a four month layoff, so there’s no stress yet that I’ve seen. Most of the instructors are former military with time in the ME and we are working on a military base training service members that many have time in the ME or other deployments, so this shit is stress free compared to that.

Correct.
I'm civilian DOD contractor who is out in the field with former and current Mil people 5 days a week, if not 6 days. Headed to Ft Knox for 4 months tomorrow. We just look for chinks in the armor and pick away on each other. Gets heated at times, but we have a damn GREAT time. Nothing has basically changed for us. other than standing 6 ft apart in the Galley in line. I was on San Clemente Island in March and the Navy basically disappeared. Almost like being back up on the Aleutian Islands. Very few people around other than co-workers.
 
I had an employee get angry and start ranting when I asked them to sign a B.S. form stating that they'll monitor they're own health, by taking their temps, blah, blah, blah. l explained to him it's just to appease HR, and I really don't care if he does it or not. This whole thing is getting tiresome, and we're all sick of it.

He was laughing before leaving. But seriously, enough is enough.

So, at work, everyone is more or less tired of the bullshit, and carrying on like normal.
 
I dont see it as being the responsibility of the employer on this stuff. We are supposed to be adults, handle yer shit and go to work. Unfortunately there are many who see things the other way and boy are they noisy squeeky wheels. I believe it is a part of our medical but we have access to tele-mental health services and I think in-person if you need it. Although I cant say any but a very few have ever made use of it AFAIK. That is corporate. Our local "policy" is just keep it to a minimum and if someone gets out of hand, a coworker will take them aside and educate them on keeping the mouth shut. Seems to be working.

This^

We got some "younger" guys that can't figure out how to get a note from the doctors

My boss looks at me like it's my problem... Nope fawk you!

As for stress for the guys under me, I just act like it's normal and told them it is what it is

And that has worked okay so far
 
I had a mini- melt down a couple of weeks ago

Our break areas have long picnic tables capable of comfortably seating 8 people (4 per side). Since covid, they've been taped off and covered with plastic as to only seat 2, one on each end on opposing sides. 7 or 8 tables per break area. Now most folks eat lunch on their machine solo.

On the very day I tied my personal record of 400 tires, I went over there at lunch, flipped out my pocket knife, and cut all that shit off in front of everybody. I intentionally threw it in the floor next to the trash can and not in the can. Warmed my shit up in one of the microwaves, sat down and ate not saying a word.

The next day- shift Forman had a talk with me. I got a talk instead of a suspension because I'm me.

Put me in the "im tired of this shit" camp.
 
I work in the oilfield, I was given a piece of paper that says I'm an "essential employee" and sent to work. They fired 55 people, cut overtime entirely and the remaining people had to pick up the extra work. More work less hours smaller paychecks. Problem solved. It's actually not been that bad because I want to be home more, they cut all gatherings including safety meetings and training. Nobody comes out to the field to check on us now because that is potential exposure. I don't want work to go back to normal, I like being home at 4 pm, and doing my job un-interrupted.
 
i work fer my country and we got eap. employee assistance program. its 8 free visits per issue a year. i used it 3 years and got to sit talking to a yogurt eating, prius driving, burkenstock wearing hippy quack with a man bun.

RUGER
 
My employer isn't doing anything except for they furloughed half of our staff and expecting the remaining staff to pick up the workload. Ive never been more stressed and my company really doesn't care.

Sooo….. you were selected as a worthwhile employee, the rest got axed, you get to keep your job and you are bitchin about it? Really? Would you rather be sitting at home NOT earning a paycheck?

Maybe I have been through too many economic crashes. I am routinely amazed at the attitudes of some. The entitled youth today blow my mind. We have many young guys at work that seem to be oblivious to the economic pressures of the company and people elsewhere being laid off and they bitch about raises, timeoff, extra duties or something. Culture change maybe.
 
i work fer my country and we got eap. employee assistance program. its 8 free visits per issue a year. i used it 3 years and got to sit talking to a yogurt eating, prius driving, burkenstock wearing hippy quack with a man bun.

RUGER

On top of that, you got added to a list of people who will be scrutinized for questionable mental stability in the future. Good luck with that. I will be the dude in line near you, see you then!
 
I had a mini- melt down a couple of weeks ago

Our break areas have long picnic tables capable of comfortably seating 8 people (4 per side). Since covid, they've been taped off and covered with plastic as to only seat 2, one on each end on opposing sides. 7 or 8 tables per break area. Now most folks eat lunch on their machine solo.

On the very day I tied my personal record of 400 tires, I went over there at lunch, flipped out my pocket knife, and cut all that shit off in front of everybody. I intentionally threw it in the floor next to the trash can and not in the can. Warmed my shit up in one of the microwaves, sat down and ate not saying a word.

The next day- shift Forman had a talk with me. I got a talk instead of a suspension because I'm me.

Put me in the "im tired of this shit" camp.

I'm getting to this point. Especially being singled out for not wearing a mask by a group of people....not wearing a mask. :mad3:
 
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