Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Work and Employment
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 05-22-2008, 04:51 PM
 
Location: Fresno, CA
1,071 posts, read 1,283,037 times
Reputation: 1986

Advertisements

I worked 30 years for the same employer feeling depressed and with low energy more often than not. Then a few years ago I found a miracle cure called----RETIREMENT!

I've run into or kept in touch with former co-workers who've retired and had the same response--- a near immediate, huge reduction in stress, anxiety and depressive symptoms. Those I meet who are still working describe their symptoms of unhappiness/worry as having intensified with agency belt-tightening and shuffling. There's usually a very visible difference between those currently working and those who are retired; strain versus relaxation.

Ironically, I worked for a government mental health agency with very little regard evident for their own employees' well-being! The majority of the problems were due primarily to the quality (or lack thereof) of leadership, politics and general apathy regarding employees well-being. Morale was pretty much last on the list. There was a "dime a dozen" mentality regarding employees. Promotions to leadership positions had no known relationship to being a good leader but very much to "playing the game" and favoritism. What a surprise(she said facetiously)!

We learned that, on the rare occasion, when a new boss was hired from outside who had intelligence, insight, scruples/integrity, genuine team orientation and an honorable,reasonable, thoughtful approach to people and problems, he/she wasn't going to last long.

I would not have trusted an employer sponsored mental health intervention program nor did I use my health insurance for treatment. I got by commiserating and problem-solving with those in the same boat who understood what I was experiencing.

Having good leaders who sought, listened openly and responded constructively to employee feedback could have made a world of difference to the well-being of their staff. An anonymous bi-annual written employee survey was suggested numerous times with different administrators. Each time that idea was brought up or followed up on, they indicated they would have to get back to us (with a "when pigs fly" undertone).

Anyway, semi-retirement and another job (which I very much enjoy) has cured what ailed me. I wish I could share that new found sense of well-being with others still in the trenches
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 05-23-2008, 12:12 AM
 
Location: Somewhere in Flyover country
531 posts, read 1,739,370 times
Reputation: 180
What you are describing is not clinical depression,but transitory situational depression. Clinical depression often is genetic like diabetes or heart disease, or ,say ,bipolar disorder,so there is a difference. People may need to take medication with this health problem. Having said that,I would be leery of going to a company counselor--privacy reasons.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-24-2008, 08:09 AM
 
27,246 posts, read 27,310,999 times
Reputation: 45758
Some people are content with our jobs and find ways to show it, lol.






YouTube - Lowe's lumber CSA lowe's lets do something stupid together
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-24-2008, 08:29 AM
 
Location: Arizona, The American Southwest
54,477 posts, read 33,776,473 times
Reputation: 91671
Quote:
Originally Posted by Livewire View Post
Some people are content with our jobs and find ways to show it, lol.


YouTube - Lowe's lumber CSA lowe's lets do something stupid together
LOL... I think he deserves a raise for that!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-24-2008, 08:38 AM
 
27,246 posts, read 27,310,999 times
Reputation: 45758
If my camera had a longer recording capability, oh, the things I could show ya that goes on, lol.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-24-2008, 09:13 AM
 
Location: In my view finder.....
8,515 posts, read 16,134,880 times
Reputation: 8079
Interesting article..


Quote:
Originally Posted by John1960 View Post
CHICAGO

Investing in depressed employees — quickly getting them treatment and even offering telephone psychotherapy — can cut absenteeism while improving workers' health, a study suggests.


Many employers view mental health coverage as a financial black hole, but the study shows that spending money on depression is a smart business move, said researcher Dr. Philip Wang. Wang works for the National Institute of Mental Health, which funded the study.


Employees who got the aggressive intervention worked on average about two weeks more during the yearlong study than those who got the usual care — advice to see their doctor or seek a mental health specialist.


Also, more workers in the intervention group were still employed by year's end — 93 percent vs. 88 percent — savings that helped employers avoid hiring and training costs, the researchers said.


In addition, intervention employees were almost 40 percent more likely to recover from depression during the yearlong study, which is reported in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association.

Study: Firms Should Help Unhappy Workers
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-24-2008, 09:19 AM
 
Location: Arizona, The American Southwest
54,477 posts, read 33,776,473 times
Reputation: 91671
Quote:
Originally Posted by Livewire View Post
If my camera had a longer recording capability, oh, the things I could show ya that goes on, lol.
LOL.. They should include videos like this in Lowe's commercials!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Work and Employment

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top