By Suleiman Tajudeen
CITIZENS COMPASS— The World Health Organization(WHO) defines mental health as “a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realise their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community.”
In the workplace context, mental health refers to employees’ emotional, psychological, and social well-being as it relates to their ability to perform job tasks, manage work stress, build healthy relationships with colleagues, and maintain productivity while preserving overall quality of life.
Workplace mental health has evolved over the last century:
– Early 1900s – Industrial Era: Focus was purely on physical safety. Mental health was rarely discussed and often stigmatised as “weakness.”
– 1940s–1960s: The Human Relations Movement and research by Elton Mayo highlighted how job satisfaction and social factors affect productivity.
– 1980s–1990s: Rise of Occupational Health Psychology. Stress models like the Job Demand-Control Model (Karasek, 1979) linked job stress to illness.
– 2000s–Present: Global recognition that …
To be continued…
Foradviceand medical consultations, contact: Dr. Suleiman Tajudeen, CEO and Director of Clinical Psychology, Clear Mind Psychological Consult, Km 15, Badagry Expressway, Ojo, Lagos. +234 803 402 4457
