Can HRM predict mental health crises? Using HR analytics to unpack the link between employment and suicidal thoughts and behaviors

PurposeThe aim of this research is to determine the extent to which the human resource (HR) function can screen and potentially predict suicidal employees and offer preventative mental health assistance.Design/methodology/approachDrawing from the 2019 National Survey of Drug Use and Health (N = 56,136), this paper employs multivariate binary logistic regression to model the work-related predictors of suicidal ideation, planning and attempts.FindingsThe results indicate that known periods of joblessness, the total number of sick days and absenteeism over the last 12 months are significantly associated with various suicidal outcomes while controlling for key psychosocial correlates. The results also indicate that employee assistance programs are associated with a significantly reduced likelihood of suicidal ideation. These findings are consistent with conservation of resources theory.Research limitations/implicationsThis research demonstrates preliminarily that the HR function can unobtrusively detect employee mental health crises by collecting data on key predictors.Originality/valueIn the era of COVID-19, employers have a duty of care to safeguard employee mental health. To this end, the authors offer an innovative way through which the HR function can employ predictive analytics to address mental health crises before they result in tragedy.

Investigating Young Employee Stressors in Contemporary Society Based on User-Generated Contents

Understanding stressors is an effective measure to decrease employee stress and improve employee mental health. The extant literature mainly focuses on a singular stressor among various aspects of their work or life. In addition, the extant literature generally uses questionnaires or interviews to obtain data. Data obtained in such ways are often subjective and lack authenticity. We propose a novel machine–human hybrid approach to conduct qualitative content analysis of user-generated online content to explore the stressors of young employees in contemporary society. The user-generated online contents were collected from a famous Q&A platform in China and we adopted natural language processing and deep learning technology to discover knowledge. Our results identified three kinds of new stressors, that is, affection from leaders, affection from the social circle, and the gap between dream and reality. These new identified stressors were due to the lack of social security and regulation, frequent occurrences of social media fearmongering, and subjective cognitive bias, respectively. In light of our findings, we offer valuable practical insights and policy recommendations to relieve stress and improve mental health of young employees. The primary contributions of our work are two-fold, as follows. First, we propose a novel approach to explore the stressors of young employees in contemporary society, which is applicable not only in China, but also in other countries and regions. Second, we expand the scope of job demands-resources (JD-R) theory, which is an important framework for the classification of employee stressors.

Effect of workplace infection control practices on workers' psychological distress: a large-scale cohort study during the COVID-19 second state of emergency in Japan

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically transformed the work environment and work practices worldwide. Long-term infection control practices may increase the psychological stress on workers, and conversely, inadequate infection control practices at the working place may increase the fear of infection. This study aimed to determine the relationship between infection control practices at the workplace and employee mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan. Methods: This study was conducted in December 2020 and February 2021. The participants had undergone a preliminary survey, which revealed that they were in good mental health. Their psychological distress was investigated via a second survey, and the factors associated with distress were studied using a logistic model. Results: The results of the second survey indicated that 15.1% of participants demonstrated psychological distress. This was associated with leave-of-absence instructions, instructions for shortening business hours, and requests to avoid the workplace in case of any symptoms. Conclusion: The study found that while some infection control practices reduce workers' distress, others worsen it. Employers need to consider infection control practices as well as the worsening mental health of employees following a decrease in income caused by such measures. Follow-up studies may be necessary to clarify the long-term effects on workers' mental health.

COVID-19 vaccination did not improve employee mental health: A prospective study in an early phase of vaccination in Japan

The effect of the COVID-19 vaccination as an individual-based preventive measure on mental health is largely unclear in the literature. The authors report a preliminary finding on whether vaccination effectively improves mental health among employees in Japan based on a prospective study (E-COCO-J). Of the total sample (N=948), 105 (11.1%) were vaccinated at least once at the follow-up survey (June 2021). There was no significant effect of vaccination on the change of psychological distress at baseline (February 2021) and follow-up (June 2021), after adjusting for gender, age, marital status, education, chronic disease, company size, industry, and occupation (healthcare workers or non-HCWs). Providing continuous mental health care for employees is important in an early vaccination phase.

Bell Let’s Talk: A Catalyst for Support and Self-Disclosure, or Corporate Greed?

For years, the stigma around depression has caused many to suffer in silence. Since its launch in 2010, the Bell Let’s Talk campaign, started by Canadian telecommunications giant Bell, has aimed to change the narrative around mental health. With Bell coming under fire for overlooking employee mental health needs and even firing staff as a result of requesting time off, this Major Research Paper explores how the 2020 Bell Let’s Talk campaign mobilizes support and selfdisclosure among Twitter users or whether it is simply another instance of corporate profitization. Analyzing tweets one week before, the day of Bell Let’s Talk and one week after, it is suggested that the campaign does not instill a significant increase in supportive tweets on the day of. Rather, it appears that users engage in self-disclosing their experiences with depression and share resources and ways to cope on the day of the initiative. Comparatively, self-disclosure and support does not appear to be sustained beyond the day of the initiative.