Let's talk about mental health and the workplace. It's a big topic, of course, but it's not just something to consider when dealing with troublesome employees. It is, says the Michigan Manufacturers Association, also about encouraging and retaining good workers.
David Worthams, director of employment policy at the association, told our sister paper Crain's Detroit Business that stresses from COVID-19, supply chains and inflation have resulted in stress and burnout.
The state of Michigan announced Jan. 12 that it is creating a mental health focus for businesses and is hosting a virtual meeting Jan. 19, open to employees and employers, to discuss its efforts.
"Work is the top stressor for a lot of people, and it never used to be like that," Michelle Kaminski, associate professor at Michigan State University's School of Human Resources and Labor Relations, told Crain's Detroit.
In a worst-case scenario, workers already feeling like they're on the edge could become violent, as was the case in December during a fatal shooting outside a Forvia metal components seating plant near Detroit that began as a disagreement over tools.
"What a lot of times happens is, we get a lot of people with stress and a lot of people with heartache and a lot of people with hardships and all it takes is a small little spark to flame up something," said Waymon Halty, vice president of UAW Local 155, which represents workers at the plant.
