ALL organisations must bring the joy of work by counselling employees to cope with mental stress and issues in order to increase their productivity and efficiency, said senator Nelson Renganathan. 

In a statement released by the Malaysian Institute of Human Resource Management (MIHRM) today, he said it is the only way to create a brighter future for all by seizing opportunities through talent development and robust mental health programmes.

He added that human resource managers and leaders should restart, reshape and reorganise to the new norms by resolving mental health problems among staff.

“The pandemic has demonstrated the need to be both opportunistic and risk-aware. People are seeking a sense of joy and freedom to reshape their lives. There was a lack of counsellors during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

“Organisations must have bold plans to improve employees working conditions, primarily those with disturbed minds,” he said during MIHRM’s Malaysia International Awards 2021 on Friday.

Nelson said counselling is crucial in harnessing the collective energy of all employees.

“Findings have shown a worrying trend of loss of work-life balance. We need to do something before this starts hampering productivity and staff well-being,” he said. 

Therefore, Nelson urged MIRHM to introduce counselling programmes by professional counsellors to their organisations under the human resources department.

In the same statement, MIRHM president Simon Benjamin agreed that counselling is one way to help people learn to manage stress and strain arising from their environments. 

“Counselling is a very specialised service and only professionals should be employed to overcome the pressure at the workplace and home. Professional counsellors can stimulate personal growth in others and offer help in addressing many situations that cause emotional stress.

“The lack of such a support system can result in disharmony among staff,” said Simon, adding that a counsellor could help leverage employees’ core capacities.

He further said that counsellors can also help create a culture for greater synergy in organisational learning and development.

“As a result, employees can increase their self-awareness and improve any negative behavioural tendencies to make them more effective as individuals and, in turn, in their jobs,” he said. – Bernama, June 19, 2022.