als with mental health problems. As pointed out, employee mental health problems and their impact on an enterprise's productivity and disability costs are a critical human resource issue. Increasingly, employers, employers' organisations and international organisational bodies are recognising that the economic and social costs of mental health problems in the workplace cannot be ignored.
The purpose of the research
With a grant from the Eli Lilly and Company Foundation, the ILO conducted in-depth situation analyses in five countries. The five countries selected were Finland, Germany, Poland, UK, and USA. The primary purpose of these situation analyses was to conduct an in-depth assessment of the impact of mental health problems in the workplace in order to determine the scope of the problem in competitive employment. Related to this purpose was also the assessment of the specific ramifications of the impact of mental health problem for employees and enterprises such as workplace productivity, loss of income, health-care and social security costs, access to mental health services and good practices by employers.
An essential objective of these situation analyses is that the information collected and assessed may be used to create further educational materials and assist in designing programmes which can be used by governmental agencies, unions, and employers' organisations for mental health promotion, prevention, and rehabilitation.
The situation analyses were based primarily on a thorough literature review, including documents from government agencies, NGOs, employer and employee organisations, as well as interviews with key informants.
The case of Germany
It has been reported that, in Germany, depression, and in particular major depression is ten times more frequent today than it was 50 years ago. There is also an increasing recognition of the impact of job related stress on the work environment. "Burnout" is viewed as a serious problem, potentially affecting many workers, which is directly related to job stressors. In Germany, the various social partners, i.e., the government, non-governmental organisations, employees' and employers' organisations, and institutions responsible for health and safety in the workplace, have paid great attention to job-related stress and its impact on the work environment. For many years, successful prevention programmes have already been in place in many workplaces. In Germany, the legislative approach to employment of people with disabilities, including those with a mental health disability, is closely associated with social insurance and its emphasis on rehabilitation rather than benefits.
The following situation analysis examines the scope and impact of mental health issues on the German workplace, as well as the role of all social partners in addressing these issues. Selected key agencies, organisations, and institutions were highlighted with illustrations of how important it is for all the social partners to work together to be more effective. Although, the situation analysis is primarily concerned with the impact of mental health on the workplace, and in particular with depression, it is viewed within the context of overall mental health concerns. This is due to the nature of the available information, which does not always distinguish between depression and other mental health concerns, such as work-related stress and burnout.
