D#8, HW#3 - 5 Exercises

WHAT IS MY RHETORICAL SITUATION?
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What can employers do to reduce direct and indirect costs of depression in the workplace?

My primary purpose in researching and writing about this issue is to bring attention to ways of reducing employer costs of depression in the workforce. A secondary purpose is to change the attitude employers may have towards this issue, arousing interest in cost-beneficial depression care that can increase the productivity of their workforce.

My main audience is company management and human resource personnel, as these are the people responsible for decision making in work-related mental health care. Another audience, this one implicit, is employees who have, are, or will experience a depressive disorder in the workplace. Finally, my third intended audience is my instructor.

My original interest in researching and writing on this topic stemmed from my own experience with depressive disorder, and how it related to my employment. At the time, I had little information on the issue, and did not choose effective ways to deal with it. Because of those experiences, I feel it is important that this issue is addressed, and effective methods of dealing with it are brought to the forefront of the business/mental health communities.

GENERATING RESPONSES TO MY RESEARCH QUESTION
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What can employers do to reduce direct and indirect costs of depression in the workplace?

- Direct costs can be reduced by not offering or reducing mental health care
benefits.
- Indirect costs, absenteeism, can be addressed by firing people who don't show up
for work.
- Indirect costs, such as presenteeism, can be addressed by keeping logs of worker
activity, and disciplining those with low productivity.
- Employers can raise employee awareness and education of depression by
implementing risk reduction programs and campaigns.
- Employers can reduce absenteeism and presenteeism by purchasing and
implementing managed health care programs tailored for depression.
- Employers can implement EAP, or employee assistance programs, and encourage depressed employees to use them for guidance.

NARROWED LIST:
- Employers can raise employee awareness and education of depression by
implementing risk reduction programs and campaigns.
- Employers can reduce absenteeism and presenteeism by purchasing and
implementing managed health care programs tailored for depression.
- Employers can implement EAP, or employee assistance programs, and encourage depressed employees to use them for guidance.

NOTE: I've just been struck by inspiration. Instead of focusing the project on how employers can combat the costs of depression, a more concise paper could arise from simply arguing that depression DOES pose significant costs to employers. From here on, this change of focus will apply.

DRAFTING A THESIS STATEMENT
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Research Question: Does depression disorder pose a financial burden to employers?

Precise Claim: Depression disorder incurs significant costs to employers.

Reasons/Blueprint: Depressed employees use more health care benefits, such as
prescription plans.

Depressed employees have higher rates of bsenteeism and
disability leave.

Depressed employees have higher rates of lost productivity while on the job.

Thesis statement: Depression disorder incurs significant costs to employers through higher rates of absenteeism and presenteeism, and increased health care bills.

UNDERSTANDING MY WARRANTS
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Claim: Depressed employees incur significant costs to employers.

Reason: Depressed employees have higher rates of absenteeism and disability
leave.

Warrant: Absenteeism and disability leave incur significant costs to employers.

1. The warrant includes a section from both the claim and the reason.
2. The warrant may need further specificity for certain audiences to connect the
reason to the claim.
3. My intended audience will undeniably agree with my warrant, because any
management or human resource personnel will agree that high absenteeism
and disability leave causes increased costs.

DEVELOPING REBUTTALS
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Alternative perspectives:

-Depression does not cause significant increases in absenteeism.
-Depression does not cause significant increases in lost productivity
'on the job'.

Rebuttal: While a higher rate of absenteeism is associated with depressed employees, presenteeism has been shown to be an even greater cost to employers. After analyzing absenteeism data, Pacific Bell company found depression accounted for 11% of all absences, while Hughes Electronics found it to be the number one cause of absenteeism among employees (Steffick, 2006). One study of depressed American employees showed not only a three-fold increase in lost productive time, but that 82% of that productive time was lost while present at work, rather than absent(Langlieb, 2005).