D#9, HW#6 - Toulmin Outline

Thesis: Employee depression causes significant costs for employers.

Reason 1: Increased absenteeism raises costs for employers.

Warrant: Depressed employees have higher rates of absenteeism.
Backing: Depressed employees take more sick days and use more
disability leave time.
Evidence#1: One study estimates that it is 2.5 times more likely for a
depressed employee to call in sick than a non-depressed one.
(Langlieb, 2005)
Evidence#2: Major depression is the world's leading cause of worker
disability leave (Kirschstein, 2000).
Objection: Disability leave due to depression causes no more time lost
than disability from physical illness.
Rebuttal: Because mental disorders start earlier in life, and are more
persistent than physical maladies, they tend to result in
longer periods of leave (Kirschstein, 2000).


Reason 2: Lost productivity while at work raises costs for employers.

Warrant: Depressed employees cause lost productivity on the job.
Backing: Depression is a disabling illness that impairs employees' ability
to function.
Evidence#1: In an analysis of one prominent study, it was revealed that
depressed individuals had "significantly more days with
decreased productivity at work .... than those without
depression"(Steffick, 2006).
Evidence#2: Another study reports that depressed employees had over
three times more unproductive time at work than
nondepressed individuals (Langlieb, 2005).