and help me spread this website to as many people as you can.
 Often I ask myself "Why did this happen to me?" I tell myself "Something good must come out of this." |
Welcome
to my website, which I have created with the hope that it
will provide information for people who are, or have been, in
a
situation similar to mine, and open up readers' eyes to the potentially
devastating
effects on an employee's life resulting from action by an
employer who, although generally sympathetic to a physical illness
condition, has little, if any understanding of a mental condition,
such as depression. On September 1, 2008, after 14 years and 11 months of service in Shell Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, I officially joined the unemployed, dismissed on medical grounds following a flawed Medical Board Review (MBR). Even the legality of this highly unfair dismissal must be questioned. Adding insult to injury, Shell offered me a minimum standard compensation package that amounts to no more than a small fraction of years of lost compensation until retirement. Now, I want to share with you my experience of being diagnosed with depression while working full time, and performing well2 in a leading oil company, Shell Malaysia. Among other things, this website will hopefully shed light on what you and your loved ones can, or cannot expect in terms of your company's handling of your case, were you to be unfortunate enough to be diagnosed with depression, or any other mental disorder for that matter. You will find the full account of my particular experience in My Story. If you need more detail or professional views on depression as a mental disorder, please go to About Depression, including associated links. In my depression, I found healing in reading and drawing. I have included some pieces in My Drawings. Having been sacked by Shell leaves few avenues open for redress. For what it's worth, I have emailed an Open Letter to Mr Jeroen van der Veer, Chief Executive of Royal Dutch Shell. Absent any positive response, the only other recourse would have to be the filing of a suit in Court. |
The World Health Organization (WHO) predicts that mental illness will represent one of the largest health problems by 2020, to a significant extent originating at the work place. An important aim of this website is to create a place for sufferers of depression and other mental disorders to voice their issues and concerns. I want to give these illnesses a face and help dispel the stigma associated with them. My goal is to have participation by the thousands of interested people in this cause. An open discussion of mental health problems at the work place will hopefully bring a sense of urgency to the issue of putting in place corporate policies that really help those faced with mental illness. |
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1 In 2007, Shell recorded a whopping USD356 billion in revenues and USD31 billion in profits, the third most profitable company in the world. Despite Shell's enormous 104,000 global work force, these profits amounted to an average of almost USD300,000 per employee. For more details, go to http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/global500/2008/snapshots/6388.html
2 Not only in my own judgment, but also according to my received performance reports.