Mental health is still the elephant in the room in most corporate businesses in India. With the World Health Organization citing that depression and anxiety (two of the most prominent mental health problems) cost the global economy $1 trillion a year in lost productivity, there is no doubt that India Inc. should care more about the mental health of employees.
“It makes sense for companies to promote employee mental health, not only from an ethical perspective, but also from an economic standpoint. The benefits to the employee cannot, of course, be quantified in financial terms, but they can save lives. In fact, mental health is as important a factor for productivity as physical health,” says Mohita Uchil, Human Resources Director at uKnowva.
Enabling and improving employee mental health is slowly emerging as a top wellness priority in the workplace. However, more than 75 percent of employees acknowledge the presence of stigma around mental health in their workplaces. Priority should be given to removing stigma. “Managers need to recognize that stigma around mental health can lead to poor employee well-being outcomes, such as low productivity and higher turnover. Stress, anxiety and depression have the greatest impact on a person’s well-being and performance. Even in organizations that offer mental health services or help from counselors, very few people take advantage of these services, largely due to the taboo associated with mental health problems and the lack of confidence in the guarantee of privacy”, says Prakriti Poddar , Global Head Mental Health and Wellness, RoundGlass.
Employees often worry that seeking help for mental health could jeopardize their career growth. The taboo surrounding mental health issues often forces people to sweep mental health issues under the rug. That is why it is important to create an environment of trust within the organization.
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“De-stigmatizing conversations around mental health and creating open lines of communication are critical. Any organization looking to create a
A nurturing and supportive work environment must take these issues seriously and develop policies around them,” adds Uchil.
Approach to promoting employee mental health and wellness
Building and maintaining a workplace culture that promotes health and wellness is the first step in achieving workplace health. “The key elements that define an organization’s work culture include strong and mutually satisfying relationships with managers and co-workers, open communication, employee involvement, levels of responsibility, authority, and decision-making, an ideal workload, work schedules, flexible working and career opportunities. Advance. All levels of management, from leaders to line managers, need to be involved in developing a positive corporate culture,” says Dr. RC Jiloha, Senior Consultant Psychiatrist, Paras Hospital Gurugram.
Poddar shares some simple ways to remove the stigma around mental health in the workplace:
- Cultivate a culture of acceptance and encourage leaders/managers to talk about their mental health issues. This will inspire the confidence of employees to talk about their mental health issues and fight stigma.
- Ensuring the privacy of employee health information. This will motivate them to come forward and seek help.
- Set the intention to use sensitive and responsible language around mental wellness.
- Empower managers to be empathetic and foster meaningful relationships with employees.
- Take a holistic approach to employee wellness. All aspects of an employee’s well-being, whether physical, mental, emotional, social, or community, must be enabled and enhanced for them to thrive.
- Empower managers with the knowledge to identify common warning signs of mental illness.
- A positive and consistent work culture that is well defined and weaves wellness into its fabric can help de-stigmatize mental health issues in the workplace and help create a happy workforce.
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