Date: 12/10/2022

Relevance: GS-2: Issues Relating to the Development and Management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, and Human Resources.

Key Phrases: Mental health at the workplace, Stories of mental resilience, Supportive Ecosystem, Gratitude, Leadership and commitment to mental health, mental health literacy and awareness.

Why in News?

• The pandemic revealed a large number of health issues simmering under the surface in many companies.
• According to the Harvard Business Review, in 2019, “employers were just beginning to grasp the prevalence of mental health challenges at work, the need to address stigma, the emerging link to equity and inclusion.

Risks to mental health at work can include:

• Under-use of skills or being under-skilled for work;
• Excessive workloads or work pace, understaffing;
• Long, unsocial or inflexible hours;
• Lack of control over job design or workload;
• Unsafe or poor physical working conditions;
• Organizational culture that enables negative behaviours;
• Limited support from colleagues or authoritarian supervision;
• Violence, harassment, or bullying;
• Discrimination and exclusion;
• Unclear job role;
• Under- or over-promotion;
• Job insecurity, inadequate pay, or poor investment in career development; and
• Conflicting home/work demands.

Advocates of change:

• Leaders today are becoming advocates of change of culture in companies and it is clear that employers benefit from this cultural change.
• On the macro front, countries are investing in spending more on healthcare and research, and the development of new vaccines. Pandemic readiness is becoming a national strategy.
• Mental health awareness and having a happy workplace are organizational priorities.
• According to a recent report by the global consulting firm Deloitte, Indian firms lost $14 billion due to poor mental health among employees last year.
• Since poor mental health directly impacts one’s physical health, it has a multiplier effect on our national medical systems and infrastructure.
• Conversations around mental health in the workplace are needed and can be uplifting.

How leaders can approach the subject of mental health in the workplace?

• Stories of mental resilience:
  • Stories of emotional and mental resilience are always inspiring, especially if they are personal stories.
  • All of us face setbacks at some point, whether personal or professional. Resilience and grit are key ingredients to helping us cope.
  • Sharing stories of success and achievements despite obstacles can be cathartic and also become a source of inspiration for others.
• Addressing mental health as a team sport:
  • Mental health conditions are not like Covid-19, which requires isolation.
  • When an individual is battling their mind, and struggling with their thoughts and emotions, they need the support of their loved ones, their medical professional, and their colleagues at work.
• Supportive ecosystem:
  • Companies and senior management should espouse empathy towards colleagues sharing their mental health at work.
  • A supportive ecosystem at workplaces can do wonders for employees, thus benefitting the organization in the long run.
  • Many of us may not have a mental health condition ourselves, but most of us are allies to someone with a mental health condition. We must visibly demonstrate that in the workplace.
• Gratitude:
  • People often think of gratitude in a personal context, but gratitude can be applied to a professional context too — towards our people, teams, customers, investors, suppliers, partners, and the many stakeholders involved in a business. Because there is no mental well-being without gratitude.

WHO recommends protecting mental health:

• Manager training for mental health, which helps managers recognize and respond to supervisees experiencing emotional distress; builds interpersonal skills like open communication and active listening, and fosters a better understanding of how job stressors affect mental health and can be managed;
• Training for workers in mental health literacy and awareness, to improve knowledge of mental health and reduce stigma against mental health conditions at work; and
• Interventions for individuals to build skills to manage stress and reduce mental health symptoms, including psychosocial interventions and opportunities for leisure-based physical activity.

Create an enabling environment for change:

• Leadership and commitment to mental health at work, for example by integrating mental health at work into relevant policies.
• Investment of sufficient funds and resources, for example by establishing dedicated budgets for actions to improve mental health at work and making mental health and employment services available to lower-resourced enterprises.
• Rights to participate in work, for example by aligning employment laws and regulations with international human rights instruments and implementing non-discrimination policies at work.
• Integration of mental health at work across sectors, for example by embedding mental health into existing systems for occupational safety and health.
• Participation of workers in decision-making, for example by holding meaningful and timely consultations with workers, their representatives, and people with lived experience of mental health conditions.
• Evidence on psychosocial risks and effectiveness of interventions, for example by ensuring that all guidance and action on mental health at work is based on the latest evidence.
• Compliance with laws, regulations, and recommendations, for example by integrating mental health into the responsibilities of national labour inspectorates and other compliance mechanisms.

Conclusion:

• The ideas - emotional and mental resilience, being workplace allies, and expressing gratitude in a professional context - may not solve the invisible challenges facing millions of individuals in workplaces across India. But they are a powerful step towards enhancing our collective and professional mental well-being. They give people what they most need - empathy and hope.

Source: The Hindu BL

Mains Question:

Q. What are the risks to mental health at work and how can the government, employers, and organizations help to improve mental health at the workplace?