In The New Work Normal, Investment Into Employee Mental Health Is A Must
Silvia Martinez, HR Manager at Gi Group Holding Spain
Upasana Raina, Director of Human Resources & Marketing, Gi Group Holding India
Statistics published by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) at the end of September point out that 12 billion work days are lost annually due to employees suffering from depression and anxiety. These absences are estimated to cost the global economy roughly 1 trillion USD per year. This is a staggering amount which clearly shows how much impact the last couple of years in a Covid-influenced world has had.
The pandemic has been a wake-up call for employers to sensitise their organisations and formalize their approaches to #mentalwellness. During the pandemic, awareness and accessibility leapfrogged and taboos significantly diminished. Covid-19 has led to a paradigm shift in addressing employee health issues. This includes recognition of diseases like Covid and organisations’ responsiveness through multichannel mechanisms to address concerns and facilitate access to mental health experts. This led to the resultant dilution of workplace and societal stigma
That said, the post-Covid or with-Covid world is a changed one. We live in a new work/life environment with a high degree of uncertainty about what work models will be acceptable and practicable as businesses attempt to return to an acceptable normal. The question at the moment though is what businesses can do to make the workplace employee-friendly and secure and how they can support employees with a wide range of amplified #mentalhealth needs.
At Gi Group Holding, we fortunately have good insurance programmes that support employees’ mental well-being. Workers in the company have access to 20 psychiatric support sessions per year and are encouraged to speak up on issues such as stress at work, potential disconnect when being away from work teams, and how to create psychological safe spaces for managers and teams. Also, we have an initiative where we provide coaching support for employees that allows them to focus not only on their professional and personal development, but which has a mental health component as well. Together with our year-round Gi Well initiatives, these tools help build employee awareness that addressing mental health issues is acceptable and that support is available to them,"
In its exploration of workers’ mental health in post-Covid society, the WHO’s World Mental Health Report, published in June this year, notes that over one billion people worldwide were living with some form of mental health disorder in 2019, with 15% of working-age adults experiencing mental health issues of some sort. The report notes that the workplace can add to the impacts of societal issues that affect mental health, e.g. discrimination, inequality, bullying or psychological violence such as mobbing and harassment. This reality is why many employers are ramping of efforts to ensure their workers have support systems in place.
“Delivery of mental health programmes stems from one of Gi Group Holding’s core company values: #Care. We try to balance the content of mental health activities we provide by responding to employee requests and building some bottom-up programmes. But at the same time, our HR teams feel that mental well-being is a critical part of their mission and they work to support good mental health, and a mentally-safe work environment, as part of the Gi Group Holding’s employer value proposition (EVP). It is important to us that our employees look out for and take care of one another; contributing to a supportive, collaborative workplace where we all contribute to one another’s professional development,” adds Silvia Mendez.
Statistics and experience from inside Gi Group Holding show that mental health services are no longer just “employer-offered” but rather “employee-demanded” care programmes that are becoming standardised within businesses. Gi Group Holding India has contributed to two research papers on Mental Health in the Workplace, which examined independent expert, employer and employee views on the need for mental health support activities. Click links below to access the Researches:
- All in the Mind: The State of Mental Health in Corporate India
- All In The Mind: The Leadership Factor
“Candidates and employees these days are not just looking for good compensation, great roles, and strong company culture when deciding to take up a new opportunity. They are examining the overall benefits an organisation provides: including well-being initiatives (both physical and mental). Given that people spend a considerable amount of time in the workplace (both physical and remote), they expect organisations to prioritise employee mental health. That’s why Gi Group holding has made mental care an integral part of its EVP. We are constantly expanding and improving our Mental Care program. These support services have become a “must have” and organisations across the board must make them accessible,” explains Upasana Raina.
WHO findings confirm what Gi Group Holding has already seen in the workplace: people are realising that their mental health is a crucial determinant of their overall health. Poor mental health can lead to a range of physical illnesses and also to #burnout. This can seriously affect employees’ ability to contribute meaningfully at their jobs and in the workplace. It is imperative that both sides (employers and employees) work together to create environments that foster overall mental and physical well-being. This will ensure the productivity, creativity and innovation that businesses seek from their employees over the long term.
