The world celebrates mental health day every year on October 10. The aim of the World Mental Health Day is not only to create awareness on mental health issues but also promote initiatives to support those individuals who experience mental health issues. For 2024 the theme of the Mental Health Day is ‘mental health at work’.
According to the Human Development Report 2023/2024, the mental wellbeing of people is worsening. The report paints a grim picture which points out that in the last 10 years the number of people who are experiencing stress, sadness, anxiety, anger or worry is increasing at a phenomenon rate.
The United Nations has come up with a report on ‘Mental Health and Well-Being Strategy for 2024 and beyond’. The report is aimed ‘to assist the United Nations in creating a working environment that is conducive to good mental health and that ensures that support is available when it is needed. The Strategy provides a road map for creating an inclusive, sustainable work environment where mental health and well-being is embedded in the organizational culture and systems – where each and every one belongs, is valued, nurtured and thrives, ensuring an efficient workforce delivering on our promise of a better world.’
In the context of the World Mental Health Day and its theme of the year, Vedabhyas Kundu in a free-flowing interview with Dr Meena Mishra, Brain Behaviour Research Foundation of India, an organization which provides mental health support to individuals, tries to understand the importance of positive mental health at work.
Vedabhyas Kundu: According to Gallup’s State of the World Global Workplace 2024 report, 20 per cent of the world’s employees experience daily loneliness and wellbeing among younger employees saw a decline in 2023. The report also talked on how employee engagement is a significant factor in overall life. While the report noted that not all mental health issues were not related to work, but workplace environment was definitely a significant factor in life evaluations and daily emotions. Please share your insights to these.
Meena Mishra: The important factor to consider here is that human beings are a continuum and cannot be compartmentalized. Therefore, issues in personal life will affect the performance in professional life and vice-versa. If anyone is undergoing personal stress, the unsupportive workplace environment will hit them hard to the level it affects their psychological and emotional well-being adversely further depleting their performance in workplace. This becomes a vicious cycle if left uncared. That is why there is so much emphasis on workplace mental health prioritization- let’s catch mental ill- health at the first go and break this vicious cycle.
Vedabhyas Kundu: What do you think are the individual, social and economic costs of toxic workplace which contributes to mental health issues?
Meena Mishra: Working in toxic environment can deeply affect individuals, on professional levels and have lasting repercussions on overall health and happiness for employees. Socially speaking toxic workplaces can strain relationships with colleagues and impact work culture negatively by promoting conflict and disengagement both at work and beyond. Toxic work environments contribute to absenteeism from work, decreased productivity and attrition that raise costs and losses for the company. It is crucial for companies to deal with these problems in order to create a workplace that's both healthy and efficient.
Vedabhyas Kundu: What are the important steps workplaces can take in order to ensure that employees are able to manage their stress and maintain a healthy balance?
Meena Mishra: Workplaces can implement several key practices to help employees manage stress and maintain a healthy balance. First, encouraging open communication and a supportive culture will allow employees to share their concerns without fear of being stigmatized. Second, they should provide access to mental health resources, such as counseling services and stress management workshops at regular intervals as reinforcements. These can equip employees with the tools to address their issues. Third, promoting work-life balance through flexible schedules, remote work options, and clear work hours boundaries can help reduce burnout. Finally, recognizing and addressing signs of stress early demonstrates a commitment to employee well-being, ultimately increasing productivity and retention.
Vedabhyas Kundu: The quality of leadership is a very important factor in determining the type of workplace which an employee finds herself/himself. What are the significant leadership traits you think are important for ensuring a harmonious work environment?
Meena Mishra: We need leaders with high Emotional and Social Intelligence, effective nonviolent communication skills which fosters transparency and trust thereby enabling them to arrive at fair decisions that promote equity. Adaptability allows leaders to respond to evolving workplace challenges. Leaders who actively encourage collaboration and inclusivity create a sense of belonging, contributing to a positive and supportive atmosphere. In order to be a good leader one must be a good servant first. We need to promote the concept of servant leadership in organizations.
Vedabhyas Kundu: What is your message on mental health and related issues to young people joining organizations today?
Meena Mishra: The fortunate part with youngsters today is that they are aware of mental health issues. My message to them would be to stay grounded to their value systems, set achievable career goals, practice patience and perseverance to achieve them. In all of this- Mind and Body is the priceless medium that needs to be taken good care of -so eat right, sleep well, exercise regularly, spend time with family & friends and limit the use of gadgets. My greetings to everyone as we celebrate World Mental Health Day 2024!
