Oct. 10 marks World Mental Health Day, a crucial reminder of the importance of taking care of mental health.
The World Health Organization is utilizing this day to bring awareness to mental health, especially in regards to how it is impacted by work.
With politics heating up ahead of the 2024 presidential election, natural disasters dominating the headlines and conflicts abroad continuing, mental health can often be neglected or considered less important.
However, it is during periods of heightened stress that discussions about mental health become even more essential.
“Mental health is a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community,” WHO states on its website. “It has intrinsic and instrumental value and is integral to our well-being.”
Work and mental health
To raise awareness of mental health issues, WHO uses World Mental Health Day to highlight various factors that can impact mental health. This year, it chose to center on understanding how work affects mental health.
According to WHO, 60% of the global population is currently employed in some form, and of that, 15% of working-age adults are estimated to suffer from a mental disorder.
Work plays a crucial role in supporting mental well-being. WHO lists several benefits that work provides, including:
- A livelihood
- A sense of confidence, purpose and achievement
- Opportunities for positive relationships and inclusion in a community
- A platform for structured routines
However, poor working conditions can negate these benefits and lead to increased mental stress. Issues such as an unhealthy work-life balance, long working hours and unsafe work environments are common stressors.
WHO is calling on “governments, employers, the organizations which represent workers and employers and other stakeholders responsible for workers’ health and safety to work together to improve mental health at work.”
Companies addressing the mental health crisis
A 2022 study by Gallup, an American analytics and advisory company, found that poor mental health leads to an estimated total of $47.6 billion in lost productivity annually.
Pleo, a company aiming to address the mental health crisis within its workforce, has introduced a mental health first aid training initiative for its employees. This program equips employees with tools to address mental health needs.
The company has trained 27 employees so far and aims to increase that number to 50 by next year.
“There’s still a stigma associated with ill mental health and it can be difficult for some to feel comfortable opening up about their issues — especially in the workplace,” Jessie Scheepers, Belonging and Impact Lead at Pleo, told Unleash.
“The overarching aim of our mental health initiatives, including wellness days and mental health first aid training, is to remove barriers to accessing support, and creating a culture where mental health is openly discussed and that employees feel like the business is prioritizing them,” Scheepers continued.