Chennai: To mark World Mental Health Day and month, 1to1help, India’s premier Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provider, held the ‘Workplace Well-Being Series‘ under the campaign Workplace Well-Being: Building Community That Cares. This series focused on bringing different perspectives on employee well-being to various stakeholders from the workplace community. This 3-part episodic series was a virtual interaction with eminent personalities from the corporate world. Apart from this, to shift the culture and stigma around mental health, a narrative-based quiz, helping people sample and confront their own bias with mental health in the workplace, was launched on the company website.
The campaign, inspired by the growing focus on mental & emotional wellness in the workplace and its effect on workplace productivity, had some eminent Industry Leaders sharing their thoughts on the subject.
Three key areas of focus in the ‘Workplace Well-Being Series’ included, Leading by Example- A Leader’s Insights on Creating a Thriving Workplace; Understanding What Works for the Working Mind; and Positive Mental Health – Positive Workplace. Premkumar Seshadri, Mentor and Advisor to the board 1to1help, said, “In an era marked by unprecedented isolation and loneliness, mental well-being should be the top priority for any organization. World Mental Health Day is an opportunity to emphasize the importance of mental health to human well-being.”
According to WHO reports, ever since the pandemic, there has been a 25 per cent rise in mental health issues. Nearly 15% of working-age adults live with mental disorders, namely depression and anxiety, costing the global economy US$ 1 trillion annually. Through the ‘Workplace Well-Being Series‘, 1to1help highlighted the need for organizations to support employees through difficult times. The initiative also helped to identify various ways people can identify and overcome mental stress.
“This year, we also have envisioned our mental health campaign as a framework supported with a repository of resources to help organizations transition into psychologically healthy workplaces,” Premkumar added. In the first talk about the importance of good workplace relationships and social capital to support leaders through difficult times, Dr Vishwanath Joshi, Chief People Officer – Hexaware Technologies, said, “Leaders play a huge role in ensuring the well-being of their employees. They set the organization’s tone, especially in talking about mental health. Leaders play a role in de-stigmatizing mental health concerns at the workplace. There are various sources of stress like unplanned work, interpersonal work stress and general disengagement. The role of leaders is centred around the three C’s – competence, commitment and culture. It is important to foster a culture of ownership in employees to promote well-being. It is also important to foster a mindset of empathy and mutual support, and care. Seeking help has become a pivotal aspect today, which is a great step forward.”
The second instalment in the series sought to understand ‘what works best for the working mind’ and guest speakers Akanksha Bhatia, Author and Mental Health Champion and Waseem Pasha, Mental Health Champion, stressed that the lack of awareness about mental health added to the stigma of treating mental health concerns, and emphasized that reaching out for help from professional counsellors was not wrong and it was important to be kind to others at the workplace since we are not aware of their struggles.
The last instalment dealt with positive mental health and a positive workplace. Dr Bino Thomas, Associate Professor, NIMHANS, said, “Wellness is important at home and workplace. Once mental peace is affected, an individual will start losing sleep. It brings several physiological reactions to our bodies. The emotional changes are easily found. There will be behavioural changes; people will get irritated and lose patience. The affected person will feel that they are not doing good and lose self-esteem. The stress you feel is when demand is more than your ability.” “Work stress also affects relationships and family. Emotional, behavioural responses we see and continuous exposure to any stressful environment can lead to serious mental health issues, especially depression“.
About 1to1help
1to1help is India’s leading Employee Assistance Program (EAP) service provider with a reputation for quality and integrity. We support organizations to improve employee well-being through a variety of programmes. We are a global support Partner of 750+ companies covering 4.5 million people. Certified in ISO 9001:2013 – Quality Management System Certified ISO 27001:2013 – Information Security System, 1to1help also has the largest pool of counsellors (200+) in India with 20+ years of experience & 650,000+ counselling sessions conducted.
