London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

Harriet Yayra Adzofu (MSc Global Mental Health, 2020), the Program Coordinator for the Erasmus+ Mobility Program at Global Health UMC, shared her insights on the importance of prioritising mental health in the workplace in honour of Mental Health Day. During our conversation, she also highlighted effective strategies employees can adopt to support their mental well-being at work.

“It is 10th October again and as the world celebrates Mental Health Day, we are reminded that there is no health without mental health! The theme for this year takes us to the workplace where about 60% of the world’s population spend most part of their days.[1]

Decent employment serves as a source of livelihood, helping form meaningful relationships and offering the opportunity to contribute productively to society. On the other hand, poor workplaces including segregation, discrimination, excessive workload, poor communication increases the risk for depression and anxiety especially for people living with mental disorders. According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 12 billion working days are lost yearly to depression and anxiety costing US$1 trillion per year in lost productivity.[2]

Whether in a virtual or physical work environment, it is essential that organisational policies and cultures support conducive working conditions, stress management, diversity, inclusion, and empowerment. Prioritising mental health in the workplace has not only proven to benefit individual workers but also reduces absenteeism, increases productivity, and organisational performance.

Here are some ways employers and managers can support mental health in the workplace. 

How can workplaces better support employees' mental health, especially in high-stress or global environments?

• Mental health training for managers and workers. W.H.O recommends training for managers in mental health literacy to be able to understand how work stressors affect employees’ mental health. They will also be able to recognise and address emotional distress among supervisees and apply effective communication, and interpersonal skills in their managerial duties. Employees also benefit from such training by gaining knowledge to recognise their own stressors and accessing help while supporting colleagues living with mental disorders at work.
• Open and supportive culture around mental health. Managers should be empathetic and create avenues to openly discuss mental health and wellbeing with employees. Sharing valuable resources and organising periodic seminars and retreat to build capacity on stress management, mindfulness, relaxation, and other practices to support mental health and wellbeing in the workplace. Staff counselling should be encouraged while maintaining maximum level of confidentiality to instil trust.
• Policies that promote health and safety. Workplaces can support employees’ mental health by formulating and implementing health and safety policies and frameworks. In addition to physical safety including reducing risk of violence and injury, zero tolerance for harassment and exploitation, workplaces must uphold the highest standards for online safety. In the current digital age, many employees use digital tools in the discharge of their duties, they should feel safe online while doing so. Employees should be aware of safety measures and lines of reporting any breaches and exposures to risks.
• Culture of inclusion. Workplaces should build a culture of inclusion and discourage all forms of discrimination. Employees need to feel a sense of belongingness and inclusion irrespective of their personal characteristics such as gender, sexual orientation, disability among others. Organizations must go beyond the regular onboarding processes and routine meetings to supporting new employees to form meaningful relationships and fully integrate into the workplace. Particularly in global environments, extra efforts in supporting expatriates to fully integrate in a new country, and culture both in and out of the workplace.
• Flexible work arrangements that suit employees’ needs. The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us innovative ways of getting work done in varied work environments. Organizational policies must consider peculiar needs of employees and permit flexible working hours when necessary. Employees with mental health problems should be supported to co-design a work schedule that works best for them.
• Realistic workload and work life-balance. Managers should ensure adequate number of staff are assigned to tasks, setting realistic deadlines with employees’ input while supporting them with the needed resources. Staff shortage should be addressed promptly to prevent work overload and burnout. Introducing flexible leave days to enable employees to take days off when feeling exhausted.
• Acknowledging and appreciating work done and giving constructive feedback. To boost mental health at workplaces, managers should acknowledge and appreciate workers’ contributions to work done. Negative feedback should be constructive to avoid fuelling imposter syndrome and feelings of inadequacy.
• Training to update skills and supporting career development. Employees should have adequate skills and training to perform their duties. They must also be given tasks that maximise their potentials. Avenues for continuous learning and career development should be created for employees to boost their confidence and sense of accomplishment.
• Social life. Employees usually spend most of their days at work even in virtual environments. Programs such as retreats, tea-times and coffee breaks should be established to bring people together and encourage social interactions.
• Clear guidelines and Regulations. Vague organizational policies especially those pertaining to codes of conduct leave room for subjective interpretations and may lead to abuse of power and victimisation. Such policies should be clear and straightforward, complying with relevant local and international laws. A proper and transparent procedure should also be in place to properly investigate alleged misconducts before taking disciplinary actions.
• Continuous assessment and prompt mitigation with latest evidence.  Mental health risks at the workplace should be continually assessed and promptly managed using latest guidelines and best available evidence of best practice. Such practices will build a trusted system where employees feel safe, valued, and free to discuss their mental health and wellbeing. The World Health Organization’s  WHO guidelines on mental health at work provides guidelines and evidence-based interventions to support mental health at work.

Although World Mental Health Day is an event, it reminds us that prioritising mental health in the workplace benefits everyone and hence requires continuous commitment from us all.”

[1] World employment and social outlook - Trends 2022. Geneva: International Labour Organization; 2022 (accessed 1 October 2024)

[2] Mental health at work - Key fact 2024. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2024 (accessed 1 October 2024)