Positive Mental Health and Well-being at the

Workplace: Problems and Prospects

Dr. Amjad Ali

Assistant Professor
Department of Humanities and Social Sciences
National Institute of Technology Patna
Email: amjad@nitp.ac.in
 Workplace Mental Health & Well-Being
Mental Health
 Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It
affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle
stress, relate to others, and make choices.
 Good mental health is not simply the absence of diagnosable mental health
problems, although good mental health is likely to help protect against
development of many such problems.
 Global Mental Health: the area of study, research and practice that places a
priority on improving mental health and achieving equity in mental health for
all people worldwide. Patel, V., & Prince, M. 2010
Well-Being
 Workplace Wellbeing relates to all aspects of working life, from the quality
and safety of the physical environment, to how workers feel about their
work, their working environment, the climate at work and work organization.
Indian Facts and Figures
 The number of people in India suffering
from mental health issues “was greater Global
than the population of Japan”. President Mental illness is the most neglected
of India, NIMHANS, Dec-2017. health problem in the developing world.
 India is home to an estimated 57 million Davide Banis, Forbes, 24 Jan 2019.
people affected by depression- 18% of More than 300 million people suffer
the total number of people worldwide. from depression, the leading cause of
WHO Report, 2017. disability, with many of these people also
 89% of Indian respondents were suffering suffering from symptoms of anxiety.
from stress compared to the global WHO, 2017.
average of 86%. Fortune India, July 2018. Depression and anxiety disorders cost
 Nearly 75% Indians do not feel the global economy US$ 1 trillion each
comfortable talking to a medical year in lost productivity. Kenneth
professionals about their stress. Fortune Carswell, 2018.
India, July 2018.
Educational Institutes
One in two Ph. D students experiences Psychological distress; one in three is at risk of
common psychiatric disorder.
The prevalence of mental health problems is higher in Ph. D students than in the highly
eductated general population.
Work and organizational context are significant predictors of Ph. D students mental
health. Levecque et. al (2017). Research Policy
Organization

 Indians retained the top spot in terms of being positive about their overall well-
being and health, but are highly stressed due to work and financial issues and are
uncomfortable seeking medical help for it. Fortune India, 2018

 42.5% of employees in the private sector suffers from depression or general

anxiety disorder. ASSOCHAM, 2015.

 Among 500 people surveyed, 14% of respondents experience workplace fatigue

and tenth admitted to have sleep disorder. ASSOCHAM, 2018.

 10% employees said that even though they had no disease, they felt like their
health was poor. ASSOCHAM, 2018.

 46% of the workforce in organizations in India suffers from some or other forms of
stress, 30% have diabetic and 30% have hypertension risk. Optum, 2016.

 Indian spend more time at work than their counterparts in 25 other countries- an
average of 52 hours a week. Wall Street Journal, 2016.
 Common Signs and Symptoms
Emotional
Employees who are struggling with their mental health may seem irritable, sensitive to
criticism, demonstrate an uncharacteristic loss of confidence or seem to lose their sense
of humour.

Cognitive
An employee may make more mistakes than usual, have problems making decisions, or
not be able to concentrate. Look out for any sudden and unexplained drop in
performance at work.

Behavioural
This could include things like arriving late, not taking lunch breaks, taking unofficial time
off, not joining in office banter, or not hitting deadlines, becoming more introvert or
extroverted, generally acting out of character.

Physical
Employees who are stressed sometimes exhibit physical symptoms such as a constant
cold, being tired at work, looking like they haven’t made an effort with their appearance,
or rapid weight loss or gain.
Business
At a business level, look out for increased absence or staff turnover. Have you noticed
employees working longer hours or a general drop in motivation or productivity levels.

Have You Noticed

YES/ NO

Yes
Spotting one or two of these symptoms does not always mean there is an underlying
mental health issue, but you should consider checking on your employee’s wellbeing or
picking up with their manager - especially if you know they may be going through a
difficult time inside or outside work.

No
If you haven’t experienced any of these, you’re doing a good job looking after the
wellbeing of your staff at the moment. However, with mental health problems on the
rise think about how to safeguard this for the future.
 Causes/ Problems
Individual
Relationship Problems
Work Performance related stress Organizational
Huge compensation packages comes with Poor internal communication
huge expectation from employees Poor managerial/
Unpredictability of professional environment organizational support
Lifestyle problem- lack of exercise, unhealthy Job insecurity/ poorly
eating, lack of sleep managed change
Always being connected to work due to mobile Long working hours
phones Lack of low-cost way to deal
Consumerist culture with huge EMIs, pressure with the issue of mental health
to maintain a high living standards & well-being
Feeling uncomfortable in sharing mental
health problems
 Causes/ Problems among Children
 Social media
 Gaming
 Peer pressure
 Parental surveillance
 Traumatic experiences in early childhood
 Frequent migration
 Negative life events
 Educational setback
 Early relationship problems
 Family history of mental illness
 Stress at school
Challenges in improving workplace mental health and well-Being

1. Failure to see mental health and wellbeing as a priority

2. Mental health and wellbeing policies are reactive and driven

by staff events or experience, not proactive and preventative

3. Lack of insight around current performance (including

recruitment, retention and presenteeism)

4. Poor evidence base to measure return on investment of

wellbeing strategies

5. Lack of collective knowledge of best practice

The implementation life cycle for workplace Mental Health and Well-
being programmes

Get mental health

and wellbeing on the Take Stock
agenda and Monitor
Performance
Create by-in for
the case of
change and
investment
Evaluate
Programmes
and
Promote
Success Implement
Key
Initiatives
 Suggested Measures to improve Mental Health and Well-being at Workplace

Organization
Employees
Promote positive work culture
3 simple habits to surcharge creativity
Reduce work stress
and balance mental health- Steve Jobs
Flexible working arrangements
I. Think while you walk- leisure walk Educate the managers
II. Meditate- along with strong sense of Provide counseling support
empathy Embed mental health in induction
III. Pursue a different interest- creativity and training
in just connecting things Raise the profile- invite a speaker on
 Speak up mental health to an event as part of
 Engage in own health organizational activities
 Support colleagues Make the most important
communication channel
Society and Government Encourage mental health champions
Invest in research and an improved Make a statement- sign the time to
evidence base change pledge
Form strategic partnership Work life balance
Support of work place mental health and Peer support, buddy system and
wellbeing initiatives mentoring
Get the incentive right Incentive based trips
 Expert View
“Mental health is something we all have. Workplaces that challenge us,
support and develop our sense of purpose, and support us when things
are hard can play a massive role in protecting and building our mental
health”-Chris O’Sullivan, Mental Health Foundation

“Although understanding of mental health issues is growing,

misconceptions still remain – especially in the workplace”-Joy Reymond,
Head of Vocational Rehabilitation Services, Unum

“We can’t ignore the fact that unreported, unmanaged stress increases
the prevalence of mental health issues at all levels”-Jane Cattermole,
Minding Your Business

“offering counseling services to all employees and health insurance that

cover mental health can be some practical steps employers can take”-
Soumitra Pathare, Director, centre for Mental Health Law and Policy