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Today, October 10, marks World Mental Health Day 2024.
The theme this year is ‘Mental Health at Work’ – and it’s fair to say that there’s a wellbeing crisis not just in America, but in workplaces across the globe.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates approximately 12 billion working days are lost every year, costing the global economy over $1,000,000,000,000 ($1trillion) each year; the human cost of such widespread poor mental health is immeasurable.
What can HR teams do on World Mental Health Day 2024 and beyond?
World Mental Health Day 2024 is a chance for employers to reflect on the current mental state of their workforce, celebrate the progress of existing wellbeing initiatives, and reflect on what more could be done to tackle this growing crisis.
WHO and partners including the World Economic Forum (WEF) are calling on employers to action on World Mental Health Day and beyond to take action.
In a recent report on World Mental Health Day 2024, the WEF referenced a study from the 2024 Workforce State of Mind report by Headspace, which found that nearly half of UK- and US-based employees (47%) and two-thirds (66%) of CEOs said most or all of their stress comes from work.
More than three-quarters reported this had negatively impacted their physical health and 71% admitted work stress caused a personal relationship to end.
The Forum has previously emphasized the “relentless tide of change, the demands of hybrid work arrangements and the looming questions about the impact of automation and artificial intelligence on job security” on the stress and anxiety levels of employees, calling on imploring businesses to invest in building resilient and healthy workplaces.
According to WHO, there are three crucial steps for workplaces to consider:
Manager training in mental health to increase their capability of recognizing and responding to mental ill health
Training for workers in mental health literacy and awareness
Individual interventions to help workers develop the skills they need to manage stress and its symptoms
The WEF also detailed the rise of precarious employment, “defined by short-term, on-demand, task-oriented work,” as a core driver of poor mental wellbeing to be tackled.
HR & wellbeing pros react on World Mental Health Day 2024
"It's really difficult right now getting up in the morning, seeing the headlines that people see, let alone all the things that are part and parcel of daily life – and certainly daily life in the world of work where stress is inherent,” reflected Diana Han, Unilever’s Chief Health and Wellbeing Officer, speaking at a recent WEF Sustainable Development Impact Meeting.
Han recommended HR and wellbeing leaders begin by encouraging role-modelling amongst leadership teams.
"It always starts with that leadership culture as a first step. Sharing stories and lived experience is very impactful,” she explained. “From there on, across an organization, it's important to raise awareness and normalize the conversation – it is absolutely OK to speak up when you're not OK.”
Han also echoed the WHO’s recommendation for formal training, allowing managers to recognize the general signs and symptoms and signpost employees to the necessary support.
This view was further supported by said Bar Huberman, Content Manager, HR Strategy & Practice at Brightmine, who spoke to HR Grapevine ahead of World Mental Health Day 2024. “Giving line managers training on how to identify and spot the signs or differences when someone is struggling with their mental health, means they can see these changes in real time and support as appropriate.”
Consider “whole-person health” like Estée Lauder
Sharon E. Smith, Corporate Medical Director, Estée Lauder Companies added that her company has been driving “whole-person health.”
"We talk about emotional wellbeing, your spiritual wellbeing, your social wellbeing. Are you socially connected? Are you continuing to be curious and to grow your skills or to learn more? Because as you take classes or learn things, it impacts your social wellbeing,” she explained.
“And also we talk about your financial wellbeing,” Smith added. “Is your house in order, literally and figuratively. These things are all interconnected and it impacts not just your ability to be productive, but the ability of other people in your household to be productive.”
Smith agreed with Han’s assertions on manager and employee training, but caveated that adaption is necessary and one-size-fits-all policies rarely work.
“We have a lot of people working all over the world doing different things in different ways, in manufacturing, or in offices. So we can't paint with a broad brush in terms of support, and we have to be culturally sensitive,” she continued. “We also realize there are people who learn or experience things in different ways. So we have apps, we have educational seminars … Constant communication and openness, I think, is tantamount to really getting people the help they need."
Taking a break: HR must lead by example
Speaking to HR Grapevine, Katja Meeuwsen-Nass, VP of HR for ASICS – the sportswear manufacturer that launched the #deskbreak campaign ahead of World Mental Health Day 2024 – reiterated the need for cultural change and creating a culture of flexibility.
“We encourage employees to take lunch breaks whenever fits in their diary, and although things like that sound cliché, when we implement them and lead them by example – you can often see our CEO in the gym during the work day – it makes wellbeing part of the day-to-day work at ASICS,” she said.
“Creating the right culture is about bringing all that work together and modeling the behavior across leadership or management roles, so that people constantly feel encouraged and safe to do what they need to do to support their wellbeing."
