On October 10th, we will celebrate World Mental Health Day 2023, a key date if we are to consider the interaction between work and emotional well-being.
First, we cannot forget that this relationship matters ethically: taking care of employees and protecting their health is good in itself. Moreover, from a strictly corporate point of view, companies understand that the lack of investment in prevention and care for the psychological well-being of their employees generates losses in the millions of dollars for the companies.
World Mental Health Day 2022
In fact, it is nothing new that optimal mental health at work is key for employees. Work is a significant risk factor for workers’ physical and psychological well-being at work when it does not work correctly. Still, it is also a protective factor when it occurs under the right circumstances.
Understanding this in time and making consistent decisions makes an essential difference to the health of individuals and the success of companies. Companies may look the other way, but performance decline, sick leave, absenteeism, and damage to corporate reputation do not come for free.
Responding to employees’ needs
Although it is fortunately celebrated every year, World Mental Health Day 2023 also serves as a reminder that times are changing and, with them, the needs and circumstances of workers are transforming. The classic idea of working for a company that allows for an adequate work/non-work balance has become more sophisticated.
Today’s employees don’t just look at whether the pay or the hours look good; they also value working for an organization that is explicitly concerned about protecting their health and not using it as a bargaining chip to achieve its goals.
When this does not happen, motivation with tasks drops, commitment to the company decreases, relationships within the team become strained, and the company’s results are far from the best.
Many workers then rethink their careers, sometimes drastically, in response to a work ecosystem that does not respond to what they need now. There has been a widespread trend in recent years of the Great Resignation, especially in the U.S.
Other employees do not take that direction but remain in the company. They do not leave their jobs, but they do not put all their skills into them either. It is the so-called silent resignation or quiet quitting. This phenomenon also says a lot about their lack of psychological well-being and, therefore, about the consequences for the company.
Investing (or not) in well-being
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “Globally, an estimated 12 billion working days are lost every year to depression and anxiety at a cost of US$ 1 trillion per year in lost productivity”.
This means that the lack of effective strategies for preventing mental health problems at work and enhancing well-being has effects that can be concretely quantified. Also, according to WHO, “There are effective measures that can prevent mental health risks at work, protect and promote mental health at work”.
Therefore, those companies that implement emotional well-being services available to their employees and adapt to their needs prevent these effects. This allows them to be reinforced concerning their main competitors: improvements in the performance of more than 30% are observed, and the hours of absence from work decrease by up to 50%.
In short, World Mental Health Day 2023 should highlight the fact that it is possible to carry out these programs professionally and continuously over time. Moreover, it is instrumental in protecting the company’s most important resource: its people.
World Mental Health Day 2023 theme
In an increasingly competitive and demanding business environment, employees’ mental health has become a critical factor for the long-term success of any organisation. For this reason, this year’s theme for World Mental Health Day is “Mental Health Is A Universal Human Right”, and was chosen by popular vote with a total of 2,189 votes. This demonstrates the growing global awareness of the importance of addressing issues related to mental well-being.
It is crucial to understand that mental health is not just an individual concern, but a universal right that directly impacts the health of society as a whole. This slogan reminds us that mental health should not be a taboo subject in the workplace. Business leaders and managers play a key role in promoting the mental health of their employees, and by prioritising mental well-being programmes in their workplaces, they are not only improving the quality of life of their teams but also contributing to the creation of a more productive and healthy working environment for all.
On World Mental Health Day 2023, we urge all business leaders to reflect on the theme “Mental Health Is A Universal Human Right” and to commit to taking concrete action to prioritise mental health for their employees, not only as an ethical duty but as an investment in the future success of their organisations and in the health of the world at large.
Focusing on emotional well-being in organizations
At ifeel, we believe that what is important for a promising career development is to forge a profitable and constructive working relationship for both the employee and the company. When this process is interrupted, it is detrimental to the psychological well-being of individuals.
To convey this idea, our team of psychologists, experts in well-being at work, has created an emotional well-being program for companies that brings relevant benefits to the whole team, including Human Resources managers.
These managers play a fundamental role in the company’s final results. It is important to support them to properly guide the relationship between the company and employees and ensure that it is as beneficial as possible for both.
That’s why, through our program, you can receive personalized, data-driven advice on improving the psychological well-being of the teams under your care. Are you part of your organization’s Human Resources department? Try our program now to see how it could help you.
In addition, this program offers all employees a complete mental health care service that they can access in different ways depending on their needs. Those who wish can access an online therapy service with one of our psychologists, specialized in cases like theirs, or interact with one of our professionals to receive emotional support in a more specific circumstance that concerns them.
Of course, in our Resources section, you can find different materials, such as podcasts, HR Guides on various topics (e.g., employee experience or how to design a good HR strategy), or interviews with important HR positions. In addition, we have a Psychosocial Risk Factors Template, which you can use to comply with the requirements of the Labor Inspectorate.
We hope you found this post about World Mental Health Day 2023 interesting. If you would like more information about our emotional well-being program for companies, just ask us, and we will contact your team as soon as possible.
