Despite the global attention and initiatives to raise awareness, the stigma associated with the subject stands as a major challenge for organisations to take active and tangible measures to secure a mentally safe environment for their employees. For some, it is the fear of being singled out, while others feel that the workplace environment is not appropriate or conducive to open up.

According to WHO, between 2012 and 2030, the Indian economy stands at a risk of incurring a loss of over trillion dollars owning to mental health-related issues. Yet the topic of mental health is not discussed and active measures to tackle the issue is still amiss. Though psychology was quite established as an empirical science in the West by 1950’s, In India it was still a part of the disciplines of philosophy. Organisational psychology was even slower to ain momentum since the Indian economy was primarily driven by the public sector, which lacked the motivation to be profitable and efficient.

Despite the global attention and initiatives to raise awareness, the stigma associated with the subject stands as a major challenge for organisations to take active and tangible measures to secure a mentally safe environment for their employees. For some, it is the fear of being singled out, while others feel that the workplace environment is not appropriate or conducive to open up.

Deteriorating mental health of an employee can be attributed to work related on non work related factors. However, prolonged workplace stress is on the most alarming among them. Long work hours, unrealistic deadlines, discouragement for taking out leisure time, inadequate health policies along with the lack of communication and encouragement, to name a few, are key risk factors for people who might find themselves vulnerable to mental health problems.

In India, about 67% people admit they are forced to think about work even when on leave, hence causing widespread burnout and stress in their day-to day lives.

The recent pandemic apart from the health concern came with a huge wave of mental distress for the working class. The initial attraction of work from home soon fizzled out to be replaced with work life balance issues, relationship issues and the constant fear of job security. This being said, India saw more proactive measures being taken to handle mental health issues, even if that meant more people acknowledging it to more articles being written about how to deal with this. Now with the transition from work from home to being back in office, organisations need to take the necessary measures for a smooth transition for their employees.

Investing in mental health need not be associated with a heavy bearing on the company’s funds, rather take small, thoughtful steps towards creating a space for your employees to learn, understand and know when to reach out for help.

Conducting workshops and training for employees as well as for the top management to identify the signs of depression or anxiety and how to deal with it, with empathy and getting in touch with the right person is a step forward for any organisation towards building a healthy and safe environment to work in.