Mental health is all about a person’s emotional and social well-being, which determines how an individual handles stress, interacts with the world and makes decisions. It is also the driving force of a person’s physical well-being, helping to maintain even normal functions like sustaining the immune system and energy levels. Hence, sound mental health is vital to an individual’s ability to live a content, happy and wholesome life.
Unfortunately, mental health has been ignored for far too long. Although the concept is not new, education or clarity around the topic has been scarce and has taken center stage only recently. As a result, there are a lot of myths and social stigma surrounding mental health and the importance of its care. A busy lifestyle, being unsure what to do about it, and the fact that professional mental health care can be expensive are a few other reasons why and how it is easy to neglect it.
Hence, the first step towards advocating mental health care is increasing awareness and education about it and its importance.
To increase awareness about the significance of mental health in the holistic well-being of a person, promote the efforts in support of the same and eradicate the stigma surrounding mental health care, October 10 has been marked and celebrated as World Mental Health Day since 1992. The theme for 2022 is “Making Mental Health & Well-Being for All a Global Priority”.
Apart from spreading knowledge about the importance of mental health care, it is equally essential to be able to identify the causes or circumstances around us that affect mental health and be vocal about it. It is vital to speak about them to the right people and resolve the concerns. Supporting others is equally critical. Communities or companies must be able to discuss these issues publicly in open forums and generalize the concept so that the affected ones do not feel disgraced and become comfortable coming forward and sharing their issues.
As an employer, while the responsibility toward our associates’ well-being has always been crucial for us, the situation has become more dense and critical post the pandemic. Whether it was the time when people started working remotely for the first time in their lives or the current state of affairs where businesses are planning how to go back to the offices, what has been affected most is the sense of psychological safety and security of associates. So, taking decisions that are in favor of the business as well as the associates, helping them understand the needs of the business, assisting and supporting them adapt to the changes and making them feel secure and comfortable should be foremost for any employer. It is essential for the associate’s well-being and will increase their performance and productivity, helping companies to do better.
Here are a few things that we, as employers, can practice:
Regularly educate associates about the attributes and importance of mental health
Build forums and opportunities through which associates can reach out in case of any concerns
Encourage conversations around the concept
Embed the sense of empathy towards everyone among all associates
Teach them the importance of listening without comparing and judging
Encourage a culture of transparency and openness
Educate associates to be able to identify the situation where professional help is required
Views of the author are personal and do not necessarily represent the website’s views.
Vibhor Mishra is the Senior VP, Human Resource and Chief of Staff at Tavant. In his role, he is responsible for amplifying Tavant’s vision, strategy, and development. Vibhor is an accomplished technology business leader with hands-on experience in marketing, sales, and product management and applies them to connecting teams that work on similar initiatives. He supports organizations by embracing their digital journey by transforming the business into a cognitive enterprise. A results-driven leader and a CX evangelist, he focuses on meaningful ROI metrics that integrate marketing, sales, delivery, and operations data to provide a holistic view of the enterprise.
Vibhor Mishra is the Senior VP, Human Resource and Chief of Staff at Tavant. In his role, he is responsible for amplifying Tavant’s vision, strategy, and development. Vibhor is an accomplished technology business leader with hands-on experience in marketing, sales, and product management and applies them to connecting teams that work on similar initiatives. He supports organizations by embracing their digital journey by transforming the business into a cognitive enterprise. A results-driven leader and a CX evangelist, he focuses on meaningful ROI metrics that integrate marketing, sales, delivery, and operations data to provide a holistic view of the enterprise.
