Good afternoon everyone.
When we were designing and scheduling three days of this Regional Committee meeting, we knew we wanted to speak to you today about the importance of mental in the workplace.
It was a happy coincidence that we scheduled the date of this session the day before World Mental Health Day, which is tomorrow. The theme, this year, of World Mental Health Day is also ‘mental health at work’.
I am pleased to present our very own organizational initiative for the mental health and wellbeing of our colleagues, which we have called SEARO Care. We introduced our colleagues to this idea back in March, just weeks after I’d assumed the role of Regional Director.
My colleagues today will speak more about SEARO Care after me, so I’ll confine my remarks to the broader concept of mental health in the workplace.
Did you know that an estimated 12 billion workdays are lost each year due to depression and anxiety? This costs the global economy nearly 1 trillion US Dollars a year.
Poor mental health doesn’t just lead to lost productivity – it also actually increases the demand for social services. This in turn results in increased public health costs, and diminished tax revenues.
Social cohesion is also affected by mental health issues, because sufferers engage less in community activities and social networks.
As you can see, the impact of poor mental health is not only felt by individuals and their families, it ripples across the economy and society.
Of course, as we know, organizations and business are negatively affected by the poor mental health of their employees too.
Reduced productivity, increased absenteeism, high turnover rates, workplace mistakes and accidents, and poor employee engagement are all signs of a workforce with poor mental health.
Let us not forget that employers everywhere have a legal obligation to provide a safe and healthy workplace - including one which is mentally healthy also.
Global guidelines on mental health at work recommend actions to tackle risks to mental health. These risks include heavy workloads, negative behaviors (such as bullying and harassment), and other factors that cause distress.
For example, the guidelines recommend better ways to accommodate the needs of workers with mental health conditions and propose interventions that support return to work them. For those with severe conditions, the guidelines provide interventions that facilitate entry into paid employment.
WHO has, of course, a vitally important say in the protection and promotion of mental health in the workplace.
Our Director General, Dr Tedros, has been clear on the need to focus on the detrimental effect that work can have on mental health. He has equally highlighted that poor mental health can also have a debilitating impact on a person’s performance and productivity.
WHO and the International Labour Organization have created guidelines for governments, employers, workers and their organizations on how to support the prevention of mental health risks, and how to protect and promote mental health at work. The objective has always been to provide employees with the optimal working conditions, so they can contribute and thrive.
WHO is committed to advancing mental health and wellbeing and has a Workforce Mental Health Strategy.
WHO’s vision is that all members of the workforce should have their mental health promoted and protected at work. They should have equitable access to quality and culturally appropriate mental health support, when and where they need it.
Action to address mental health at work should involve workers, workers’ representatives, and people with lived experience of mental health conditions. These actions should be supported and encouraged by the organization’s management.
With this in mind, WHO SEARO is creating a strategy and detailed plan to deliver a supportive environment to its employees, one where they feel valued, respected and cared for. Through this SEARO Care initiative, we hope to reduce stress, improve job satisfaction and build a culture of trust, open communication and mutual respect.
I hope our initiative will become a model for workplaces across the region.
If you would like to pilot a similar programme at your workplace, or if you just want to know more about our programme, please get in touch with us. We want to ‘export’ our learnings and experience to other institutions, and want to promote this in all our Member States.
On that note, I will hand over to CdC to tell you more about SEARO Care.
Thank you.