The International Labour Organization (ILO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), called for concrete action to address mental health concerns among the working population.
According to two new journals which aim to address this issue published today – WHO Guidelines on mental health at work and a derivative WHO/ILO Policy Brief, an estimated 12 billion workdays are lost annually due to depression and anxiety, costing the global economy nearly US$ 1 trillion.
WHO’s global guidelines on mental health at work recommend actions to tackle risks to mental health such as heavy workloads, negative behaviors, and other factors that create distress at work. WHO recommends that managers receive training to improve their ability to respond to workers in distress and prevent stressful work environments.
WHO’s World Mental Health Report, published in June 2022, further showed that of the one billion people living with a mental disorder in 2019, 15 per cent of working-age adults experienced a mental disorder.
Work can increase the impact of wider societal issues that adversely affect mental health. Bullying and psychological violence (also known as “mobbing”) is a key complaint of workplace harassment that has a negative impact on mental health. Globally, however, mental health is taboo at work.
These guidelines also suggest better ways to accommodate workers with mental illness. They recommend interventions that support their return back to work and, in the case of those with severe mental disorders, interventions that facilitate entry to paid employment. Importantly, the guidelines recommend interventions that protect health, humanitarian, or emergency workers.
“It’s time to focus on the detrimental effect work can have on our mental health,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, adding that the well-being of the individual is reason enough to act, but poor mental health can also have a debilitating impact on a person’s performance and productivity. These new guidelines can help prevent negative work situations and cultures and offer much-needed mental health protection and support for working people.”
A WHO/ILO Policy Brief provides additional information on the WHO guidelines and practical strategies for workers, employers, governments, and their organizations in both the public and the private sectors.
The goal of the project is to support the prevention and promotion of mental health, as well as support those with mental disorders so they can thrive in the work environment. The implementation of these strategies will require leadership and investment.
“As people spend a large proportion of their lives in work – a safe and healthy working environment is critical. We need to invest to build a culture of prevention around mental health at work, reshape the work environment to stop stigma and social exclusion, and ensure employees with mental health conditions feel protected and supported,” said Guy Ryder, ILO Director-General.
The ILO Occupational Safety and Health Convention No. 155) and Recommendation (164) provide legal frameworks for workers. 164) provide legal frameworks for workers’ safety and health. The WHO Mental Health Atlas revealed that only 35% of countries had national programs for work-related mental healthcare promotion and prevention.
COVID-19 led to a 25% increase of general anxiety and depression in the world. This exposed how unprepared governments were to deal with its impact on mental well-being and revealed a global chronic shortage of mental resources.
In 2020, only two percent (2%) of global health budgets were spent on mental health. Countries with lower incomes invested less than 1%.
Alice Gworo
Source: kenyanews
