Akshay Malhotra

Ex-Infosys
Internship at L&T – Talent Mapping
Food Blogger| Squash Player| Trekker

Pritam Abhishek
Ex-Infosys
Internship at ICICI Bank – Strategy(HRP)
Cricket Enthusiast| Badminton Player|
Photographer

Kapish Wangoo
Ex-KPMG
Internship at LinkCxo – Leadership Hiring
and Consulting
Traveller| Biker| F1
 Why Mental Health Needs Attention?
Nearly half the employees in India suffer from some kind of stress.
The survey was conducted among 800,000 employees in 70 large
companies, each with a minimum workforce of 4,500.
For every rupee that is spent on employee wellness, employers
get a saving of Rs.132.33 as savings on absenteeism costs, and
Rs.6.62 back as reduced health care costs.
80 % of the respondents, who exhibited symptoms of anxiety, and
55 % with symptoms of depression, were going through it for over
a year before seeking professional help.
Due to stigma associated with mental illness, a lack of awareness
and a limited access to professional help only 10-12% of the
sufferers seek help.
A survey conducted by 1to1help.net showed that the proportion of
workers at high risk of suicide due to unmanaged stress has
grown to 8% of all counselling cases in 2018 from 2-4 % two year
ago.
In the IT/ITeS sector, 93% of the employees were of the view
that a company-sponsored wellness program will motivate
them, whereas the remaining 7% felt depressed about healthcare
programs.
• https://www.peoplematters.in/article/wellness/corporate-wellness-programs-in-india-insights-from-
assocham-17379
• https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/jobs/india-inc-looks-to-deal-with-rising-stress-in-
employees/articleshow/64741313.cms
• https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/jobs/46-of-workforce-in-firms-in-india-suffer-from-some-or-the-
other-form-of-stress-data/articleshow/52696795.cms
• https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/04/5-charts-that-reveal-how-india-sees-mental-health/
There is increasing evidence that both the content and context of work can
play a role in the development of mental health problems in the workplace.
Key factors include:
• Workload (both excessive and insufficient work)
• Lack of participation and control in the workplace
• Monotonous or unpleasant tasks
• Role ambiguity or conflict
• Lack of recognition at work
• Poor interpersonal relationships & poor working condition
• Poor leadership and communication
• Conflicting home and work demands
In Europe the estimated cost of work-related depression is €617 bn a year,
includes the costs to employers of absenteeism and presentism (€272 bn),
loss of productivity (€242 bn), healthcare costs (€63 bn) and social welfare
costs in the form of disability benefit payments (€39 bn).
• Researchers have found that in India, absence, disability, and lost
productivity as a result of depression cost employers more than four
times the cost of employee medical treatment.
• Depression is estimated to cause 400 million lost workdays each year.
• Up to 80 percent of those treated for depression show an improvement in
their symptoms, usually within four to six weeks of beginning
medication, psychotherapy, support groups or a combination of these
approaches.
• Nearly 86 percent of employees treated for depression with
antidepressants report improved work performance.
 Through support the employees feel
Organisation proactively
empowered enough to open-up
needs to support
about their mental state. People will
employees during times
only start conversations about how
of need.
they feel in a safe environment. The
Engagement activities
creation of such an environment is
should be planned that
in the hands of managers.
equip the employees to
Organization needs to foster the
better handle/understand
culture of openness.
their issues. Planning: Policy making , getting the
These activities should management on board, costing, calendar
be non threatening and design, team selection etc.
inclusive for employees
to feel empowered and Kick Off: Communications, PPTS, videos , SOAR Model &
not targeted.
buzz creation activities
Approach
Awareness Building: Posters, banners,
postcards, badges, stickers, infographics
A culture of resilience An employee needs to be aware
Engagement: Activities, tools, trainings, that when he feels ‘not like
based on trust, webinar videos
authenticity and himself’, it can be due to mental
partnership will be built issues. Help will be sought only
once everyone is aware once a person is aware that
of not only themselves something is not right with him.
but people around them. once a few people will open up,
11/15/2018 3
Issues will be identified awareness will be built around this
quickly and can be sensitive topic and more people
resolved much faster. will come out and speak.

SUPPORT
• 30-60-90 days Buddy Program:
To help a new employee settle
in a unknown city, a buddy
should assigned who will
become a POC for new joiners.
He will help them find houses,
restaurants and acclimatize.
• Regular sensitization programs
right from induction into the
company.
• Training program for Line
managers and team members to
be specially observant of any
change, early warning signals
in behavior of their team
members.
• Availability of psychiatrists,
psychological counsellors, diet
consultants
Solution/Recommendations
OPEN-UP
• Surveys on the incidence and
prevalence of mental health
problems in the workplace;
risk assessments to identify
occupational health issues in
the work environment;
interviews and focus group
discussions with key
informants, such as employees,
their families, managers, and
medical personnel within the
organization.
• A platform (intranet and/or
helpline no.) for sharing
concerns anonymously and
providing immediate
assistance.
• Provision for compulsory
hobby time off (creation of
hobby clubs) to help employees
AWARENESS
• Regular communication via
emails about mental health
and workplace engagement.
• Inviting speakers and third-
party services providers to
employee events, holding
monthly meets or annual
retreats.
• Regular sessions with doctors
and specialists to detect early
symptoms of depression,
anxiety.
• Share success stories of how
people fought and overcame
their issues.
• Holding webinars and
promoting physical well being.
Exercise has been proven to
help combat depression and
other psychological issues.
RESILIENCE
• Build a support team, they will
be the quick response team as
well as the counselors who will
guide employees on how to
handle depression.
• Promote meditation and
integrate mindfulness into core
activities.
• Encourage detachment breaks
and discourage working long
hours at a stretch.
• Build an environment that
helps people eat healthy, quit
smoking, drink responsibly
and exercise frequently.
• Social well-being through
teamwork, social events,
hobby clubs, Focus group
discussions.
confidential
© 4