All in the mind Corporate India and its mental health

A study highlighting the role of the workplace in causing, furthering and perpetuating mental illness, launched by Gi Group India, a leading human capital solutions and services provider. The study titled 'All in the Mind: the state of mental health in Corporate India' shares a birds eye view into the state of mental well-being of India's corporate segment.

It shares critical analogies that can help reduce stress in general, thus creating a happier and more motivated workforce. The survey had a sample size of 1,088 employee respondents and 368 employer respondents from leading small, medium and large-scale businesses based out of Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi NCR and Pune.

The key findings from the report are:

Employers and employees contradict each other on factors of influence. 77 per cent of the employers point to long, erratic, always on work hours, as the top factor, and play down the role of leadership. And 79 per cent of the employees put the role of leadership right on top of the factors

The top concerns that lead to mental health issues, as perceived by employers are Work-life balance (49 per cent of all employers), Work related stress (42 per cent) and Anxiety over career growth (34 per cent)

Covid-19 was a mixed bag for issues concerning mental wellness. Awareness and accessibility leapfrogged and taboos significantly diminished. However, only a small proportion of employers were more in control of their mental health. 29 per cent of the employees surveyed suffered due to erratic work schedules and 21 per cent suffered due to reduced salaries

Employers understand the fallout of mental health issues on the functioning of their organisations in varying ways. A big majority (70 per cent) of all employers believe that mental health has a serious (45 per cent) or significant (25 per cent) impact on organisational performance or organizational growth. 30 per cent believe that there is insignificant or negligible impact on either performance or growth.

Organizational policies and mechanisms do not effectively address mental health concerns in an overwhelming majority of cases. Only 14 per cent of the employers surveyed were found to have policies and mechanisms receptive to mental wellness cases. 54 per cent of the respondents have not put formal policies and mechanisms in place and deal with mental wellness concerns in their informal ways.

A large proportion of the employers surveyed (82 per cent are sensitizing their organisations to be receptive to mental health concerns. 63 per cent are opening up multiple channels for people to speak up, and 51 per cent encourage healthy interpersonal equations between people.

N Lothungbeni Humtsoe