By Dr Leveana Gyimah, WHO Ghana Psychological Well being Technical Officer and Abdul-Lahie Abdul-Rahim Naa, Communications Officer- WHO Ghana, on World Psychological Well being Day
Accra, Ghana – Psychological well being is prime to our general well-being, influencing how we predict, really feel, and work together with the world round us. When our psychological well being is compromised, each facet of life, from relationships to productiveness, is affected. In 2019, 970 million folks globally had been residing with a psychological dysfunction, with anxiousness and despair the commonest. Within the office, this turns into much more essential. Given that the majority adults spend a good portion of their lives at work, creating environments that prioritize psychological well-being isn’t just essential—it is important.
This 12 months’s World Psychological Well being Day theme, “It’s time to prioritize psychological well being within the office,” brings much-needed consideration to the position that workplaces play in shaping psychological well being outcomes. Stress, anxiousness, and burnout have gotten more and more widespread in right this moment’s fast-paced work environments, usually resulting in decreased productiveness, absenteeism, and poor job satisfaction. But, the stigma surrounding psychological well being within the office persists, making it tough for a lot of to hunt assist and even acknowledge their struggles. In the long term, this places a pressure on each workers and organizations, impacting their effectivity and backside line.
Addressing psychological well being within the office is not nearly decreasing stress or enhancing efficiency—it’s about making a tradition the place everybody feels valued and supported. When organizations foster supportive environments, they not solely enhance worker well-being but in addition improve morale, retention, loyalty and general productiveness.
Selling psychological well being within the office requires a multi-faceted method that creates an inclusive, supportive, and wholesome setting for workers. A number of the methods embody:
Fostering Open Communication: Encourage a tradition the place workers really feel snug and supported in discussing psychological well being challenges. By creating an open and protected setting, we are able to break the stigma surrounding psychological well being and make sure that each particular person feels valued and empowered to hunt assist when wanted.
Implementing Versatile Work Insurance policies: Introducing worker help programmes, providing entry to psychological well being assets, and offering versatile work preparations are key steps in supporting workers by means of anxious intervals and selling general well-being. Moreover, contemplate distant work choices and versatile hours to accommodate various wants.
Offering Sources and Help: Present entry to complete psychological well being assets, together with counseling providers and stress administration packages, to help workers in navigating challenges and sustaining their well-being.
In all this, management is essential. Management performs a pivotal position in selling psychological well being within the office. Leaders set the tone for making a supportive setting the place psychological well-being is prioritized. They’re additionally chargeable for guaranteeing that psychological well being insurance policies are developed, disseminated broadly and assets to implement them out there, from worker help packages to versatile work preparations. When leaders champion psychological well being initiatives within the office, they create a tradition that values the well-being of all workers, fostering a extra resilient and productive workforce.
The World Well being Group (WHO) continues to advocate for insurance policies that prioritize psychological well being within the office, encouraging governments, employers, and employees alike to take an energetic position in guaranteeing psychological well-being for all.
As Ghana joins the worldwide neighborhood in marking this 12 months’s World Psychological Well being Day, it is a chance for companies, organizations, and policymakers to replicate on methods to domesticate environments that shield and promote psychological well-being. With a deal with prevention, intervention, and help, psychological well being at work can now not be an afterthought—it should be a precedence for all.
Collectively, we are able to create environments the place psychological well being is prioritized, fostering happier, more healthy, and extra productive groups. Whether or not you’re an employer, a supervisor, or a colleague, you might have the facility to make a distinction. Take steps right this moment to advertise psychological well being at work, break the stigma, and make sure that everybody feels supported. Let’s commit to creating psychological well being at work a actuality, as a result of when psychological well being is valued, all of us succeed. Collectively we are able to make a distinction. Psychological well being is Complete well being.