Free resources are opening up to help employees manage mental health during WFH

The photo is for representational purpose only

The world has endured huge losses - both in terms of human lives and economic cost - due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. For India, the second wave of Covid-19 has been brutal, to say the least. But one silver lining amidst this gloom has been an increasing recognition of mental health, especially among corporates.

According to a survey in 2020, done by HR and well-being firm The7thFold, 36 per cent employees had reported their mental health has worsened since the pandemic began. In response to the recent resurgence in Covid-19 cases and resulting anxiety, some startups such as OYO and Swiggy experimented with a four-day work week, while Zerodha discouraged employees from answering work messages after 6 pm. A few other companies have started what is called a ‘pause day', where an employee can take the day off without an explanation if they are feeling overwhelmed.

Yet, such attention is still not the norm. Only a third of employers surveyed by global staffing firm Gi Group India recently had enacted employee assistance programmes and other mental health measures. It further noted that while 94 per cent of employers were aware of mental health issues, only 15 percent were sensitive to those concerns.

"Fundamentally, we need to start addressing the stigma attached with mental health. Organisations must take measures to start the conversation and dispel the taboo around mental health. There needs to be a process where employees can raise issues freely. But it is easier said than done and a lot of effort needs to be put in to achieve that," observes Hemant Sethi, country head for the British Safety Council, India. To further raise awareness among both employees and organisations, his firm - a not-for-profit membership organisation which provides resources to reduce risk, prevent injuries and promote health and well-being in the workplace - has launched free e-learning courses to help cope with mental health issues that arise while working from home during the pandemic.

Hemant Sethi

It was launched in May and the organisation, which also offers paid courses, says more than 2,000 individuals and large reputed Indian organisations took up the free courses within a month. Speaking about the idea behind this project, Sethi says, "This is our way of also giving back where organisations can use the free resources at a difficult time for their employees in the country. And we hope that these courses can provide some sort of relief to employees and potentially help deal with any challenges that they're facing on the mental health front."

The workshops available include ‘Remote Workers - Health, Safety, and Welfare', ‘Stress Awareness', ‘Managing Stress Within Your Team', among others. Sethi informs Mid-day.com that these 30-minute courses are based on global practices and are not specifically adapted for the Indian work culture. "There's enough guidance available that these resources don't need to be geography-specific or region-specific. So it is beneficial to every individual in a work environment to have access to these kinds of short courses," he says.

On a similar note, on June 1, entrepreneur Raj Nayak, announced on Twitter that 'House of Cheer', a company promoted by him, is making available one of its services -- the tech-enabled Employee Voice 24/7 platform -- to small, medium and large companies, free of cost. The technology seemingly lets leaders hear their employees out and have a better understanding, in real time, about how they are feeling. This way, employees can anonymously share their sentiments at any given point of time, and individual employee feedback will be organised into a unique dashboard with actionable insights for employers to improve communication for employee well-being.

British Safety Council India's future plans include keeping the focus of mental health and putting out more such initiatives to help individuals as well as big companies. As for mental health awareness at the workplace, even though the progress has been good, there is still a long way to go. Being sensitive and showing empathy to employees during the pandemic is a positive step taken by some employers. However, these optimistic changes need to be carried forward, and not forgotten once the situation improves.

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