Health & Wellbeing at the Workplace

Comprehensive Study Notes - CMH 16th Session

Mental Health at Work - Key Facts

WHO Key Statistics

12 billion working days lost annually to depression & anxiety
Cost: US$1 trillion per year in lost productivity
  • Decent work is good for Mental Health
  • Poor working environments pose significant mental health risks
  • Global economic impact is substantial

Poor Working Environment Risk Factors

  • Discrimination and inequality
  • Excessive workloads
  • Low job control
  • Job insecurity

Common Workplace Mental Health Challenges

  • Long, inflexible hours and short-staffing
  • Remote work without work-life separation
  • Toxic workplace fostering bullying/harassment
  • Lack of training or guidance
  • Limited communication from management
  • Lack of support and resources
  • Unsafe working practices

Psychological Safety Trends

Workers' comfort discussing mental health with senior leaders:

  • 2021: 37%
  • 2023: 19% (nearly halved)

"A climate in which people are comfortable being (and expressing) themselves" - Amy Edmondson, Harvard Business School

Workplace Stress Factors

Primary Stress Factors

  • Relationship problems with superiors - Dealing with difficult bosses
  • Bureaucratic constraints
  • Work-family conflict - Finding right balance
  • Colleague relationships - Dealing with difficult co-workers
  • Performance pressure - Unrealistic expectations
  • Poor job prospects

Six Main Causes of Burnout (HBR Study)

  1. Unsustainable workloads
  2. Perceived lack of control
  3. Insufficient rewards for effort
  4. Lack of supportive community
  5. Lack of fairness
  6. Mismatched values and skills
78% rated healthy organizational culture as moderately to extremely helpful

India's "MeanToo" Moment (Sep 2024)

  • Growing outcry against toxic work environments
  • SEBI employees' public complaints - "Dhobi list"
  • Issues: excessive workload, bullying, lack of work-life balance
  • Reflection of wider malaise in Indian workplaces

Real-World Case Studies

Case 1: Anna Sebastian Perayil - EY Pune (Sep 2024)

Situation: Tragic death of 26-year-old chartered accountant

Specific Workload Issues:
  • Excessive work demands on new employee
  • Working day and night, including Sundays
  • Overburdening with assigned AND unassigned work
  • No consideration for physical, emotional, mental toll
  • Lack of management support
Signs of Distress:
  • "Workload affected her physically, emotionally, and mentally"
  • "Backbreaking work" with no justification
  • Struggling to adjust to new environment, language, job

Case 2: Kritarth Mittal - Tech Founder (Sep 2024)

From hospital bed warning: 25-year-old techie's experience

  • Founder of Soshals
  • Achieved success but at heavy personal costs
  • Health impact of hustle culture
  • Now committed to sustainable health management

Case 3: Karnataka IT Professionals Health Crisis (Aug 2024)

20% of organ seekers in Karnataka are techies (8,419 people waiting)
Causes of organ failure in IT professionals:
  • Unmanaged chronic stress
  • Hypertension/high blood pressure
  • Poor dietary habits
  • Long sedentary hours
  • Irregular sleep patterns

Recent Study: Work from Office vs Work from Home (Oct 2024)

Study by Sapiens Labs: 54,831 respondents across 65 countries

Finding: Work from office better than work from home for mental health

Eight Dimensions of Wellbeing

"Wellness is an intentional, ongoing and holistic approach to making healthy choices for in eight major areas of life functioning." - Ruma Purkayastha

1. Physical Wellness

Self-Care Practices:

  • 30 minutes daily physical activity (can break into 10-minute bouts)
  • Use stairs instead of elevators
  • Recognize body warning signs
  • Eat variety of healthy foods, control portions
  • Regular sleep schedule: 7-9 hours nightly

2. Spiritual Wellness

Key Activities:

  • Nature bathing
  • Watch sunrise/sunset
  • Self-reflection and mindfulness
  • Community volunteering
  • Determine life purpose and values
  • Express gratitude

3. Social Wellness

Self-Assessment Questions:

  • How are you at asking for help?
  • Do you surround yourself with trustworthy, caring people?
  • Can you communicate clearly during conflict?
  • Do you have at least one reliable friend?
  • Are you comfortable being alone?

4. Occupational Wellness

Happiness and fulfillment from work

Note: Recent studies suggest work from office better for mental health than remote work

5. Intellectual Wellness

Activities:

  • Maintain curiosity and lifelong learning
  • Practice open-mindedness
  • Active listening
  • Develop skill-building hobbies
  • Travel for new experiences
  • Creative self-expression

6. Environmental Wellness

Focus Areas:

  • Access to clean air, food, water
  • Preserve living, learning, working spaces
  • Create pleasant, stimulating environments
  • Promote natural spaces for relaxation
  • Demonstrate commitment to healthy planet

7. Cultural Wellness

Improvement Strategies:

  • Keep open mind, avoid stereotypes
  • Treat others as you'd like to be treated
  • Learn about your own culture/family history
  • Visit culturally diverse places
  • Create friendships across cultures
  • Ask questions and seek perspectives

8. Emotional Wellness

Key Components:

  • Understanding and respecting your feelings
  • Appreciating others' feelings
  • Managing emotions constructively
  • Feeling positive about life

9. Financial Wellness

Core Elements:

  • Understanding and managing financial situation
  • Making informed financial decisions
  • Building budgets and saving practices
  • Proper use of debt and investments
  • Estate and retirement planning

Solutions & Remedies

A) Organizational Remedies

  • Implement balanced work policies
  • Regular stress management workshops and training
  • Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) - counseling and confidential mental health support
  • Manager training to recognize stress signs and foster supportive cultures

B) Mental Health Initiatives & Legal Framework

  • CSR initiatives prioritizing mental health
  • Strengthen legal provisions and grievance mechanisms
  • National campaigns like #PledgeForMentalHealth
  • Safe, harassment-free work environments

C) Individual & Cultural Measures

  • Personal resilience building:
    • Mindfulness practices
    • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
    • Regular physical activity
    • Healthy nutrition
    • Adequate rest
  • Culture normalization:
    • Taking breaks
    • Leaving work at work
    • Rewarding achievements
    • Nurturing relationships outside work
  • Innovative programs: FitCoins - digital currency for physical activities

What Employers Can Do (HBR Recommendations)

  1. Collective re-envisioning: Tailor mental health approach to organization size, stage, industry
  2. Regular measurement: Survey workers' perspectives and enact meaningful change
  3. Enable culture change:
    • Top-down: Leaders share mental health stories
    • Bottom-up: Employee resource groups, peer listening programs

Creating Balance & Building Wellness Plans

  • Individual needs assessment: Preferences and capabilities vary
  • Regular re-balancing: Adjust to life circumstances
  • Crisis management: Balance especially important during stress, illness, trauma
  • Life planning considerations:
    • Identify likely stressors for each life stage
    • Develop coping strategies
    • Prepare for future life events
    • Consider family/elder care responsibilities

Practice Quiz

1. According to WHO, how many working days are lost globally to depression and anxiety annually?

Answer: 12 billion working days are lost annually to depression and anxiety, costing US$1 trillion per year in lost productivity.

2. What are the six main causes of burnout according to the HBR study?

Answer: 1) Unsustainable workloads, 2) Perceived lack of control, 3) Insufficient rewards for effort, 4) Lack of supportive community, 5) Lack of fairness, 6) Mismatched values and skills.

3. How did workers' comfort with discussing mental health with senior leaders change from 2021 to 2023?

Answer: It nearly halved from 37% in 2021 to just 19% in 2023, showing declining psychological safety.

4. What specific workload practices at EY Pune were blamed in Anna Sebastian Perayil's mother's letter?

Answer: Excessive work demands on new employees, working day and night including Sundays, overburdening with both assigned and unassigned work, lack of management support, and no consideration for employee wellbeing.

5. What percentage of organ seekers in Karnataka are IT professionals, and what are the main causes?

Answer: More than 20% of organ seekers are IT professionals. Causes include unmanaged chronic stress, hypertension, poor dietary habits, long sedentary hours, and irregular sleep patterns.

6. Name and briefly describe the eight dimensions of wellness according to Ruma Purkayastha.

Answer: 1) Physical (body care, exercise, sleep), 2) Spiritual (purpose, values, mindfulness), 3) Social (relationships, community), 4) Occupational (work fulfillment), 5) Intellectual (learning, curiosity), 6) Environmental (clean spaces, sustainability), 7) Cultural (diversity, understanding), 8) Emotional (feelings management), plus 9) Financial (money management).

7. What is psychological safety according to Amy Edmondson?

Answer: "A climate in which people are comfortable being (and expressing) themselves." It leads to more engaged employees, experimentation, risk-taking, freedom of expression, reduced fear of failure, and higher productivity.

8. What are the three main categories of workplace mental health remedies?

Answer: A) Organizational Remedies (balanced policies, EAPs, manager training), B) Mental Health Initiatives & Legal Framework (CSR initiatives, legal provisions), C) Individual & Cultural Measures (personal resilience, culture normalization).

9. What is India's "MeanToo" moment referring to in the context of workplace mental health?

Answer: It refers to the growing outcry against toxic work environments, highlighted by SEBI employees' public complaints ("Dhobi list"), addressing issues like excessive workload, bullying, and lack of work-life balance across Indian workplaces.

10. What did the 2024 Sapiens Labs study of 54,831 respondents across 65 countries conclude about work arrangements?

Answer: The study concluded that work from office is better than work from home for mental health, challenging common assumptions about remote work benefits.