In a whitepaper for Asia-Pacific business leaders on the topic of major depression, professional services firm KPMG in Singapore reported that stigma and discrimination on mental health are the biggest factors preventing people from seeking related support services. This stigma includes the negative attitudes that the workforce may have towards people who are struggling with their mental wellness, which can contribute to a hostile work experience for employees who may require more support.
Given the reality of work accounting for a major part of peoples’ time, it is crucial for employers to recognise the urgency in promoting progressive mindsets towards mental wellness. This may take the form of normalising mental health issues and creating a healthy work environment with proper mental welfare infrastructure. Business owners seeking to achieve these goals may consider the following tools and approaches.
Technological advancement has seen the development of new digital tools that can help employers provide holistic support for employees’ mental health without requiring excessive resources. In this post, we explore some examples and offer practical considerations for invested business owners keen on supporting mental health and resilience.
- Telehealth
Telehealth technologies can connect individuals with mental health providers from the comfort and safety of their own homes. This became especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic when in-person appointments were not always possible. Corporates have not been sitting on their laurels when it comes to supporting staff on mental health and wellbeing. For example, professional services firm KPMG advocates the use of mental wellness apps to allow access to self-care resources such as virtual counselling and other forms of support. - Mental Health Tracking Apps
Companies have also been leveraging other health and wellbeing apps as part of their support for workers’ welfare. These apps track and collect crucial data on users’ moods, mental health symptoms, triggers, and status over time. This makes it easy for employees to understand themselves better and keep their mental health providers well-informed. Some popular apps include Mood Diary, MyTherapy and Pacifica.
- Building Communities on Social Media
Lastly, companies can facilitate the forming of self-help groups on internal social media and communications platforms to improve the visibility of mental wellness programmes and issues, creating platforms for connection and support. They may even consider providing a list of trustworthy external social media accounts for employees to follow in their own time, given that platforms including LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok are seeing more experts sharing valuable resources relevant to mental health.
Ultimately, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for safeguarding mental wellness; what works for one person may not work for another, but companies can make an effort to provide resources for valuable employees to begin their personal journeys. Digital tools can be valuable resources for employers seeking to better support their employees’ mental health. When used wisely and combined with other forms of support, such as employee assistance programmes, they can help create a comprehensive approach to employee wellness that meets the needs of your workforce.
