The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labor Organization have called for concrete action to address the mental health concerns of the working population.
It is estimated that around 12 billion working days are lost annually due to depression and anxiety, costing the global economy nearly $1 trillion. Two new publications aimed at tackling this problem are coming out today – the WHO Guidelines on Mental Health at Work and a derivative policy brief from WHO and ILO.
WHO’s global guidelines on mental health at work recommend actions to address mental health risks such as heavy workloads, negative behaviors, and other stressors at work. For the first time, the organization recommends training managers to build their capacity to prevent stressful work environments and meet the needs of distressed workers.
The WHO World Mental Health Report published in June 2022 showed that 15% of working-age adults had a mental disorder out of a billion people who had mental disorders in 2019. Work exacerbates and spreads social problems across the world. It has a wide range of negative impacts on mental health, including discrimination and inequity. Bullying and psychological violence (also known as “harassment”) are major complaints of harassment at work and have a negative impact on mental health. But discussing or exposing mental health remains a taboo in workplaces worldwide.
The guidelines also recommend better ways to address the needs of workers with mental health problems, suggesting the implementation of interventions to help them return to work, and implementing interventions that facilitate the engagement of those with severe mental health problems into paid employment. Most importantly, the Guidelines call for the implementation of interventions to protect workers in the areas of both the health sector, humanitarian activities and emergencies.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, said: “It is time to focus on the harmful impact that work can have on our mental health. An individual’s well-being is reason enough to take action, but deteriorating mental health can also have the effect of undermining a person’s performance and productivity. These new guidelines can help prevent exposure to negative attitudes and cultures at work and provide the working population with much-needed mental health protection and support.”
An independent and joint ILO and ILO policy brief was issued clarifying the ILO’s guidelines for practical strategies for governments, employers, workers and their related organizations in the public and private sectors, with the aim of supporting efforts to prevent, protect and enhance mental health risks in the workplace, And support those suffering from mental health problems so that they can participate in the world of work and develop their capabilities, knowing that it is indispensable to make investments and take a leadership role in implementing these strategies.
Guy Ryder, Director-General of the International Labor Organization, said: “As people spend a large part of their lives at work – creating a safe and healthy working environment for them is critical, and we need to make the necessary investments to build a culture that protects them from mental health problems in work, reshaping the work environment to eliminate stigma and social exclusion, and ensuring that employees with mental health problems feel protected and supported.”
The ILO Occupational Safety and Health Convention (No. 155) and Recommendation (No. 164) provide legal frameworks to protect the health and safety of workers. However, in the WHO Mental Health Atlas, only 35% of countries reported implementing national programs on mental health promotion and prevention of work-related problems.
The COVID-19 pandemic has also caused a 25% increase in overall anxiety and depression rates worldwide, exposing the inadequate preparedness of governments to address the impact of the pandemic on mental health and a chronic global shortage of mental health resources. In 2020, governments around the world spent an average of only 2% of health budgets on mental health, while lower-middle-income countries invested less than 1%.