Mental Health Is Now a Business Priority, Not Just an HR Concern

The integral health of workers is a fundamental pillar for the success and sustainability of any organization. However, a dimension that has historically received less attention in the workplace is mental health. Defined as a dynamic state that allows people to cope with life's stress, develop their abilities, learn, work effectively, and contribute to their community, mental health has both intrinsic and instrumental value, and it is an integral part of our well-being. However, individual, family, community, and structural factors can, at any time, protect or weaken mental health. 

Unfavorable conditions and interactions in the workplace not only deteriorate employee health but also lead to negative consequences for organizations. Absenteeism is a key indicator of these consequences. This generates an increase in payroll costs and productivity losses.

The Growing Concern in the Workplace 

The World Health Organization (WHO) has highlighted the importance of mental health and the need to generate actions to preserve it, based on essential human values. Poor work environments, which can include discrimination and inequality, excessive workloads, insufficient control over work, and job insecurity, represent a significant risk to mental health. 

Globally, it is estimated that approximately 15% of working-age adults suffered from a mental disorder in 2019. Depression and anxiety are major conditions that, globally, are estimated to cause the loss of 12 billion working days each year. This translates into an estimated annual cost of US$ 1 trillion in lost productivity. 

Personality disorders manifest in the workplace through interpersonal relationships, the expression of subjectivities, and can influence decision-making and leadership styles. When a personality disorder becomes evident at work, it affects the quality of work itself and the individual and collective health of workers. Identifying these characteristics and understanding their potential expression in the workplace is crucial. People with personality disorders often exhibit disturbances in their emotional, affective, motivational, and social relationship dimensions. They may have difficulty functioning autonomously, achieving goals, and adjusting efficiently to the socio-work environment. This can manifest in alterations in how they perceive and interpret themselves and others, in their affections, interpersonal relationships, and impulse control. It is likely that they are perceived negatively by their colleagues, as manipulative or conflictive. 

While clinical diagnosis corresponds to specialists, it is important that in the workplace it is understood that there are healthy aspects of personality that favor organizational development, group coexistence, productivity, and innovation. Likewise, early detection and intervention in cases of personality disorders are essential for both the worker as well as for their environment, the work climate, and the functioning of the organization. When the clinical situation is stable and the person wishes to integrate into work, the supervisor's role is vital, establishing clear limits on tasks and performance, and managing potential conflicts. In many cases, close collaboration with mental health services and employee assistance programs will be required.

Psychosocial Risk Factors and Mental Workload 

Intra-work factors that put workers' mental health at risk mostly correspond to psychosocial ones. These can include mental workload, interpersonal relationships, control over work, and new forms of work organization and the use of information and communication technologies (ICT). Mental workload is the mental effort required to perform a task and its study is approached from cognitive ergonomics. It can be conceptualized as the demands of the task or as the interaction between these demands and the person's capacities. High mental workload can lead to fatigue, decreased performance and increased errors.

A serious example of the effects of chronic work stress is burnout syndrome. This syndrome is characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization/cynicism, and low personal accomplishment. Its triggers are usually organizational factors, job design, or negative interpersonal relationships, such as dealing with difficult people, conflicts among colleagues, or lack of social support. Burnout has significant consequences both for the individual (psychosomatic, behavioral, emotional, attitudinal) and for the organization (absenteeism, turnover).

Prevention in Companies

Protecting and promoting mental health at work requires strengthening the competencies to recognize and address problems, particularly in those who supervise others. WHO recommends measures such as training supervisors in mental health to recognize and respond to employee difficulties, develop interpersonal skills like open communication and active listening, and understand how workplace stressors affect mental health. It is also suggested to train workers in mental health awareness to improve knowledge and reduce stigma. Interventions aimed at the individual level can help develop skills to manage stress and reduce symptoms, including psychosocial interventions and physical activity.

Companies can implement strategies that promote and prevent mental health. A framework for action should be oriented both toward health promotion through the strengthening of salutogenic dimensions at work (positive approach to mental health) and intervention on the causes of illness. Holistic approaches, aimed at both the individual (emotional resilience, coping skills) and the organization (increased social support, inclusion, decision-making, improved job design), are recommended. Interventions should combine attention to risk and protective factors.

Creating an environment conducive to change is essential and requires the collaboration of governments, employers, and stakeholders. This involves strengthening elements such as leadership and commitment to mental health (integrating mental health into labor policies), resource investment, the right to participate (non-discrimination policies), the integration of mental health into existing occupational safety and health systems, the participation of workers in decision-making, and the use of evidence to guide interventions.

• Collective interventions, fostering social interaction, creating support networks, and increasing the sense of community and belonging.

• Anti-stigma campaigns, providing educational material to raise awareness about the importance of overcoming stigmas.

• Support available within the organization, existence of a recognition and reward system, clear and fair rules, adequate organizational climate and psychosocial safety, participatory decision-making, and adequate communication channels.

• Mental health training to recognize and respond to people's difficulties, develop interpersonal skills like open communication and active listening, and understand how stressors affect mental health. Leadership that fosters equity, transparency, and organizational justice. Promoting leadership that recognizes the work and worth of people.

• Stress management programs, techniques such as cognitive restructuring, self-regulation or control, and relaxation techniques.

• Designing work organization to achieve objectives with an optimal level of tension, using breaks, task rotation, among others. Clearly define roles and responsibilities. Reduce workload. Improve communication. Flexible hours. Improve leadership and management capacity. Job rotation. Prevention and resolution of interpersonal conflicts.

• Design the work environment considering physical, chemical, biological, and social conditions.

• Facilitate access to counseling, guidance, and internal and external health services.

• Psychosocial management deals with work conditions of a psychosocial nature with the objective of eliminating or reducing risk through the evaluation, intervention, and control of psychosocial risk factors. It must be integrated into the company's general management system through a Workplace Risk Prevention Plan. The process should follow a continuous improvement cycle: risk identification and evaluation, planning and implementation of preventive measures, monitoring and control. 

Conclusion 

Mental health at work is not just a matter of individual well-being, but a critical component of business management. Mental health problems arising from work factors have a direct and quantifiable impact on productivity, health costs, absenteeism, and organizational climate. Companies have an obligation, within the framework of safety and health management systems, to integrate early attention to mental disorders. 

Addressing these challenges requires a proactive and multifaceted approach. This includes identifying and mitigating psychosocial risk factors and mental workload, understanding the specific needs of different groups of workers, and actively promoting mental health through training, organizational support, and the creation of a positive and stigma-free work environment. Investing in workers' mental health is an investment in productivity and the sustainability of the company.