Much more needs to be done to protect mental health in the workplace, the UN said today as it presented new recommendations to reduce tension.

The two UN agencies responsible for health and work, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labor Organization (ILO), have published a series of recommendations to prevent and protect against mental health risks at work.

Psychological stress is costly for both patients and society. According to the WHO and ILO, about 12 billion workdays, or $1 trillion, are lost every year due to depression and anxiety.

“The time has come to focus on the negative effects that work can have on our mental health,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a joint statement from the two agencies.

“A person’s well-being is reason enough to act, but poor mental health can also be devastating to a person’s performance and productivity,” he stressed.

In June, the WHO warned that before the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly a billion people worldwide suffered from some form of mental illness, further worsening the situation.

“Alarming” numbers

According to WHO, one in six working adults suffers from a mental illness.

“The numbers are alarming,” said Manal Azi, head of the ILO’s Occupational Safety and Health Division. “We have a huge responsibility,” he stressed, explaining that often the workplace itself is the catalyst.

In its new report on the best solution to this problem, WHO emphasizes that doing work can protect mental health, give the worker a sense of satisfaction, self-confidence and generate income.

Conversely, poor or mediocre working conditions, poor industrial relations, and unemployment “may contribute significantly to poor mental health or pre-existing psychological problems.”

Leader training

One of the most important UN recommendations is to educate managers on how to prevent a stressful work environment and how to deal with stressed employees.

At the same time, WHO and ILO published a joint memorandum that provides practical strategies for governments, employers and workers.

It explains how you can support people suffering from psychological problems and help them participate and develop in the workplace.

“We need to invest in building a culture of mental health prevention in the workplace, change the work environment to end stigma and social exclusion, and ensure that workers suffering from mental health problems feel supported and protected,” the ILO chief said. Guy Ryder.

Source: RES-EMI