Industry Leaders Advocate for a Safe Workplace on World Mental Health Day

As World Mental Health Day comes around, industry leaders are highlighting the urgent need to address mental health in the workplace, emphasizing that it’s a responsibility, not a choice, to create spaces where employees feel safe to share their mental health challenges.

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There is now an inherent need to prioritise mental health, and ensure that it becomes an integral part of leadership approaches. By doing so, companies can not only improve their employees’ well-being but also boost overall engagement, productivity, and organizational health.

Balbir Singh, CEO of Great Place To Work India, speaks to the critical importance of this initiative, noting: “On World Mental Health Day, we must recognize that creating safe spaces for employees to express their mental health challenges is not just a responsibility but a necessity. Our research shows that one in four employees hesitate to speak about stress, anxiety, or burnout, fearing judgment. Despite the increasing availability of mental health benefits such as wellness leaves, holistic wellbeing programs and sensitization workshops—however the low utilization of the counselling services tells us there’s more work to do. As leaders, it’s crucial to create environments where employees feel supported, empowered, and unafraid to be vulnerable. A framework that includes mental health support systems, flexible work arrangements, and spaces for individuals to be their authentic self at work is key to fostering a culture of openness. When employees can bring their whole selves to work, it not only improves their well-being but also enhances engagement, productivity, and overall organizational health.  Let’s commit to building workplaces where mental health is one of the key priorities of our leadership approach.

Similarly, Chris George, CEO and Co-Founder of Qube Health, challenges the labeling of mental health as separate from overall health, stating: “We don’t call it “physical” health, so why call it “mental health”? Its ‘health’ and ‘care’ for our team members and it is incumbent upon business leaders to create a workplace that shows that they care, not discriminate and create policies and actions that treat the ‘mental’ with the same importance as the ‘physical’ health. Employees spend more time in their workplace than at home. Employers, perhaps therefore carry the burden that is higher than that of families in removing the stigma associated with mental health, while offering options that are important to their biggest assets – the people. Normalising workplace healthcare management activities – a stress and anxiety test, along with a blood test, as an example of a HR leader’s checklist for the year would be a great place to start.

Vikram Subburaj, CEO of Giottus Crypto Platform, also recognizes the link between workplace culture and mental health, emphasizing the role of management in safeguarding employees’ well-being: “At Giottus, we recognise that mental health of employees is influenced by the culture we build internally. We believe in the positive correlation between mental health and the productivity at work. To ensure this, our managers and teams are encouraged to clearly segregate work and personal timings as well as account for employees’ personal needs that may spring up occasionally. We also seek periodic feedback from our employees to understand how we can make their work hours safer and meaningful.”