Guidelines for Normalising Mental Health Orders in the Worklpace

Throughout the time of digital meetings on mental health and COVID-19 which SOM Mental Health 360 has been organizing since July, this week it was debating on a topic, that, in the words of Orial Bota, director of Social Work Sant Joan de Déu 'it has been secondary throughout this pandemic': the well-being of people in the workplace. 

The experts participating in the online meeting included Luis San, senior consultant psychiatrist at Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu: Anna Fornés, Director of the Factor Humà Foundation, and Claudio Drapkin, founding partner of SOLO Consulters. 

The session began with an intervention of Luis San, who revied some of the figures related to mental health in the workplace in Spain and Europe. According to the data from the expert psychiatrist, 1 in 10 workers believe that they do not manage stress well in the workplace. San is convinced that organisations can and should promote health and mental health. 'This is a phenomenon of great importance', he explained. 'In Europe, employee's mental health is a secondary problem in the workplace'

Anna Fornés started her speech highlighting the data from Treball and COVID study, conducted by the Factor Humà foundation, Future for Work institute, e-motiva and Both People & Comms, whose main conclusions were:

• People that work in essential sectors on the frontline (not working from home) were the ones who rated their company's management the worst during the pandemic
• The perception of the crisis management and sincere interest in people is greater in small businesses. 
• Impact on purchasing power: 41% of workers reported a loss of wages. 
• Demotion doubles and 19% of workers fear losing their jobs 
• The experience of working from home is considered as positive and its application has tripled (from 18% to 67%)

In this meeting, the director of the foundation gives us the most revealing data

The directive has highlighted the importance of leadership at this time of the pandemic, the importance of taking care of and being a leading example with teamwork and raising awareness of the mental fatigue that stemmed from the use of technological tools when working from home. 

Claudio Drapkin, a business consultant, has provided a digital meeting including practical advice for managers, human resources and internal communication managers to manage the well-being of people in the workplace while normalising mental health. A few recommendations that he summarised for us in his speech: 

These and other tips that have been given in the online meeting respond, as Claudio Drapkin says to the maximum 'words move people, but they are led by example'. Recommendations that aim to achieve an ecosystem of organisations concerned for their members. Organisations with a soul. 

You can watch the whole online meeting here 'Managing people and their emotional wellbeing'