Beginning in 1992, the World Health Organization (WHO) designated October 10th as “World Mental Health Day.” As with many prevention efforts, a unique theme or focus is chosen each year. Past themes have ranged from broader measures such as inclusion and equality to more focused topics such as young people and mental health, mental health and aging, and suicide prevention.
This year, WHO has chosen, “Mental Health at Work.” Interestingly, the same theme was chosen in 2017. However, since then the world has gone through the pandemic, witnessed the rise of remote work, and become ever more available to work through technology that reduces boundaries between work and home.
WHO, and partners such as the World Federation for Mental Health, aim to connect work with individual mental health outcomes. Positive outcomes are associated with safe, healthy working environments that intentionally work to reduce harassment, stigma, and discrimination while also advocating for systemic changes in government and organizations to make these efforts more legitimized and effective.
“Mental Health at Work” Considerations
To emphasize the importance of World Mental Health Day and the impact it can make through various stakeholders, below are some statistics and information about mental health efforts related to the workplace:
- With 60% of the world’s population above age 15 in the workforce, this is an important effort that impacts a majority of our global community.
- The scope of this effort is wide, ranging from practical safety issues to stress management to company-wide or government policies that support inclusion and empowerment.
- The estimated impact of poorly managed mental health conditions on the workplace is estimated at $1 trillion lost to a lack of productivity, attendance, and performance.
- Learn more about the U.S. Labor Department’s efforts to support mental health at work.
Supporting & Participating in World Mental Health Day
Whether it is October 10th or any other day of the year, WHO and its partners have provided incredible resources to help paint the picture of what is needed for positive mental health in the workplace. Consider utilizing the below:
- Take advantage of pre-designed social media graphics, designed by WHO, to get the message out about the link between work and mental health. You can view those graphics and use them, for free, here.
- Make this information relevant, timely, and applicable to your college campus population by hosting a discussion about psychosocial risks that can exist in the workplace. WHO has an incredible list of these characteristics including:
- under-use of skills or being under-skilled for work;
- excessive workloads or work pace, understaffing;
- long, unsocial, or inflexible hours;
- lack of control over job design or workload;
- unsafe or poor physical working conditions;
- organizational culture that enables negative behaviors;
- limited support from colleagues or authoritarian supervision;
- violence, harassment, or bullying;
- discrimination and exclusion;
- unclear job role;
- under- or over- promotion;
- job insecurity, inadequate pay, or poor investment in career development; and
- conflicting home/work demands.
- And even in your current workplaces, you can support this effort by following these suggestions by Johns Hopkins:
- Express Gratitude
- Practice Email Etiquette
- Prioritize No Meeting & Meeting-Less Days
- Participate in Mindfulness Activities
- Practice Job Crafting
- Be a Source of Social Support
The connection between mental health and the workplace is an important one and, one of many discussions that has been rising in importance in recent years. College campuses are a uniquely applicable place to have these discussions as these individuals are heading into the workplace and they may become the leaders who help support these practices in the future. While the solutions may not all be in place yet, stakeholders are working to help this year’s World Mental Health Day theme, “Mental Health in the Workplace” a lived reality.
Additional Resources
- https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-mental-health-day
- https://wfmh.global/news/2024.24-04-17_wmhd2024-theme
- https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-at-work#:~:text=Globally%2C%20an%20estimated%2012%20billion,workers%20with%20mental%20health%20conditions.
- https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2024/simple-actions-you-can-take-on-world-mental-health-day-2024
Post published October 9, 2024 by Anne Rulo, Author, Speaker, Therapist. www.annerulo.com. FB/IG/Twitter @annemrulo