More workers suffering from mental health problems amid pandemic

The persistence of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has already sent the Philippine economy into recession, will cause more Filipino employees to suffer from mental health problems, which would be “disastrous” for businesses, according to a mental health technology firm. .

Mind You, a pioneer in preventive mental health in the Philippines, said that while there are many causes of stress in the workplace, such as long hours, heavy workload, unclear tasks, job insecurity, and conflicts with coworkers or bosses, COVID-19 The pandemic is now “the leading cause” of mental health problems among workers.

“This is due to the uncertainty in all aspects of life for most people. There is the added stress of working remotely or in unusual circumstances related to quarantine measures. Workers are deprived of the office support of a team and managers must now monitor workers remotely, ”Mind You said in a statement.

Global data from a PricewaterhouseCoopers and Lybrand report indicates that the financial industry, insurance industry, essential services and media sectors have more than 30 percent of employees experiencing some form of mental health problems.

In the Philippines alone, there are approximately 3.3 million Filipinos suffering from depression. Of this, 3.17 million are experiencing anxiety problems, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
However, there is still a stigma about mental health among Filipinos.

“The workplace is a hotbed for mental health problems. Stressful work situations and office conditions typically lead to a significant increase in absenteeism, ”Mind You said.

This, according to Mind You, can be disastrous for Philippine companies because poor mental health can affect the way employees work.

According to the Queens School of Business and the Gallup Organization, a company is at risk of suffering a decrease in its profits of up to 16 percent due to increasing mental health problems among workers as its productivity suffers.

Right now, Mind You offers an innovative online platform designed to assess each employee and provide access to unlimited counseling, educational resources, live webinars, and mental health management / leadership training.

To be specific, Mind You assesses and educates companies on best practices before seeking to engage with them in a long-term partnership.

As part of its outreach campaign, a team assembled by Mind You meets with company executives and managers of human resources departments, the same people in charge of implementing policies and programs for compliance with DOLE laws. It also dispenses with ensuring the welfare of employees.

It also has ongoing evaluations to monitor the improvement of people with and without mental health problems within its partner organizations.

Mind You founder Yuri Marshall said his company wants to end the stigma of mental illness in the country by showing that mental health is not a taboo subject.

“As a third-party provider of preventive therapy sessions, employees can overcome stigma and speak to an unbiased mental health professional about their own mental health issues, in complete privacy, at their own convenience,” said Marshall.

“What is also important to note is that Mind You provides data-driven insights for management to make improvements to company policies and make smarter financial decisions,” he added.

Moving forward, Mind You plans to provide mental health information and data through psychometric analysis, which provides useful business reports for the company.

“Through that data, recommendations are made to organizations to improve the company’s wellness and human resources strategies,” Marshall said.