As Africa joined the remainder of the world to mark this 12 months’s World Psychological Well being Day, the World Well being Organisation (WHO) regional director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, has referred to as for elevated efforts to deal with psychological well-being in skilled environments.
Dr. Moeti made the decision in an announcement to commemorate the 2024 World Psychological Well being Day, themed: Wholesome Minds at Work, Prioritising Psychological Well being within the Office.”
She emphasised the very important function workplaces play in shaping staff’ psychological well being, stressing that whereas a wholesome work atmosphere fosters social connections and private identification, the pressures of poor working situations, discrimination, and lack of assist can result in extreme stress and psychological well being challenges.
Workers in susceptible sectors, similar to healthcare, emergency companies, and low-wage jobs, face even better dangers resulting from restricted job safety and assist, she acknowledged.
The detrimental impacts of poor psychological well being within the office are well-documented, with despair and nervousness contributing to the lack of round 12 billion workdays globally annually. This leads to an estimated $1 trillion financial loss yearly.
Regardless of these alarming figures, solely eight of the 47 international locations within the WHO African Area had office psychological well being promotion applications as of 2020.
Dr. Moeti outlined key suggestions from the WHO and the Worldwide Labor Group for governments, employers, and staff to enhance psychological well being within the office, which embody revising employment insurance policies to make sure parity between psychological and bodily well being, stopping office discrimination, and offering higher assist methods for staff experiencing psychological well being points.
For employers, Dr. Moeti urged the combination of psychological well being into occupational security applications, offering psychological well being coaching for managers, and providing lodging for workers with psychological well being situations.
On the particular person degree, she inspired staff to prioritise their psychological well-being and search assist when wanted.
