How companies should tackle mental health in the workplace

Speaking openly about going for therapy to help manage stress during a recent Business Day Dialogue, Vukani Mngxati, CEO of Accenture SA, used a metaphor to describe his attitude towards mental health in the workplace: “You cannot pour for others unless your own jug is full,” he said.

During this panel discussion, hosted in partnership with Accenture SA and moderated by Jeremy Maggs, Mngxati and other experts discussed the state of mental health in SA, what the impact of this is on the country’s workforce, and explored solutions. (Watch a recording of the event below.)

According to Mngxati’s fellow panellists — Dr Nondumiso Makhunga-Stevenson, medical adviser at Sanofi, Chanique Dodo, HR leader at Oracle and Jeanett Modise, group human resources executive at Sanlam — his willingness to discuss mental health, which would have been taboo a few years ago, is exactly what corporates need.

Accenture SA prides itself on putting the physical and mental wellbeing of its employees first. Mental illness in SA is on a steady increase, worsened by an unrelenting profit grind. It’s in the best interests of business leaders to be open to conversations about mental health. 

“During the pandemic, more people were diagnosed with anxiety and depression,” said Makhunga-Stevenson. These issues manifest in problems such as absenteeism and the worsening of existing medical conditions. 

“There is also the concept of presenteeism when people who suffer from mental illness do make it to work, but they are distracted. They might suffer from anxiety or fear of a panic attack or insomnia, so they have daytime drowsiness,” she said.

It’s not surprising that increased mental-health issues correlate with lower levels of productivity and affect a company’s bottom line. 

While organisations are slowly realising the importance of providing programmes for mental health, addressing this issue and shifting the culture about mental health in the workplace begins with leaders, said Dodo. 

She believes the wellbeing of employees must be part of the agenda in executive meetings and businesses should be investing in long-term support structures.

Modise said leaders should be creating an organisational culture of trust and openness. “Leaders set the tone, and must be vulnerable and open, because that says to employees that it’s OK if you are not well. Mental illness does not know any race, age or status.” 

The concept of leaders as exemplifying figures in tackling mental health in the workplace was a key takeaway from the panel discussion — but this is only the start. To extend Mngxati’s metaphor, the contents of the mental wellbeing jug should cascade down through every organisational level. Corporates should be equipping middle managers with guidance and tools to deal with mental illness effectively.

Dodo said organisations need to provide support structures consisting of mental-health professionals, such as psychologists and psychiatrists, who can recognise the signs of mental illness and take appropriate action. 

Makhunga-Stevenson added a shift in culture also comes from elevating mental-health initiatives to the same level of importance given to physical-health initiatives, and providing employees with the resources to empower themselves.

Ultimately improving mental health in an organisation comes down to the attitudes of its leaders. Said Mngxati: “The days of mental wellbeing falling to the wayside are gone. This must be a priority and taken seriously. As leaders, we must be kind. Kind to others, but to ourselves first, so that we can pour from a full cup.”