Companies commonly tout mental health as a way to support workers’ well-being. However, employees are increasingly reporting less mental wellness in the workplace.

When Gary Blowers, now founder of LVL Wellbeing, was running his design business, he had to quickly adjust to the fast-paced life of an agency. Working under tight deadlines and constant pressure to deliver results, Blowers slowly let his health and wellness slip to accommodate his increasing workload.

“I was working long hours and probably weekends as well,” says Blowers. “Long story short, I burned myself out. I was always very proactive regarding my health and well-being, particularly playing football and running, and I allowed work to get in the way of that.”

Stress, burnout, and working long hours are some of the factors that contribute to adverse mental health. 

In a 2022 study by McKinsey across the GCC, 66% of the 4,000 employees interviewed reported experiencing mental health challenges, including symptoms of anxiety, depression, and burnout. In the same study, 62% said they faced physical health challenges.

A WIDENING GAP

It is well known that mental health is a crucial factor for employee well-being. It helps with productivity, engagement, and, most importantly, retention. Yet, some organizations are scratching the surface regarding effective mental health support. 

In the same McKinsey study, more than twice as many GCC respondents, or 36%, expressed an intention to leave their jobs compared with the global statistic of 16%, largely because of a toxic workplace culture. The high prevalence of stress and burnout is plaguing workplaces across the region.

However, Suna Zoabi, founder of the Tawazon meditation app, believes companies are eager to address this problem. Having worked with several regional organizations, she points out that some are keen on supporting employee wellness but don’t know how.

“I see that companies are interested in doing a few sessions on mental health, but you can’t go deep with that,” she says. “It’s just raising awareness, which is good, but if they really want to make a change, it has to be an integral part of the company, where you can measure progress and do ongoing workshops for employees.” 

With mental health awareness growing, some employers are starting to invest more in mental health support, such as benefits, meditation apps, and mental health days. Blowers is experiencing this shift firsthand as he expands his wellness platform to enterprises, businesses, and individuals across the UAE. 

“There is definitely a massive shift in how companies pay attention to mental health and how serious they are committed to it,” he says. “If you go back to 2018 in the UAE, mental health wasn’t a topic that was talked about much. Even the clinics were unpleasant experiences, but if you go today, they’re almost like coffee shops. So, it’s night and day.”

But a gap still remains. Employees want stress relief measures while employers are grabbling to accommodate employees’ health needs. “Companies have the will, but the gap is between what could be done and what they, employees, need, not what we need as a company,” says Zoabi. “And that happens by just listening.”

MENTAL HEALTH IS EVOLVING

Mental health is evolving with time. As the way of working changes, so too are employee needs. Today, workers re-evaluate what matters, prompting organizations to reflect on their workplace experience.

Examples of workplace changes include shifting to a four-day workweek and giving employees more freedom over where and how they work, which some workers deeply appreciate. 

A LinkedIn survey found that 70% of Middle Eastern workers are willing to quit jobs over a lack of flexibility. The same study also cites that 74% of professionals in the UAE and Saudi Arabia think the pandemic has exposed a need for change in flexible working. Still, more than half, 55%, say that their company has not introduced new flexible working policies.

“HR needs to understand that we are entering a new era of employment,” says Zoabi. “And if we really want to build a great company, then we have to listen as an HR department to the real need.”

EMBEDDING WELLNESS IN COMPANY CULTURE

Adopting a wellness strategy and creating a healthy work culture may seem familiar, but they are still far from straightforward. 

Darren Street, Founder of consulting firm Deconstructing HR, articulates a simple way for companies to address this dilemma. He believes a wellness strategy must be based on a company’s values. Instead of focusing on what he calls external tools and benefits like remote work, flexibility, or a shorter work week, they should pay more attention to creating a healthy work culture.

“Companies need to strategize and create a healthy culture, and then utilize all these external tools,” he says. “That’s where the disconnect is at the moment. Companies, in general, are focusing too much on external tools when they should ensure that employees are having a positive experience at work.”

A positive work experience comes from employees feeling psychologically safe. Psychological safety refers to an environment where people feel safe communicating openly without fear of retaliation. 

Recent research by Gartner, Gallup, and Harvard Business Review shows that an organization with high psychological safety has a 27% reduction in turnover, 76% more engagement, and 50% more productivity.

However, for an organization to have high psychological safety, its leaders must support and trust their teams. “It needs to cascade down from senior leaders to department heads and line managers,” says Street. “They need to embody these values because actions speak louder than words.”

For Blowers, the most successful companies on his platform have a positive work culture. He believes that a healthy workplace ultimately leads to healthy and productive employees.

“You need to have a good culture. A culture that appreciates and respects employees, and does not look at them as machines.”