Psychological suffering is costly for those who suffer from it and for society. An estimated 12 billion workdays are lost each year due to depression and anxiety, worth an estimated $1 trillion, according to the WHO and the ILO.
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“It is time to focus on the harmful effects that work can have on our mental health,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a joint statement.
“An individual’s well-being is reason enough to act, but poor mental health can also have a debilitating impact on a person’s performance and productivity,” he added.
The WHO warned in June that almost one billion people around the world were living with mental disorders before the Covid-19 pandemic, which further worsened the situation.
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One in six adults of working age suffers from a mental disorder, according to the WHO, which describes “alarming numbers”, said Manal Azzi, director of the ILO’s occupational health and safety team.
One of the recommendations is to train managers to avoid stressful work environments and respond to workers in danger.
“We need to invest in creating a culture of prevention around mental health at work, reforming the workplace to end stigma and social exclusion, and ensuring that employees with mental health problems feel protected and supported,” he said. ILO chief Guy Ryder in the statement.
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(With AFP)
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