Cultivate workplace culture that supports mental wellness

Employees need to feel safe to discuss their mental health concerns without fear of judgment or repercussions. [iStockphoto]

In the post-pandemic era, we have often found ourselves in a situation where we work beyond the official eight-hour shifts long into the night to meet deadlines, oblivious of the disruption on the work-life balance. This could lead to low employee productivity because of burnout or mental related issues.

A 2021 report titled Kenya Mental Health Investment Case by the Ministry of Health estimated that in 2020 mental health conditions cost the Kenyan economy Sh62.2 billion. These annual costs included Sh5.5 billion in health care expenditure and Sh56.6 billion in lost productivity due to premature mortality, absenteeism and presenteeism. Furthermore, the report found that mental health challenges among public servants greatly affected their performance and productivity, thereby leading to poor delivery of services.