Nutcases: 3 in 5 enterprises ignore employees' mental health

Even though three quarters of them recognize the benefits of improving staff's mental well-being.

According to an online Mental Well-being Survey by the Health Promotion Board (HPB), the mental well-being scores of working Singaporeans are lower than the general population by 13 per cent.

Here's more from HPB:

At the same time, 40 per cent of the 1,200 Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) HPB surveyed expressed an intention to invest in the mental well-being of their employees – even though three quarters of them recognise the benefits of supporting and improving staff‟s mental health.

Data from another HPB survey also indicates that one in six working adults in Singapore experiences a relatively high level of stress compared to one in 10 non-working adults.

This gap could be due to a few reasons, such as a lack of resources and knowledge, or not enough employees to make conducting workshops and talks viable.

To improve the mental well-being of Singapore‟s workforce and help employers do more to promote mental health at the workplace, HPB is launching a new initiative called the Workplace Mental Health Solution. The aim is to create a convenient one-stop centre that offers both employees and employers accessible and affordable tools, resources and guidance to boost mental health at the workplace.

Said Dr Amy Khor, Minister of State for Health and Manpower: “Nearly 70 per cent of our population are in the workforce, many of whom deal with stress every day as part of a typical fast-paced urban lifestyle. HPB‟s Workplace Mental Health Solution offers a three-in-one solution to help employees and employers boost mental health at the workplace through accessible and affordable tools and resources tailored separately for employees, managers and the organisation as a whole. Companies will find much value in HPB‟s Workplace Mental Health Solution as it supports them in creating effective and targeted programmes for their employees‟ well-being. This, in turn, helps create a healthier, happier and invariably more productive workforce.”