Accra:Promoting mental health in the workplace is a shared responsibility between employers and employees. Organisations are urged to prioritize psychological well-being alongside physical safety to enhance productivity and overall performance.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Alliance for a Safe Community chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye emphasized that mental health should not be treated as a secondary concern. It plays a crucial role in employees' concentration, decision-making, workplace relationships, and organizational success.
Lee stated, "A workplace cannot be called 'safe' if an employee is suffering from burnout due to unrealistic workloads. It is not safe if an employee is subjected to workplace bullying or harassment." He highlighted statistics from Employment Hero's Wellness at Work Report for 2024, noting that 67 percent of Malaysian employees experienced burnout in 2024, an increase from 58 percent in 2022.
Mental health challenges, though often unseen, can impair concentration, reduce motivation, increase errors, and lead to absenteeism and presenteeism. Lee pointed out that presenteeism, in particular, quietly drains productivity and impacts national growth.
To address these issues, Lee called for employers to establish supportive workplace cultures by providing access to counseling services, promoting work-life balance, training managers to recognize early signs of psychological distress, and implementing policies to protect employees from harassment and excessive stress. He also urged employees to take proactive steps by seeking help when needed, supporting colleagues, and fostering a culture of empathy and respect.
Lee highlighted the importance of work-life balance, describing it as a necessity rather than a luxury, and noted that adequate rest and time for personal activities could help reduce stress, prevent burnout, and improve job satisfaction. Employers should incorporate work-related stress and psychosocial risks into their occupational safety and health strategies to prevent workplace accidents and injuries.
He welcomed the introduction of Section 18B of the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 (OSHA 1994), which requires employers to conduct risk assessments and implement measures to eliminate or reduce identified risks, including those associated with psychosocial hazards. The Psychosocial Risk Assessment and Management at the Workplace (PRiSMA) 2024 could assist employers in this task.
Lee urged organizations to emphasize employees' well-being in their environmental, social, and governance commitments, considering workers as valuable social capital rather than merely organizational resources. He called on employers, policymakers, and other stakeholders to implement workplace mental health policies, reduce stigma through open communication, train supervisors to respond appropriately to mental distress, encourage flexible work arrangements and reasonable workloads, and embed compassion into organizational values.