Mental wellbeing: a basic right for everyone


Employers, schools, universities and organisations globally marked World Mental Health Day 2023 on 10 October. They hosted events and raised awareness, highlighting this year’s theme of good mental health being a universal human right, writes Ruth Holmes.


W


ith both mental wellbeing inclusion


and rising to the top of the


business, health and policy agenda post-pandemic, the World Health Organisation is leading calls for the issue to be taken seriously as a basic human right. It has published new advice, ‘Mental Health, Human Rights and Legislation: Guidance and practice’, to support countries reform legislation and increase access to quality mental health care. “Mental health is an integral


and essential component of the right to health,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general. “This new guidance will support countries to make the changes needed to provide quality mental health care that assists a person’s recovery and respects their dignity, empowering people with mental health conditions and psychosocial disabilities to lead full and healthy lives in their communities.


SAFEGUARDING MENTAL WELLBEING IN THE WORKPLACE In the UK, the Mental Health Foundation reported over 7,000 Tea & Talk events, providing 260,000 people with the chance to chat about their own mental wellbeing and support others. Figures released by XpertHR also suggest that the message is getting


through to employers around their duty of care and the importance of healthy workplaces. “Mental health issues have


become a worrying feature of the modern workplace, especially in the years since the pandemic,” commented Bar Huberman, content manager, HR strategy & practice at XpertHR. “However, its rise has been matched by growing recognition among senior leaders of the duty of care they have for employees.” Sarah Dennis at independent


insurance broker Towergate Health and Protection has also seen support improve. “We frequently talk to our clients about how we can best help them in supporting their overseas employees. A better understanding of where the problems lay means the solutions can be more tightly focused and more likely to make a significant difference.”


A GLOBAL CONVERSATION Overseas employees have different health and wellbeing requirements than staff based in the UK, she adds. Healthcare facilities, political threats, infectious diseases in the area will all have a different impact according to the location they’re based in the world. Supporting all four pillars of health and wellbeing – mental, physical, social, financial – can be more challenging for employees in remote regions,


with physical isolation leading to emotional isolation too. Addressing the different health


risks for overseas employees, providing the right preventative care and access to support, will help with any productivity and absenteeism problems. But for the specific issues relating to employees abroad, specific solutions are required. “There are recurring themes regarding the concerns of overseas employers, but the good news is that there are also numerous solutions,” says Sarah Dennis. “Talking to international experts,


considering health screening, benchmarking, and looking at communication can all be a great help. Specific and focused solutions will give direction, purpose and value to the benefits spend.”


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GLOBAL LEADERSHIP


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