Addressing the insidious mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic at the workplace

When the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic back in March 2020, none of us – individuals, organisations, or governments – could have imagined how this health crisis was going to completely disrupt the fabric of our lives. Given how little was known about the virus initially, humanity as a whole was ill-equipped to deal with it. We went into lockdowns as health experts scrambled to curb the spread and develop solutions to combat the virus.

Every aspect of our lives was radically transformed, pretty much overnight. Communities, governments, and enterprises sprang into action, overhauling their service delivery models to facilitate the transition to the ‘new normal’. There was extensive parallel discourse on how we could make this shift as seamless as possible, alongside critical health advice.

While the fear of contracting the virus was ominous and ever present, being locked up indoors came as a respite for some during the early days of the pandemic. It was seen as an opportunity to recalibrate oneself from the everyday hustle and reconnect with the things that one really cared about. This was true at least for individuals whose source of income was not significantly affected at the time.

COVID-19 and Mental Health

The novelty of working in our PJs or taking on new hobbies ran out soon, as it became evident that we weren’t going to be able to eradicate this pandemic as easily or quickly as we would have liked to. The euphoria of recalibration gradually turned in to apathy and then anxiety as wave after wave hit us.  

The boundaries between our personal and professional lives and even within the different aspects of our personal lives have disappeared, creating a sense of chaos. We are having to don the hats of a parent, partner, child, colleague, customer, supplier, and more, all at once, within the same space. This has had an impact on our lifestyle too, affecting our routines, lifestyles, communications, and connections. With limited avenues for keeping ourselves occupied at home and minimal in-person social interactions, our lives have become increasingly monotonous, resulting in a wave of unsettling languish. Moreover, despite sporadic respites in between waves, the anxiety surrounding the disease and its impact on all aspects of our lives still continue. 

Furthermore, wherever we turn, we are constantly bombarded by negative information – infection and death rates, in particular. All this negativity makes it seem like there is no light at the end of the tunnel, quashing our hopes and plans for the future.

These factors have placed added strain on our mental health with a large cross section of people, irrespective of their age, gender, location, profession, socio-economic status, etc., feeling perpetually overwhelmed.

The extent and significance of the pandemic’s impact on mental health can be gauged from the United Nations’ policy brief on ‘COVID-19 and Mental Health’, launched back in May 2020. The UN noted: “Although the COVID-19 (coronavirus) crisis is, in the first instance, a physical health crisis, it has the seeds of a major mental health crisis as well, if action is not taken.”

One year later, the seeds have grown into a formidable crisis which has steadily grown around us. 

This couldn’t have come at a worse time, as the world is largely preoccupied with the physiological health crisis which is seen as the more immediate and significant threat. Vast amounts of time and resources have been channelled to address concerns related to the scaling up of healthcare infrastructure, developing and rolling out vaccines, and patient management. It is absolutely critical that this work is done. People’s lives definitely need to be saved.

However, while doing so, we seem to have neglected the insidious mental health crisis that has been rearing its head in the shadows. The ever-present stigma attached to mental health issues has been one of the key causes of this predicament. While we would readily discuss our physical ailments with our peers and seek professional medical help, a vast majority of people are still very hesitant when it comes to opening up about mental health. Most often, we ignore these problems until they grow to the level that requires clinical intervention.

This has translated into disproportionately larger concentrations of investments being made into infrastructure, research, etc. around physiological health. The fact that people’s psychological problems are not as apparent as most physiological ones has done its bit to intensify this disparity.

Years of relative neglect has left the world rather unprepared to face the mental health crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is imperative that we come together to address this at least now.

The World of Business and Mental Health

A WHO-led study estimates that “depression and anxiety disorders cost the global economy $ 1 trillion each year in lost productivity” and that “for every $ 1 put into scaled-up treatment for common mental disorders, there is a return of $ 4 in improved health and productivity.”

Numbers like this and a general rise in overall awareness around mental health and wellbeing have helped mental health weave its way into workplace conversations. In the wake of the pandemic more enterprises, large companies have begun acknowledging and appreciating the importance of employees’ mental health and its impact on their businesses.

Employees’ mental health is seen to be a contributor towards motivation and performance outcomes. Hence, businesses’ efforts tend to focus on providing teams with the right environment, tools, capability development and incentives to achieve performance goals. While these initiatives might have a residual positive impact on the mental health of those touched by them, a lot more needs to be done by the business sector to address the causes and effects of mental health issues and wellbeing, both at the workplace and in the community, especially in the current context.

The relationship between mental health and performance outcomes during the pandemic has accentuated the need for businesses to bolster interventions around mental health and look at employee wellbeing in a more holistic manner. 

At Heineken Lanka, the possible mental health impact of the pandemic has been recognised early on. Heineken have always sought to create a culture which places equal emphasis on protecting people’s physical and mental wellbeing. Actively facilitating open discussions around mental health, Heineken have always worked towards ensuring support for their employees to thrive and take care of themselves and others and to enjoy life to the fullest. This is an extension of the company’s enterprise-wide commitment to building true human connections and breaking down barriers.

Expanding on the company’s efforts in this regard is a strategic framework called – ‘HEI-LIFE’ – which deals with the four facets of wellbeing – professional, emotional, physical, and social. On professional wellbeing, Heineken seek to offer a rewarding and meaningful work experience for all their staff. When it comes to emotional wellbeing, the company focuses on giving a boost to their resilience levels by enhancing their ability to adapt to challenges and bounce back stronger. Heineken’s physical wellbeing initiatives promote self-care and an active lifestyle to help team members cope with the demands of a busy life. Lastly, on social wellbeing, Heineken strives to create meaningful and positive social interactions that are inclusive and promote a sense of belonging and joy.

‘HEI-LIFE’ plays a pivotal role in helping Heineken keep their people motivated and resilient, thereby enabling them to thrive through these challenging times and beyond.

This is just one of the many ways in which any business can create an environment that promotes better mental health and wellbeing. While Heineken’s approaches might differ, at the core of it, its efforts need to be centred around creating a sense of purpose, belonging and joy for its team members. It is the responsibility of employers, business leaders and managers to help them strike a balance between the demands of their personal and professional lives. This doesn’t necessarily have to manifest itself in the form of big-ticket initiatives. Something as relatively simple as helping people avoid work after hours would give the teams the time and space to recuperate and connect with their personal lives.

Preserving mental wellbeing is not just an organisational or leadership responsibility. There is quite a lot that we can each do in our individual capacities too to protect our mental health, especially during this pandemic. A good area to begin with would be to create boundaries on information intake, especially pertaining to the negative noise surrounding us. We also need to make a conscious effort to avoid monotony and focus on keeping ourselves positively engaged and occupied. Taking a few minutes off from work every 2-3 hours to savour a cup of Ceylon tea or to listen to our favourite beats will help us focus better. Also, given the pace at which this pandemic is evolving, we need to temporarily avoid long-term planning at an individual level and set more short-term, bite-sized goals for ourselves. We also need to remind ourselves that there is always light at the end of the tunnel. We have come a long way from the onset of the pandemic and developments such as the roll out of vaccines offer us a glimmer of hope. 

As with all major battles, the one against mental health issues too requires us to collaborate with one another. Let’s resolve to work together with our teams to identify more ways in which our enterprises can support them on the mental health front and thereby empower them to grow on both personal and professional fronts.

(Thilanka Silva is Director - Human Resources at Heineken Lanka Limited. She possesses comprehensive knowledge and experience in all aspects of Human Resources Management with a passion to drive change and transformation in organizations. An alumna of the University of Colombo, Thilanka holds a Master’s in Public Administration from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy - National University of Singapore. She is currently reading for a PhD in Organizational Behavior from the Rotterdam School of Management at the Erasmus University of Rotterdam, Netherlands.)