04 Jul 2024

The Managing Director of Phemo Wellness Centre and Chairperson of Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) Summit and Expo, Dr Precious Serero, says there is an urgent call to embrace mental health not as a priority but as a core value for organisational success. 

Dr Serero said this at the two-day Botswana SHE summit in Gaborone recently. She said in this era of transformation post COVID-19, workplaces must undergo a paradigm shift, recognising the interconnectedness of safety, health, and the environment. She said as light was shone on mental health, it was essential to recognise that safety extends beyond physical well being. 

Dr Serero said psychological safety and holistic employee well being were integral to creating a supportive and productive work environment. 

“The mental well-being of employees is not just a moral imperative but a strategic necessity, influencing productivity, engagement, and overall workplace culture,” Dr Serero said. 

Giving insights on mental health trends, the Managing Director of Healthy Minds, Dr Keneilwe Molebatsi, said there was a serious workplace burnout, which could be a problem for individual workers and the organisation as a whole. 

Often termed as an occupational related syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress, Dr Molebatsi said burn out involved emotional exhaustion and feelings of inefficiency, all adding to a state where job related stressors were not being effectively managed. 

She said some of the reasons for burn out included unfairness at work, unmanageable workload as well as lack of communication and support to employees from their managers, among many. 

However, she said there were interventions to address burn out in the workplace. Dr Molebatsi said managers could have a mental health centre and regularly check in with workers on how they were doing. 

Also that, supervisors could help their employees identify problems amongst each other and assist them on how to address them. 

Similarly, Dr Molebatsi said employees also need to take responsibility of their mental state by prioritising self-care constantly, which include both physical and emotional well being.

 “As an employee learn to admit that you are not okay and seek help. In that way, you can be able to disconnect and rejuvenate,” she said, adding that it was important for employees to set boundaries and give themselves permission to truly unplug from work for reasonable periods of time. 

Sharing the same sentiments was Deputy Head Health Occupational Medicine of Minerals Council South Africa, Dr Nothando Moyo, who said organisations failed to make the transition smooth of working from home and back to work, post COVID-19. 

Therefore, she said this resulted in employees becoming less productive and innovative as they deal with burn out. 

Dr Moyo said people need to switch off from work for a while, adding that all these would create productivity. 

“Managers need to be flexible and allow their employees time to work from home, these are emerging trends, which create productivity in the long run and also it makes employees feel they are in control of their lives,” said Dr Moyo. 

Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer of Metropolitan Life Botswana, Ms Boitumelo Mogopa, said both organisations and employees should strive for a healthy, supportive and inclusive workplace. 

“Prioritise social relationships; healthy relationships with coworkers, friends, and family can help buffer workplace stresses,” said Ms Mogopa. The Botswana SHE summit was held under the theme: Innovation for Impact: SHE in the 21st Century. Ends