By Morna Ikosa
October is recognised as Mental Health Awareness Month in Namibia. During this time, corporations often engage in one of two activities designed to raise awareness of mental health issues.
A common approach is to host talks led by psychologists to educate employees. However, it raises the question: is this level of engagement enough?
The World Health Organisation found that 15% of working adults had a mental disorder in 2019. Globally, an estimated 12 billion working days are lost every year to depression and anxiety, at a cost of US$1 trillion in lost productivity.
Almost 60% of the world’s population is in work. Although it is not clear how much of this applies to Namibia, it is evident that mental health has a profound impact on workplace productivity and profitability.
Mental health has historically been a taboo subject in the workplace, despite its importance for both employee wellbeing and organisational performance. Employers still spend more on addressing physical health conditions than on mental health-related illnesses.
Yet when comparing the effect on organisational effectiveness, the cost implications of mental disorders exceed those of chronic illnesses such as cancer and diabetes.
Fortunately, frameworks exist to guide employers. ISO 45003, the international standard on psychological health and safety at work, provides a structure for organisations seeking to integrate mental health into corporate strategy and culture.
Ballard, Lodge and Pike (2025) developed The Mental Health at Work Index™, a standardised tool for assessing workplace mental health and identifying areas for improvement.
The index applies “3 Ps” across 10 organisational practices: protection, promotion and provision. Protection refers to eliminating psychosocial hazards, reducing risks that negatively affect workers, and introducing policies to prevent bullying, harassment and discrimination.
Promotion focuses on initiatives that build psychological safety, strengthen relationships, create healthy work environments and introduce mindful wellness programmes.
Provision, meanwhile, involves facilitating access to high-quality treatment, short-term counselling for issues affecting work performance, training managers to identify struggling employees, and creating return-to-work plans for those recovering from mental health leave.
To embed mental health into organisational strategy and culture, senior leaders should act as ambassadors, gaining direct knowledge and experience while offering insights to management.
This responsibility could be extended to the board by appointing a psychologist or mental health specialist to ensure concerns are consistently and appropriately addressed.
Creating an inclusive environment where employees feel safe both physically and mentally is vital. Organisations should align mental health strategies with broader corporate policies to ensure it is not treated as a stand-alone, once-off annual activity.
Mental health considerations should influence recruitment, training, performance evaluation and reward systems. Some companies are even incorporating mental health into their ESG reporting frameworks.
It is also advisable to establish a mental health committee with employees from various departments acting as champions.
This ensures diverse perspectives, promotes information sharing, and strengthens implementation. The executive team can encourage volunteering by rewarding participation and allowing champions time to carry out initiatives.
Workplaces can expose employees to psychosocial hazards that put their mental health at risk. These risks can lead to serious consequences, including absenteeism, high staff turnover, training and recruitment costs, legal claims and reputational damage.
For this reason, incorporating ISO 45003 into occupational health and safety policies and mental health strategies is essential.
Mental health champions, senior executives and board members should receive ongoing training on issues such as workplace bullying, violence and mental health literacy.
Finally, organisations should invest in Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs), which provide employer-funded access to short-term counselling. Companies that have adopted EAPs report improvements in absenteeism and presenteeism.
Employee wellbeing and organisational success are inseparable. Companies that proactively address the mental health needs of their workforce stand to benefit from higher productivity, improved performance, stronger reputations, lower healthcare costs, and greater ability to attract and retain talent.
*Morna Ikosa is a columnist with an interest in sustainable development, wellness and communication issues. She can be reached at morna@micommnam.com
