The work from home structure, which became the global norm after the pandemic, has after a year and a half now, started showing signs of mental fatigue, say experts
In the past one and a half years, working professionals across the globe have gone from going to work to working from home (WFH). As Gautam Budh Nagar is a hub of corporate firms with a large number of working professionals living here, mental health specialists have reported a rise in work-related psychological stress among their patients.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) observes October 10 as World Mental Health day in order to raise awareness of mental health issues and mobilize efforts in support of mental health.
According to Dr Samir Parikh from Noida’s Fortis Hospital, the number of corporate and IT professionals reaching out to mental health specialists in the city has increased in the past year.
“WFH has brought about a drastic change in lifestyle and a lot of employees could not cope up with it. There is lack of social connect, no physical contact, no time or space boundaries between work and professional life and so on. As a result, we are seeing a spike in the number of patients who are reeling under work-related stress and having issues such as problems in sleeping, burnouts, anxiety and uncertainty regarding the future, work and life,” said Dr Parikh, director of mental health & behavioural sciences at Fortis Healthcare.
The WFH structure, which became the global norm after the pandemic, has after a year and a half now, started showing signs of mental fatigue, say experts.
“Social isolation, long work hours and multitasking has affected mental health of many working professionals. Sleep disorders, mood swings, interpersonal conflicts and depression are some of the psychological and clinical manifestations of WFH. The initial advantage of WFH, such as saving on the commuting time, flexibility in working, spending time with the family, has gradually been dwarfed by mental distress, anxiety and depression,” said Dr Priyanka Srivastava, consultant, department of behavioural sciences, Jaypee Hospital (Noida).
In Gautam Budh Nagar, a number of corporate firms are helping their employees deal with mental stress and facilitating mental health specialists for them.
“Corporate firms have started having discussions around mental health, more so since the pandemic hit us. Since the last one year, we have been conducting virtual sessions with at least eight companies in the city every month,” added Dr Parikh.
At Tech Mahindra, located at Noida’s Special Economic Zone in Sector 82, professional counsellors and experts have been roped in for the employees.
“The mental health specialists organize various wellness webinars like ‘ease your stress’, for our employees, to help them manage stress and build resilience. We have also introduced ‘mind plan’, a mental health initiative that will provide daily doses of mindful tips and exercises to help our employees relax and feel positive during challenging times,” said Harshvendra Soin, global chief people officer and head, marketing, Tech Mahindra.
Similar initiatives have been taken at Barco India--an electronics firm in Sector 64. “We have initiated a month-long ‘let’s address the elephant in the room’ campaign on World Mental Health Day to help employees discover ways to address and enhance their emotional well-being. We have also roped in a firm that offers professional psychological counselling and comprehensive wellness programme for our employees,” said Rajiv Bhalla, managing director, Barco.
Some firms are also training their managers to be supportive and be aware of their subordinates’ mental well being.
“Since Covid-19 continues to throw challenges, we have roped in mental health professionals who hold sessions for the senior management so that managers can not only manage their own mental well being but also become a guide and mentor for the employees,” said Agendra Kumar, managing director, Esri India, a technology firm located in Sector 16.
Dr Abhay Singh Tomar, a psychiatrist at the Government Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS), Greater Noida, advises confiding in colleagues or family members at the onset of stress.
“Often mental health disorders worsen when people bottle it up and don’t talk about it. My advice to anyone suffering from distress at work is to seek a friend, colleague or a family member to confide in. One should also take small breaks while working at home to avoid getting bogged down by stress,” said Dr Tomar.