How are you? Sets the Stage for Better Mental Wellness
Sarah Mears, Managing Director, Chief Human Resources & Legal Officer
After spending time with some of our senior leaders who have completed our new mental health coaching program, I was struck by how often these conversations came back to three words: “How are you?”
The question served as a spark for wide-ranging personal and professional conversations during the training, and afterward in conversations with employees. And it reminded me again that there are many ways to embed a culture of mental wellness in an organization. By helping senior leaders explore their own mental health journey, they are better able to initiate conversations with their own team members and help if someone is struggling.
That’s just one reason we strongly support the theme of this year’s World Mental Health Day—”It is Time to Prioritize Mental Health in the Workplace.” MUFG Investor Services has a longstanding commitment to ensuring mental health and wellness in the workplace—it’s been a pillar of our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging platform since 2019.
Studies are clear that mental health issues take a huge economic toll. A report released in April by the National Bureau of Economic Research estimated that the total societal cost of mental health issues is $282 billion, up 30 percent from a 2015 study. A World Health Organization report in 2022 found that depression and anxiety, with resulting lower productivity, cost the global economy $1 trillion with 12 billion working days lost. One can only imagine the staggering personal impact on the millions of employees who experience mental health issues.
Promoting mental health and wellness in the workplace is more than good business; it leads to a greater sense of belonging and more open and trusting relationships. We know colleagues who are supported will deliver strong performance for our clients. But more than that, it’s absolutely the right thing to do.
Sometimes, that means stepping outside the norm, as we did today by hosting Dr. Nicola Fox Hamilton, a cyberpsychology lecturer and researcher, to discuss cyberpsychology and topics including the impact of technology on our mental wellbeing.
For other programs, we embrace a proactive approach, spending a great deal of time meeting with, and listening to, our colleagues. Then we tailor our programs to support their needs, and continually evaluate those initiatives. I believe that commitment to substance and honest discussion has differentiated our programs and made clear that mental health is a priority at our firm.
Early recognition of potential issues is critical. For example, our volunteer mental health coaching program is designed specifically for managing directors and executive directors, who serve as role models. In three, three-hour sessions, these senior leaders share their stories, discuss their own mental health, and learn from each other.
The goal is to ensure that they understand their own mental health, and have the tools necessary to identify possible issues. The interactive program offers insight into the relationship between mental health and business performance, and it integrates research about organizational psychology and mental health with coaching skills and personal experience.
We also continually monitor and update our existing programs. Just as physical first aiders are recertified for emergency care or CPR training, we’ve refreshed training for members of our global Mental Health First Aiders program, who have assisted colleagues in crisis since 2022. We’ve helped our First Aiders maintain their confidence by reviewing skills, offering updates about support available within and outside the firm, and testing our Mental Health First Aid action plan.
For those who prefer a self-directed approach, all colleagues have access to the “Unmind” app, where they can find programs about mental health and wellness whenever they need them, and tap into yoga, meditation, and mindfulness sessions at their own pace. By taking a holistic view of mental health throughout our firm, we want to reinforce that physical and mental wellness are equally important.
And we want everyone who works here to understand that when a colleague asks, “How are you?” they really mean it.