Background

Mental health is more than the absence of mental health conditions, instead it is a state of well-being in which an individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with everyday normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to contribute to his or her community. In 2022, about 55.8% of the global population was working. Existing evidence indicates that an estimated 15% of this working population is living with at least one mental health condition.

In Kenya, about 24.9 million people are working, translating to approximately 3.7 million Kenyans living with mental health conditions. The most common mental health conditions in Kenya are anxiety, depression, substance use disorder, schizophrenia, and bipolar mood disorder. There is a complex interplay between mental health and work. Work is a social determinant of mental health. Meaningful work is protective of mental health, contributing to a sense of accomplishment, financial independence, confidence, recovery, and inclusion of persons living with mental health conditions.

However, a harmful or negative work environment can significantly contribute to physical and mental health problems, harmful use of alcohol and substances, and exacerbate existing mental health conditions. People already at risk due to genetic factors and other vulnerabilities can either get protection or have their risk increase, hence the need to consider and prioritize mental health at the workplace. Evidence from different countries shows that mental health problems cause people to drop out of work. In the Netherlands, around 58% of the work-related disabilities are related to mental health.

In the UK, around 30–40% of the sickness absence is attributable to some form of mental health condition. In Kenya, public servants were found to have mental health challenges that impacted their performance and productivity. Additionally, the task force on mental health found Kenyans have high levels of stress at the workplace, with those living with mental health conditions facing stigma and discrimination at the workplace.

Factors that affect mental health in the workplace

Mental health problems cause changes in emotions, thoughts, or behavior that lead to significant distress or impairment of personal functioning, which affects a person’s performance, morale, and capacity to work. They also impact employers and businesses through increased absenteeism, negative impact on productivity and profits, as well as an increase in costs to mitigate this. At the Workplace, there are a number of risks for poor mental health. Most of these risks relate to interactions between:

• The type of work

• The organizational and managerial environment

• The skills and competencies of employees

• and the support available for employees to carry out their work

Additionally, we need to consider emerging risks with the changes in overtime work including teleworking, flexible working, and automation.