In 2019, Drink CEO Harris Guevarra had an idea. Why not consider adopting a hybrid work setup that allows Drink employees to lessen the stress of commuting and improve their mental health in the process? 

“I felt like it was important for us to walk the talk,” he shares. “We’re doing sustainability—we’re helping organizations become sustainable or transition towards becoming more sustainable businesses. And it was very clear to me that any mental health issue is a sustainability issue.”

Corporate culture has undergone a lot of changes in the past few years, particularly in regards to recognizing the role of mental health in the workplace. Companies need to put the mental health of their employees at the forefront if they want to retain their talent.

Mental health initiatives do more than support a company’s bottom line; they’re a sustainable investment in a company’s human capital. By addressing how work fits into the overall lives of employees with tangible and concrete actions, companies can better equip their employees with the skills needed to succeed and thrive in the workplace.

Understanding Employee Mental Health

Employee mental health refers to the psychological well-being of individuals in the workplace. It is influenced by a number of different factors, which include but are not limited to:

• Social relationships: the social dynamics of how employees interact with each other in the workplace
• Mental strain: whether the assigned workload can be reasonably accomplished in the allotted time and utilizes skills within their capabilities
• Psychological outlook: if employees find their work and the surrounding environment psychologically fulfilling

Given that mental health has become one of the primary concerns of corporate culture in a post-pandemic society, it’s even more crucial for employers to understand how their work affects their employees. Because work can be such a significant factor in an employee’s life, companies have a unique responsibility to prioritize and facilitate a healthy work-life balance for their workforce.

How Employee Health Factors Into Sustainability

Drink’s Head of Human Resources, Freida Tabuena, understands the effects of a healthy work-life balance on employees. “[Before transitioning to a work-from-anywhere setup] I’d see employees reporting into work already stressed. The ones who travel for hours in particular are also the employees that are more likely to burn out.”

At Drink, our ongoing exploration of sustainability encompasses a deep understanding of its various facets and influencing factors. Through our extensive experience in sustainability reporting, we’ve gained insights into how companies invest in their people. This vantage point has enriched our comprehension of the integral role that employee wellness, encompassing both physical and mental well-being, plays in contributing to a company’s overall sustainability.

Employees are the backbone of the company. The better their mental health, the more they are able to contribute, and the better the company performs. That’s why investment in mental health and overall well-being gives high ROI for companies: it’s what allows their most important resource to perform well for a long time.

Harris sums it up with a simple statement: “It just makes good business sense to put your people first.” Eliz Puertollano from HR also supports this statement, saying, “Times are changing. This is a different workforce, and we have to adjust according to their needs and work behavior.”

The importance of this recognition becomes even more apparent when you factor in how mental health impacts corporate hiring and productivity. Some workplace mental health statistics indicate:

• Mental health issues like anxiety and depression incur around $1 trillion in economic losses worldwide (World Health Organization Report)
• 92% of employees report mental health challenges as being significant barriers to getting work done (Workable, 2022)
• Around 8 in 10 workers evaluate employer support for mental health as a consideration when applying for jobs (American Psychological Association)
• 63% of Filipinos believe mental health is a significant issue (FWD Group Holdings Limited)
• Nearly 50% of all female employees in the Philippines face mental health challenges at work (MindNation and UN Women Philippines)

A sustainable company must invest in the mental health of its employees, as it is one of the best ways to uphold its value creation model without sacrificing or consuming resources that can be difficult to replace. Employees who receive adequate support are more efficient, are less likely to suffer from burnout, and are more willing to work with companies long-term—all benefits that can keep a company’s operations sustainable.

It’s become increasingly clear to companies that mental health plays a significant role in how well their employees perform. This stresses the need for companies to take bold, actionable, and long-term steps toward addressing challenges and improving support systems that enable their employees to fortify their mental resilience.

Mental Health as a Corporate Responsibility

One question that some companies may ask about their role in employee mental health is: “Why us?”

The core of this argument lies in the assumption that companies cannot ultimately be responsible for the overall well-being of their employees. After all, there are factors outside of work that can drastically affect mental health that are beyond their control, and companies can only do so much to support their workers.

On the other hand, companies that choose to take initiative for their employees’ mental health are far more likely to retain their talent and be more attractive to jobseekers. Sidney Ramos from HR shares, “We receive a lot of applications from people who are drawn to the work-from-anywhere setup. Younger job seekers also appreciate the mental health benefits that Drink offers, as these sorts of perks aren’t usually offered by other companies.” 

While companies do not bear the sole responsibility for improving their employees’ mental well-being, there are clear benefits to investing in the mental health of their people. Harris makes it clear that Drink’s direction towards prioritizing mental health is both an initiative and a response: “I’ve seen mental health issues become more common at corporate work spaces myself in the past few years, and it’s just the right thing to respond.”

How Companies Can Implement Their Own Mental Health Initiatives

While there’s no universally accepted standard for mental health initiatives in companies, they can refer to general guidelines. The World Health Organization offers a list of considerations that can be used to establish a solid foundation for supporting employee mental health. 

Some ways to implement these guidelines into concrete action include:

Leadership Initiatives

Upper and middle management play crucial roles in managing employee mental health. Not only do their decisions directly impact the strain that employees face day to day, but they’re also in the best position to spot potential areas that cause mental distress and directly enact policies that affect them.

Making sure that the people in a company’s leadership positions are adequately trained for mental health concerns can be a huge step forward in helping employees manage their mental strain better. This training can manifest in how they interact with the staff under their supervision or in the creation of company policies that prioritize mental health.

At Drink, the impetus for change came from the top and was the driving force behind Harris’ push towards prioritizing mental health. Team heads supported the plan, and the HR department focused on the details that would make it a reality. Harris reveals, “I would say that around 40% of HR’s total work is devoted to supporting the mental health of our employees.”

Company Culture

Employees should also feel that their workplace supports mental health initiatives and actively welcomes feedback and discussion about related topics. Companies can work on fostering this type of work culture by actively promoting inclusivity and diversity in their hiring practices and creating awareness programs about mental health. While it’s unreasonable for a company to monitor its employees 24/7 about how they’re feeling about their work, simply leaving the door open to discussion is usually enough.

Eliz elaborates on this accessibility for all Drink employees. “To be frank, I think the secret ingredient is how open we are in HR. We are accessible, whether for work-related queries or rants, whatever the employee needs to say.” It’s this welcoming culture that fosters an environment for better mental health.

Remote work means that most employee engagements happen online, but Drink fosters a healthy and welcoming company culture with games at the monthly town halls and regular employee check-ins. Drink also applied the removal of leave classifications so that employees can take mental health breaks and attend to their personal needs without constraints. The company also gathers for in-person events a few times a year to give employees the opportunity for offline interaction.

Work Setup

Flexible working arrangements are the future. The COVID-19 pandemic aside, many employees have already shown a preference for flexible work. Companies will need to account for this shift in their current and future operations, especially when transitioning to more sustainable business practices.

While the most obvious change that companies can make on this front is to implement a full work-from-home setup, hybrid operations are also a viable strategy. Many businesses require face-to-face interactions, and some employees are more likely to thrive in the company of their colleagues.

At Drink, a blended work model was already being considered in 2019, but the full virtual office format had to be implemented in response to the 2020 pandemic lockdowns. Though the shift was borne out of necessity, the results made it clear that telecommuting just made sense for the company. “When companies started to go back to normal and back to their offices, we decided to continue as a company with a work-from-home setup,” says Harris. “It helps with lessening our carbon footprint, lessens the strain on our employees, and takes into account how our day-to-day operations work.”

Support Mechanisms

Most companies already provide some level of support to their employees health-wise, especially with benefits like HMO plans. However, this support usually only extends to physical conditions. For a more holistic approach, companies need to expand their health coverage to include employees’ mental health.

These support mechanisms operate effectively in both the short and long term, aiding in the management of seasonal strains on a company’s resources and demand. Depending on the selected health and wellness partner, companies can establish a diverse yet adaptable support system to enhance their employees’ mental health.

Apart from annual checkups and medical coverage, all Drink employees have access to professional counseling. In partnership with Empath, a mental healthcare services provider, this initiative is designed to help employees who need psychosocial care and support. It is one of the most significant support mechanisms that Drink has, and it’s not the only one they plan on offering, shares Freida. “While Empath is currently our only partner, we are continuously looking into what we can improve and how we can expand the program.”

Mental Health Is Company Wealth

Company investment in mental health is always a good idea, especially given the challenges that face employees every day and how quickly corporate culture and environments can change. Harris puts it best: “We put people first, always.”

Freida agrees: “If you give your trust to your employees, they’ll be able to perform at their best knowing that they’re taken care of.”

It’s difficult to have a definitive answer if an employee asks, “What can I do if my mental health starts to affect my job?” However, companies should have systems in place to support their employees who may be struggling and identify opportunities to limit the strain that work puts on them whenever they can.

By working closely with employees, companies can foster a better working environment for mental health overall and better manage the challenges that arise because of it.