Mental Health: Mental Health Crisis: Tackling Workplace Stress and Burnout | Bhubaneswar News

Bhubaneswar: Work-related stress and burnout have emerged as major concerns in today’s fast-paced world, significantly affecting the mental health of employees. The death of an employee at a multinational corporation last month, attributed to work-related stress, has reignited urgent conversations about mental health in the workplace.
World Health Organization (WHO) has long warned about the risks posed by unhealthy working environments.Factors like excessive workloads, job insecurity and discrimination can severely impact employees’ mental well-being. WHO estimates that globally, around 12 billion working days are lost annually due to depression and anxiety.

Dr Sarada Prasanna Swain, head of the psychiatry department at SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack, shed light on the profound consequences of workplace burnout. He said, “Burnout is just a sub-clinical stage of depression, psychiatric morbidity (mental illness) and sleep deprivation. It reduces the productivity of an employee. Neglecting mental health would affect the physical and social health of a person. Employers or reporting heads should hold training programmes or counselling sessions for employees.”
Swain emphasises the need for companies to prioritise mental health, especially for vulnerable employees, including those with pre-existing conditions, pregnant and lactating mothers, and individuals dealing with personal challenges.
He warned that untreated mental health issues may lead to more severe conditions like cardiac disease or neurological disorders such as dementia. “A supportive work culture, empathetic colleagues and policies that promote well-being can go a long way in addressing work-related stress,” he added.
Echoing Swain’s concerns, Dr Biswa Ranjan Mishra, professor of psychiatry at AIIMS Bhubaneswar, stressed the importance of a positive and nurturing work environment.
“Regular breaks and distress management programmes at work are essential,” said Mishra. Unrealistic expectations from employers, combined with impossible deadlines, often leave employees in a constant state of panic, he pointed out.
Mishra also pointed to the broader societal context. “In today’s nuclear family setups, employees face challenges on both personal and professional fronts. The sedentary lifestyle and increasing dependence on the virtual world, especially among the 18-45 age group, have only compounded the issue,” he said.
The ministry of health and family welfare has also highlighted the mental health risks associated with poor working conditions and job insecurity. Employees in low-paying, precarious roles often face insufficient protections, leaving them particularly vulnerable to psychological strain.
The ministry emphasises that fostering a supportive workplace culture, free from discrimination and stigma, is essential for protecting the employees’ mental well-being.
According to experts, one of the most significant barriers to addressing this crisis is the stigma surrounding mental health.
Many employees feel unable to seek help, fearing workplace discrimination or the loss of their jobs. They argued that breaking down this stigma is crucial creating work environments where mental health is taken seriously.