SINGAPORE - As part of Singapore’s efforts to support mental health and well-being at the workplace, a network was launched on Nov 20 to help employers exchange best practices and develop new initiatives.

The group comprises “well-being champions”, typically management-level employees, who can rally senior management to implement policies to support employees’ mental well-being, said Minister of State for Manpower Gan Siow Huang.

These champions can also help their organisations put together and curate mental well-being programmes and resources, and establish a system to refer people in distress to professional help.

As part of the new Well-being Champions Network, they will have access to resources and a platform to exchange best practices.

From January 2024, they will also have access to training on topics such as self-care techniques and being able to identify signs of burnout or distress.

The network has over 50 founding members from organisations that have either implemented progressive well-being practices, or offer counselling or advisory services, such as Dow Chemical Pacific, National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), Institute for Human Resource Professionals and Jardine Matheson Singapore.

Ms Gan said on Nov 20 in a speech at a dialogue with the members: “We have started the Well-being Champions Network to create stronger momentum for more employers to create supportive workplaces.”

She added that because many people spend most of their waking hours at work, the workplace environment – whether positive or adverse – will likely be a major factor influencing their overall well-being.

“According to the World Health Organisation, good work and workplaces support good mental health for individuals by providing a livelihood, a sense of confidence, purpose and achievement which is needed for humans to thrive, and create an opportunity for positive relationships,” she added.

“This makes it vital for us to ensure that at the workplace, our employees are supported and enabled to do good work.”

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has been encouraging companies to appoint mental wellness champions at workplaces over the past few years.

Both champions and any other nominated employees can register to be part of the new network for free by e-mailing Kaleidoscope Labs, which is the official vendor appointed by the Workplace Safety and Health Council.

The Council and MOM are the organisers of the network, which was announced in October as part of the National Mental Health and Well-Being Strategy.

Speaking to media at the event on Nov 20, several of the network’s founding members said that mental health at the workplace is key to ensuring not just the well-being of workers, but also productivity and healthy collaboration.

Ms Colyn Chua, head of mental health charity Mindset Singapore, said: “For a long time, companies were not willing to part with the resources to work on mental health and well-being. People were (also) not willing or comfortable to talk about such issues, for fear of the associated stigma.”

She added that perhaps just a few years ago, company leaders were not ready to discuss mental health, but an open communication style is now more necessary than ever as younger workers are keenly interested in such topics.

Mr Aslam Sardar, chief executive of the Institute for Human Resource Professionals, added that protecting the mental health of workers has undeniable economic benefits, such as significantly raising productivity.

He said: “When you have very good well-being programmes, you are attractive to an employee, and are more likely to attract talent, especially the younger generation.”

But the journey to achieving this culture will take work, as the topic of mental health is still quite taboo, he noted. It is important to raise awareness so that employees are comfortable and feel safe talking about the issues, and can then learn together how to address them.

Mr Paul Fong, country director for chemical and plastics manufacturer Dow Chemical Pacific (Singapore and Malaysia), said: “The network will allow us to share best practices and learn from each other.

“The online portal made available to the champions offers curated programmes and well-being activities... which will also be more attractive for people to participate in.”

Ms Gan also announced an expansion of the Tripartite Advisory on Mental Health and Well-being at Workplaces, which provides practical guidance to employers on how to better support their employees’ mental well-being. 

The advisory, which was launched in 2020, has been enhanced to include additional measures to support employees in general as well as individuals with mental health conditions.

These include implementing a peer support system of trained staff to create a supportive environment for employees in need and destigmatise mental health issues at work.

Companies can also consider hiring people with mental health conditions who are job-ready, to access a wider talent pool and build more inclusive workplaces.

Ms Gan said the changes were derived from ideas and input provided over the past two years by experts in a workgroup as well as members of the public.

“The key to strengthening mental well-being at workplaces is to assess and identify employees’ needs and adopt initiatives that best address these needs, leveraging available resources. Despite best efforts, awareness of resources available can certainly be further improved,” she said.

“Getting individuals who are willing to play a role to step forward is another area that we hope to step up on.”