Siemens India: The essential role of mental health for employee wellbeing

Let’s take a look at mental health challenges in India – and how Siemens is acting on this challenge. A Lancet paper published in 2017 reported that one in seven Indians suffered from a mental illness. With the recent pandemic causing a surge in anxiety, depression, sleep disorders etc., it is more important than ever before to address mental health and wellbeing.

 The primary reason for this deplorable situation in India is the lack of awareness and sensitivity about mental health, caused by the stigma around people suffering from related issues. Although many individuals with mental health issues are a part of the workforce in India, they rarely discuss these issues at the workplace, fearing prejudice, stigma, or untoward action by the organization. According to a 2019 study by Businessolver, 68 per cent of employees worry that reaching out about their mental health issues could negatively impact the security of their jobs.

Siemens India is completely aware of these underlying factors. The organization decided to take a proactive approach to mental health at the workplace, featuring a comprehensive plan that includes awareness sessions with experts to help identify signs of a mental-health concern. Activities also include helping employees to fearlessly discuss and address these issues with professional support.

 The Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) team at Siemens India acknowledges that the ongoing pandemic has made mental health a quintessential element of employee well-being and works with leading experts and partners in the country to implement its Employee Wellbeing & Assistance Program (EWAP).

In this year alone, while several awareness sessions have been organized for the employees, the company has adhered to “privacy and confidentiality” while drawing up mental-health programs for their employees who would like to connect with a counsellor and seek professional advice from the EWAP partner. The confidential counselling service addresses questions about mental health and psychosocial well-being. The 24x7 service is offered in multiple languages so that not just employees, but also their families and friends can benefit.

From illustrations and posters across offices and project sites to tent cards at employees’ workstations, the team has adopted various communications measures to raise awareness. In recent times, virtual sessions hosted by experts and professionals on topics like mental and psychosocial wellbeing have witnessed a great deal of participation and appreciation.

Soumitra Duttagupta, Head – EHS, Siemens India believes that it is important to regularly stay engaged with employees at every level. He says, “to gauge the feelings of the employees, the management team has conducted three online ‘pulse checks‘ to date in the last quarter alone. These surveys helped us understand that majority of our colleagues are stressed, although to varying degrees after working for four whole months continuously from home, where they have other responsibilities in addition to office work.”

Together with his team of healthcare professionals and safety experts, Dr. Chaitanya Gulvady, Head of Health Management in India, decided to pay close attention to these concerns and started addressing the fear and anxiety, through various levels of communication streaming across the organization. The communication not only help everyone understand the scenario but also guides them through it. Telemedicine services bridged the gap for a 24x7 platform that connected employees to Siemens doctors and specialists to consult regarding Covid-19 and other conditions, with references and recommendations to guide an employee through their tough times. A zonal buddy system was crafted to ensure that all kind of support is provided for the families of affected employees whenever needed. If any family members were a?ected, buddies extended support to the employee during such times. These initiatives helped assure employees that even while they are working from home, the organization will continue to extend full support towards health and well-being. This certainly helped addressing mental anxiety across the organization. 

 “It was a really hard time of my life where all my family members were troubled and tensed. The ecosystem at Siemens supported me and my family in these difficult times and helped us come out of such a challenging situation. My family and I are healthy and doing fine now. Thanks to the entire EHS team – and Thank You Siemens. Proud to be part of such a great organization,”

said a Covid-19 recovered Siemens India employee.

The team understands that each individual is unique and keeping this in mind, it organized specially curated webinars that were targeted as per their age and work profiles. Adding to the success of these sessions, the employees voluntarily enrolled for online sessions on stress control and mindfulness. They also had access to an app that let them explore more and helped them stay in touch with the professional experts with a few clicks. Weekly employee engagement dialogs and sessions on health, nutrition, on physical and mental wellbeing proved beneficial in creating a stress-free environment, which would have otherwise been replaced by overwhelming work, hence breaking the monotony as much as possible.

Dr. Sujata Rane, Chief Manager, Health Management says, “We all aim to have a peaceful life. Still, we know that certain things will not change, and we need to accept and adapt to these changes. COVID-19 has presented us with such a challenge that is disruptive and constantly changing, and we are still coming to terms with this change in our lives.” 

The mindfulness app and mindfulness coaches that are introduced through the Siemens India EWAP supported colleagues in finding peace within the ongoing external disruptions. Mindfulness sessions have helped employees deal with the task at hand in the most efficient and creative manner possible, without being bogged down by concerns about the future or past.

People managers play and important role in the success of holistic employee wellbeing – Siemens India encourages them to have open discussions on mental health with their team members and support them in every way possible.

A people manager recently shared, “I began to realize that, with passing time, my team members were extending well beyond the normal work timelines to carry out their planned tasks. The reasons included managing family chores, provisions, small children, and health conditions of near and dear ones which had a significant influence on their work performance and their personal lives. As well-being was an important topic for our team, I decided to have an open discussion with my team members to understand the situation and pitched in the idea to get professional advice, where required.”

But this professional guidance wasn’t all. In India, people are very closely knit at a social level, and the social circle extends much beyond the family. Various business teams at Siemens India conducted initiatives like talent shows, #100days of lockdown, virtual family days, sharing the home office pictures with the teams, or art and creativity activities of the family members on social platforms.

Dr. Gulvady explains that,

“While many parts of the country have started to ‘unlock‘, it does not mean that the risk levels have come down. On the contrary, the infection rates in India are as high as ever. Health experts warn – anxiety and depression are on the rise and that mental health could be the country's next crisis. Within EHS at Siemens India, mental well-being will continue to be the focus area in the near future. We will strengthen our programs further and the focus will be a lot sharper.”

 Sujata also identifies positive aspects saying, “the COVID-19 situation has given us the opportunity to add a significant push to mental health initiatives. Employees are more receptive and open; and leaders are proactively projecting the mental health resources in various forums. The way we have been looking at mental health and wellbeing has changed. We aim to keep caring and create a ‘Better Normal‘ within the ’New Normal’.”

I am impressed by this commitment, and the outstanding achievements, of our colleagues at Siemens India. Not only in India, Siemens is taking mental health seriously. Employee Wellbeing, with a focus on psychosocial risk management and mental wellbeing for building resilience, is a core element in our health management strategy for the new fiscal year.