World Mental Health Day: Breaking down the stigma

Madrid / 10 October 2022

Today marks World Mental Health Day, an opportunity for us to help open up dialogue about mental health issues. Despite statistics showing that one person in every four will be affected by a mental illness such as anxiety and depression at some stage of life, many people still encounter stigma surrounding these issues. Nearly nine out of ten people with mental health problems say that they have experienced stigma and discrimination, which can cause those who need help to avoid seeking care. 

Sustainability Department

Esther G. Herreros

esther.g.herreros@siemensgamesa.com
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At Siemens Gamesa, we believe the workplace should be an environment where everyone feels secure and thrives. We are committed to ensuring our employees feel connected to one another and we encourage open discussion around mental and emotional wellbeing to tackle the stigma.
Prioritizing psychological support
70% of people with a mental illness do not receive proper help. However, this support is crucial when treating mental health disorders. That is why we offer targeted psychological support services to all our employees across the world. We understand the debilitating impact poor mental health can have on someone’s personal and professional life, so anyone in need can access tailored psychological support programs at no cost.
Besides, to ensure we have adequate scientific knowledge to provide appropriate mental health care, in 2021 we established the Mental Health Scientific Advisory Board, comprised of experts from backgrounds in academia, psychiatry, pharmacology and psychology.

In order to challenge misconception about mental health, we work together with our advisory board members to create awareness of common mental health issues and inform our employees about these issues through monthly campaigns. These seek to educate our teams and managers about how to handle mental health issues.

Wellbeing training for managers
While we do not expect our managers to be psychologists, it is important that they are able to identify when a team member is having mental health issues and are equipped to cope with this. Managers should feel confident to have open conversations about mental health with their team members and be able to signpost appropriate support and guidance. With this in mind, we have developed training packages for managers which empower them to put wellbeing at the heart of their leadership approach. Providing this training enables us to have a consistent approach to mental wellbeing across our entire organization.
Our Perceived Stress Survey
Twice a year, we issue our Perceived Stress Survey (PSS) to evaluate stress levels throughout our organization. The results are anonymized, and the data aggregated to respect data protection and confidentiality, before being segmented by factors such as country, business unit and team. The PSS allows us to establish the level of stress within our organization, examine the extent to which different groups are affected, and identify the sources of pressure within different groups. We use the findings to understand how stress is affecting our employees and allow us to take appropriate actions to mitigate potential stressors.

Why does mental health matter?
Good mental health isn’t just about the absence of mental health issues, it also requires us to focus on other areas of wellbeing such as nutrition, physical activity and social interaction. Exercise can not only have a profoundly positive impact on our mental health but also improves cognitive function, memory, and sleep.

As part of our efforts to promote mental wellbeing, we encourage our employees to prioritize their physical and social wellbeing. Our annual campaign covers twelve different health and wellbeing areas, delving into one topic in detail each month. One of the objectives of this program is to normalize discussion of mental health in our workplaces and how it interacts with our physical and emotional wellbeing. Our aim is to empower all our employees to recognize when they need help and ensure they know where they can access this help.

We are committed to fostering a supportive and safe environment for everyone at Siemens Gamesa, and these initiatives are just the start. This World Mental Health Day, we highlight the importance of encouraging open dialogue and recognizing that mental health issues can affect all of us.

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