International Labor Organization (ILO) lays out guidelines to deal with stress at workplaces
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labor Organization (ILO) have prepared guidelines to deal with stress at workplaces.
According to WHO, work and mental health are closely related.
A safe and healthy workplace environment improves mental health. On the other hand, good mental health helps in increasing the work productivity of the people.
Depression and anxiety are believed to result in the loss of 12 billion workdays annually. This causes a loss of about 1 trillion dollars to the world economy.
Key suggestions in the report-
- Work related mental health problems should be prevented through psychosocial risk management.
- Efforts should be made to protect and promote mental health in the workplace. Particularly through training and measures, which will improve mental health awareness.
- Help employees with mental health problems to ensure full and equitable participation in work.
- In order to improve mental health at workplace, a conducive environment with interrelated work should be created.
International Labor Organization (ILO)
- The International Labor Organization was established in the year 1919 as a specialized agency of the League of Nations after the First World War.
- This agency makes rules to protect the interests of workers and workers on an international basis, looks into labor related problems and tries to build consensus among countries on important issues like work opportunities for all.
- It currently has 187 member states, of which Cook’s Island is a member that is not a member of the United Nations.
- Its secretariat/headquarters is in Geneva, Switzerland.
- It was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in the year 1969 for establishing peace between different classes, for looking into the issues of the workers, for making the nation developed and for providing technical assistance to them.
- Convention 182 was adopted at a meeting of member states in Geneva in 1999, which aims to protect children from the worst acts of child labor such as trafficking, prostitution, slavery and armed conflict.
Importance of improving mental health at workplace:
- To establish better health, including mental health, as a human right.
- Help in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In particular, SDG-3 on health and SDG-8 on dignified work for all will help achieve the goals.
- Reduce evictions at the workplace and increase the economic security of individuals/families.
- Will benefit industries through a larger labor market and higher productivity.
- The government will save on health care and welfare assistance.
Source – The Hindu
