The State Department of Information and Broadcasting has kicked off a series of mental wellness sensitization forums on mental wellness and psychosocial support for field staff aimed at fostering healthier work environments.
The psychosocial support program focuses on reducing workplace stress and helping the frontline civil servants handle high-pressure environments.
The mental health sensitization meetings seek to encourage participants to become advocates for mental wellness, encourage work-life balance and reduce the stigma surrounding mental health issues.
Director of Information, in-charge of ICT Esther Wanjau said lack of access to professional counseling can result in ‘workplace conflicts and increased burnout among staff’.
Director Wanjau said the state department of information and broadcasting is rolling out targeted counseling interventions and capacity building programs in a bid to strengthen staff wellbeing, enhance service delivery and improve public trust.
“Counseling our staff on the workplace environment will in the long run help reduce burnout, manage stress and improve productivity,” she said in Mombasa during a mental health sensitization forum.
Wanjau said the state department’s staff and interns would be guided on recognizing mental health challenges, building resilience and fostering healthier work environments.
She said the Public Service Commission has acknowledged the mental health challenges faced by civil servants including stress, trauma, and burnout thus establishing internal counseling units in all state departments to ameliorate the situation.
“The psychological health of employees is important as it affects their welfare and professional growth,” she said and called for the dismantling of the stigma surrounding mental health and safe spaces where officers can seek help without fear of judgment.
She noted that the state department of information and broadcasting will strive to create a supportive workplace where employees feel valued and are psychologically safe.
Assistant Director, Wellness and Counselling at the state department, Irene Chepkwony contends that workplace mental health challenges cost public institutions through poor performance and absenteeism.
Chepkwony said in an increasingly demanding work environment public and private entities are beginning to recognize that employee wellbeing is not merely a welfare issue but that of a strategic necessity.
She said mental health issues if left unchecked can have a bearing on productivity, staff engagement and organizational sustainability.
She underscored the need for creating psychologically safe environments for those experiencing mental distress.
“At the end of the training we expect the field staff to recognize mental health challenges that often result in stress, anxiety, burnout and depression,” she said.
She said metal wellness plays a crucial role in conflict prevention, promotes effective leadership and employee resilience.
The professional counselor said poor mental health issues often go unnoticed at the workplace until it begins to manifest in poor staff performance and absenteeism.
Chepkwony highlighted the close relationship between mental wellness and productivity with organizations that prioritize wellbeing experiencing high levels of motivation, stronger teamwork and improved overall performance.
She said when employees face mental health struggles without professional support, they may use drugs and alcohol as a coping mechanism to try to feel better but which only makes the mental health problems worse overtime.
She said staff grappling with drug abuse and alcohol as a coping mechanism only further exacerbate their mental health issues.
“We encourage staff to seek support whenever necessary before mental health challenges escalate into a more serious health crisis,” she said.
Chepkwony underscored the need to view mental health as an integral component of organizations rather than being an issue that requires to be addressed only when problems arise.
By Hussein Abdullahi
