Yoga at work recommended to improve employee mental health
Global health leaders have set out steps to improve employee mental health.

Yoga at work and stress management courses for workers could help reduce mental illness in the workplace, global health leaders have said.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) also said that all managers should undergo mental health training to enable them to help their employees.
The WHO, along with the International Labour Organisation, has set out new policy documents on what can be done to help improve mental health in the workplace.
Itās time to focus on the detrimental effect work can have on our mental health. The wellbeing of the individual is reason enough to act, but poor mental health can also have a debilitating impact on a personās performance and productivity.
The global health bodyās recommendations include:
ā Training mangers to support their workersā mental health by preventing stressful work environments and responding to workers in distress.
ā Improving employee awareness of mental health issues.
ā Interventions āthat aim to build workersā skills in stress managementā ā which could include mindfulness training.
ā Opportunities in the workplace for āleisure-based physical activityā which could include resistance training, strength training, walking or yoga. If these canāt be conducted in a work setting them companies should āfacilitate external opportunitiesā for workers to take part.
ā Organisations should examine employee workloads. The authors of the document wrote: āHigh workload increases the risk of symptoms of mental health conditions.ā
ā For workers in āemotional distress, psychosocial interventions such as those based on mindfulness or cognitive behavioural approaches, or problem solving training, may be considered in order to reduce these symptoms and improve work effectivenessā.
The document also highlights risks to employee mental health, including bullying and psychological violence ā also known as āmobbingā.
The WHO said that around one in seven (15%) adults of working age has a mental health disorder.
Estimates suggest that 12 billion āworking daysā are lost evert year around the world due to depression and anxiety among workers.
And the cost to the economy is staggering ā an estimated Ā£1 trillion is lost every year from the global economy due to depression and anxiety, largely from lost productivity.
āItās time to focus on the detrimental effect work can have on our mental health,ā said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHOās director general.
āThe wellbeing of the individual is reason enough to act, but poor mental health can also have a debilitating impact on a personās performance and productivity.
āThese new guidelines can help prevent negative work situations and cultures and offer much-needed mental health protection and support for working people.ā
Guy Ryder, director general of the ILO, added: āAs people spend a large proportion of their lives in work ā a safe and healthy working environment is critical.
āWe need to invest to build a culture of prevention around mental health at work, reshape the work environment to stop stigma and social exclusion, and ensure employees with mental health conditions feel protected and supported.ā