The Philippine Mental Health Act (Republic Act No. 11036) has been passed since June 20, 2018. President Rodrigo Roa Duterte passed the law into implementation. The act itself is protecting the rights of persons with psychiatric, neurologic and psychosocial health needs and their families, increasing access to mental health services, and spreading awareness of mental health in schools and workplaces. The first mental health act of the Philippines has gotten the attention of WHO, congratulating the country on its passage towards a better mental health-friendly country.
The Philippines has been quiet about mental health for decades due to the stigma. Thankfully, the new Philippine Mental Health Act is allowing public and private sectors to do what they can to eradicate the stigma. While only 5% of the healthcare budget of the country goes to public mental health services, this serves a bright future for mental health wellness for those who can’t afford private mental health services. Aside from facilities and added protection to mental health professionals, workplaces are now confident to invest in mental health training and intervention programs. In this blog, we will talk about the Philippine Mental Health Act and its implications in the workplace.
Brightening The Future of Mental Health at Work
Work has always been normal for Filipinos. One of the Filipino qualities is being “masipag” or hardworking. However, data has been recorded that there are over 6 million Filipinos who suffer from depression and anxiety according to a Filipino researcher. As the matter of fact, the World Health Organization has researched that one in five Filipinos reportedly suffer from a mental health problem in 2012. In 2021, almost 2 years after the pandemic, Filipino workers have suffered challenges that affected their mental health and wellbeing.
The Philippine Mental Health Act of 2018 have allowed mental health professionals to be frontliners or essential health care workers to serve the Filipino public. A lot of government agencies have put their best foot forward in providing accessible, convenient, and free mental health intervention programs to fellow health care workers and other essential personnel (factory workers, food and delivery, etc) who might be suffering from anxiety due to pandemic and increasing stress due to workload. Others have to struggle with financial instability due to many businesses closing down.
The plight of Filipino workers has forced them to find other means to survive. They tried out a popular form of business called online selling with on-demand materials like food, drinks, clothes, and other stuff that require less contact with customers and potential customers. Indeed, there is a strong sense of resiliency among Filipinos but it takes a toll on their mental health. There is no health if mental health is taken out of human care. WHO and United Nations agree that good mental health will contribute to a well-functioning society. That’s why local government units like DOH are spearheading programs to make mental health a priority.
Filipino workers are transitioning from conventional face-to-face working hours into spending their 9-5 (or even more) inside the comfort of their own home. However, not all are privileged enough to enjoy working at home. There may be stressors present within the vicinity. These can be noise pollution, lack of space for working area, unstable internet connection, and family problems.
The Implications of the Mental Health Act
That is why with the recent Philippine Mental Health Act, employers are encouraged and obliged to create mental health programs to promote wellness in the workplace whether it be onsite or work from home. The implications of the Mental Health Act to the Philippine workplaces are:
1 Normalizing Mental Health Talks
If employees in the workplace have job-related huddles, they should also have mental health huddles at least once a week, too. In the Philippine society, mental health is not always talked about. Some regions make it taboo. When businesses have mental health talks with qualified professionals teaching employees on stress management, etc and adds it to the workplace huddles, it becomes a culture and a habit to ask how is one another and how can we help. You’ll be surprised on the stories that employees will tell and give people the chance to encourage one another. Mental health talks will be opened up more than ever before.
2 Maximizing Employee Potential
Employee potential has been minimized due to numerous work stressors. But the mental health act would revolutionalize how the workplace functions; from policies, events, and employee management. With the law mandated, employers or the HR department are given the budget for mental health trainings and seminars in the workplace. If the budget is bigger, they can hire an in-house or outsourced psychologist to cater to mental health concerns at work.
3 Employee Recuperation
When employees work, the business thrives. However, when a business overworks an employee, the employee tends to get burned-out. The Mental Health Act would protect the rights of the employee to work not more than 48 hours a week (including overtime). It would also allow the employee to take a leave for mental health reasons. Concerns in the workplace that involves mental health can be escalated to HR or a mental health professional.
MPsych Services offer mental health trainings and other programs to improve mental health in the workplace. Because we know that the best asset of a company is not its own product nor services, but its people.
MPsych Services follow the business model: assess, train, and sustain. Know the following below:
Assess – MPsych Services have a commitment to assess your workplace and your employees in terms of the current policies, employee retention and satisfaction. There are various tools to be administered when assessing a workplace. For the employees, individual tests may be administered to further determine their job satisfaction and mental health status. The assessment results will tell the MPsych team what is the action plan to incorporate best in your workplace.
Train – MPsych Services will gather your company managers and regular employees to train them on how to manage and sustain a mental health-friendly workplace. Training your assets will also make them resilient to crisis and their individual mental health concerns. Teaching them about mental health awareness will also increase their knowledge of their right to have a fair and just workplace condition. Employees of your company will also tend to be more confident, collaborative, and cooperative with co-workers. Mental health service providers aim to train employees to be mentally ready and healthy.
Sustain – MPsych Services will do the after-care of your employees who had undergone mental health trainings and coaching. They will also have follow-up sessions to make sure that employees are still on track with their mental health wellness in the workplace. If there are any other concerns, they will help in creating a resolution. It is of vital importance that service providers in mental health continue to provide consultations and interventions to ensure quality mental health care and workplace wellness.
Get Onboard with MPsych Services: Your Mental Health Partner
MPsych Services knows that your employees are your company’s lifeline. You can start investing on the wellness of your employees to make them more productive and your business becomes more progressive. Check out our services here.