KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA — According to the “2019 National Health and Morbidity Survey,” close to half a million people in Malaysia are experiencing symptoms of depression. One of the most significant barriers to addressing mental illness and mental health problems in Malaysia is to dispel the myths about mental health, reduce stigma, and promote accurate understanding.
To de-stigmatize mental health in the workplace and improve its employees’ well-being, creative network Publicis Groupe strengthens its Employee Mental Wellness Program in conjunction with the World Mental Health Day 2022. The program, launched last year, is intended to assist employees in managing their stress and anxiety, particularly considering today’s fast-paced market demands and shorter turnaround times.
Neil Hudspeth, CEO of Publicis Groupe Malaysia, said, “Many businesses are quite rightly recognizing that their employees’ productivity is closely linked to their health and well-being. I believe employers must also embrace the fact that besides physical health, mental health is an equally important component of total well-being and that it should be prioritized and normalized. At Publicis, we value our people as our critical assets, and they are the backbone of everything we do for our clients. Whilst we are also cognizant of the mental stress issues often related to our industry, it is crucial that they take steps to help address them effectively.”
“In the long run, we believe a healthy employee will benefit everyone and also preserve corporate productivity. Corporate wellness investment, therefore, brings multiple advantages to both employees and employers. As part of our efforts to de-stigmatize mental health, we strengthened the People-First Mental Wellness Program, which was introduced last year to provide a ray of comfort in mitigating work-related mental health issues,” he added.
As part of the enhanced program, Publicis Malaysia has lined up month-long employment engagement activities such as Yoga class, Walking Wednesdays, TikTok Thursdays, movie screening night and a Halloween Party, themed “Murder Mystery.” Other activities include CalmerSutra, a session where employees learn the art of managing stress, and a laugh session with one of Southeast Asia’s most sought-after comedians, Kevin Jay.
“Achieving excellent mental health should be viewed as an ongoing process, and since we spend majority of our lives working, the workplace is an ideal location for promoting mental and behavioural health. The People-First Mental Wellness Program is one of our continuous initiatives toward employee satisfaction and well-being. It is also a testament to our commitment to creating a ‘People First Culture’ working environment,” said Maureen Gomez, Chief Talent Officer of Publicis Groupe Malaysia.
The enhanced program will also see the introduction of six key wellness benefits to boost the well-being of its employees:
- 10th of October is gazetted by the Groupe as a holiday to observe World Mental Health Day and therefore its offices all around the world will be closed.
- Updated paid maternity and paternity leave entitlements effective September 2022 to enable parents to spend more time with their new-borns. Mothers will now enjoy 98 consecutive days of maternity leave while fathers will be entitled to seven consecutive days.
- Sick leave updates that allow employees to convert two days from the 14 days allocation to rest days without submission of supporting documents.
- Introduction of Family Care Leave that permits employees to take two days of unrecorded leave on family emergency matters, such as looking after sick parents or kids or even pets!
- Study Leave is for employees pursuing industry-related education who will now be entitled to three days of study leave.
- First trimester miscarriage is now included into compassionate leave entitlement.
Since the inception of the program in 2021, Publicis Groupe implemented several initiatives to boost the mental wellness of its employees including Friday Disconnect, where employees are encouraged to log off work from 2:00 pm onwards, giving them a head start to the weekend, and the Employee Assistance Program which offers counselling by certified counsellors on various topics and is accessible 24-hours every day and at no cost.
