The mental wellness of an employee at workplace benefits not only to the individual but also contributes to the general output and success of organisations. The pressure from higher authorities demands continuous change in the rate of work of an employee at times negatively affecting the mental well-being of such a person. Organisations are ought to help employees fight stress, seek emotional equilibrium, and, improve their performance and have a healthy state of mind to ensure that they not only maximise their utility but also live a humanly life with dignity.
When one talks about the need to preserve the mental health of the employees, one key reason for promoting mental well-being is to prevent stress and burnout. When employees are expected to handle too many tasks or lack adequate support, they may develop mental health conditions like anxiety or depression. In turn, this tends to lead to absenteeism, presenteeism (attending work while not feeling well), and high turnover rates.
Organisations can limit such detriments by making the environment one that promotes work-life balance, mental health awareness, as well as efficient communication. By reducing stress levels, boosting morale and engagement improve job satisfaction and enhance performance. The abovementioned balance that leads to mental well-being increases creativity and problem-solving. With mentally healthy workers, an organization is able to think more clearly, make decisions, and handle challenges. With a mentally healthy workforce, innovation, teamwork, and adaptability to changes are promoted, hence considered compulsory for survival in the current competitive business environment. Moreover, an organisation that promotes mental well-being can attract and retain top talent.
Now, in a world where employees increasingly value well-being, companies offering such support become more desirable because such support fosters a positive company culture, employer brand, and helps build a loyal workforce. Looking from another angle, mental well-being measures save the healthcare-related cost of stress-related illnesses. Investment in mental health care, such as counselling services, employee assistance programs, and wellness workshops, demonstrates benefits related to improved well-being in the workforce and minimizes the long-term burden of healthcare on the organization and society in general. In a nutshell, good mental health at work is intrinsic for it promotes a healthy, productive, and resilient workforce. But is mental health at workplaces in India an egalitarian dream? Or it is implemented by the Indian Corporates?
Indian Corporate Mental Well-Being; A Far-fetched dream
The case of McKinsey & Company[1]; The American consulting and professional services giant McKinsey & Company employed Saurabh Kumar Laddha, a 25-year-old professional from Pune, as Junior Associate at the company’s Mumbai office. Having graduated from both IIT Madras and IIM Calcutta, Saurabh Laddha joined the strategic consulting business in August 2022. The project he worked on was physically and intellectually taxing, according to media sources. On February 23, 2024, which appeared to be a typical workday, he was secretly struggling with mental illness. He lost the struggle against his agony that day. Laddha leaped from the ninth story of his apartment building in the Wadala district of Mumbai at 11:15PM. The leap turned out to be lethal, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. It was verified by the police and health reviews that “extreme workplace pressure” was the reason that caused him to commit the suicide.
The tragedy at Ernst & Young India [2]; Ms. Anna Augustine cleared her chartered accountancy (CA) exams on November 23 last year, a young girl with an excellent academic record was full of life, dreams, and excitement for the future. After clearing the CA exams, she joined Ernst & Young India and it was her first job at EY Pune. In pursuance of her job at the abovementioned company, she worked tirelessly, giving her all to meet the demands placed on her. However, the workload, new environment, and long hours took a toll on her physically, emotionally, and mentally. She began experiencing anxiety, sleeplessness, and stress soon after joining, but she kept pushing herself, believing that hard work and perseverance were the keys to success. The young daughter worked late into the night, even on weekends, with no opportunity to catch her breath. However, it is unfortunate that the young girl was no longer able to cope up with the immense workload and pressure bestowed upon her, and, India lost another daughter for the aforementioned reasons. It is further unfortunate for us to witness that Anna worked days and nights for EY India and yet nobody from the company even bothered to attend her funeral.
It leads us to question ourselves, that from the lens of such corporates, is Indian workforce humans with dignity or expensive bonded labour, or are the Indian labour laws so weak so as to bring such corporates to justice?
Indian Employees are not expensive bonded labour
The comment “Indian employees are not expensive bonded labour” signals the importance and the rights of Indian workers in any industry. These workers are hard-working individuals striving to improve their status without being unfairly treated, meanwhile, handful of workers in India are paid a wage commensurate with wages elsewhere in the world, many yet await a decent pay for the amount of work they contribute to an organization. Indian workers not only perform tasks, but bring skills and knowledge with them, which is complimentary and drives innovation and productivity in many sectors, including IT services, manufacturing, healthcare, and more.
The notion of bonded labour, which is defined as being forced to work in others conditions and for little or no pay, does not apply to the vast majority of Indian employees who work in the formal sector. Domestic and foreign companies seek out Indian employees because they offer professionalism and commitment, which makes their role great value instead of as low-cost labour employed by a for-profit firm. As globalization continues to grow in extrapolation and scope, Indian employees are appropriately demanding equitable relations, altruistic career advancement, and recognition for their contributions, and letting both employers and the global workforce know their value and place to the industry.
The above perused cases illuminate the mindset of corporates when they enter India, i.e., viewing a handful of money paid by them as a salary to the employees as the licence to exploit the Indian workforce till the extent that they perish to the unreasonable and unjustified pressure casted upon them by such employers. The Indian society, being a developing one is often understood as a progressive society, however, one now must question, that whether the modern-day exploitation is what our society considers as progress? Whether progress for our society means the creation of expensive bonded labour with no human dignity of their own? Or whether corporates should be exempted from any liability for their abetment to commit suicide[3] for the mere reason that their acts are justified for the handful of money paid by them to the employees?
It is now for the society and the legislature to consider that what is coming short in the contemporary Indian Labour laws that is allowing such corporates to create such a system of modern bonded labour in order to constitute a society which can truly be labelled as progressive. Further, it is also for the society and the Government to keep a check on such ill practices adopted by foreign corporates wherein Indians are exploited in their own country long after the end of colonialism and in the name of corporate professionalism. It is also for the government to ensure that the corporates are not allowed to become modern-day colonisers exploiting the Indian workforce until it perishes. The State must thrive to ensure each member of the workforce enjoys his Fundamental Right to life and dignity in the truest sense.[4]
The government is ought to investigate the aforementioned cases and any cases, whether present or in future of similar nature and punish the corporates under the relevant labour laws along with identifying those managers of such companies who have played a key role in abetting such suicides and charging them under Section 108, BNS for the wants of justice and setting an example amongst other such corporates who are under the mistaken belief that every action of theirs is immune from the law for the handful of cents thrown by them.
Conclusion
The issues highlighted in this discussion reflect the urgent need for a paradigm shift in how Indian employees are treated by corporate entities, both domestic and foreign. Indian employees are skilled professionals contributing significantly to their organizations, and they deserve to be treated with respect, dignity, and fairness. The tragic cases of workplace-induced suicides underscore the severe mental health toll caused by unreasonable pressures, long working hours, and lack of emotional support in some corporate environments. Indian employees are not mere bonded labourers to be overworked and discarded, but valued contributors to economic growth and innovation.
It is essential for the government, society, and organizations themselves to take responsibility in ensuring that employee well-being is prioritized. Strengthening labour laws, holding corporates accountable for undue pressure, and fostering a culture of mental health awareness can prevent such tragedies. The right to a dignified and balanced work life is fundamental, and organizations must be proactive in promoting mental wellness for sustainable productivity and ethical business practices.
[1] https://feminisminindia.com/2024/03/26/saurabh-laddhas-death-and-the-dangers-of-a-toxic-workplace-culture/
[2] https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/ey-india-work-stress-death-anna-sebastian-perayil-daughter-26-died-of-overwork-at-ey-no-one-attended-funeral-womans-letter-6595688
[3] Section 108, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023
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