{"id":1753,"date":"2026-02-24T13:03:05","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T12:03:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/2030investirdemain.com\/?p=1753"},"modified":"2026-02-25T10:34:01","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T09:34:01","slug":"mental-health-in-the-workplace-we-need-to-change-the-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/2030investirdemain.com\/en\/2026\/02\/24\/mental-health-in-the-workplace-we-need-to-change-the-system\/","title":{"rendered":"Mental Health in the Workplace: \u201cWe Need to Change the System\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Mental Health in the Workplace: \u201cWe Need to Change the System\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can we move from intention to action? As part of the Think Tank \u201c2030, Investing for Tomorrow\u201d, investors, experts and companies structured the discussions of their second workshop around the operational implementation of mental health policies within organisations.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following a first workshop dedicated to defining the scope and contours of workplace mental health, the working group \u201cMental Health: A Responsibility for Both Companies and Investors\u201d, co-founded by Sycomore AM as part of Season 2 of the Think Tank \u201c2030, Investing for Tomorrow\u201d, reconvened on January 26. The objective of this new session was to move to a more operational level by identifying concrete levers for action, sharing feedback and challenging how companies measure the effectiveness of the initiatives they put in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A systemic issue<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The discussions opened with a presentation of the Mental Health Benchmark developed by CCLA Investment Management. For Amy Browne, Director of Stewardship and Deputy Head of Sustainability at CCLA, workplace mental health is a systemic issue. \u201cThis is a problem that concerns all companies with employees. We need to change the system,\u201d she stated. According to the data presented, mental health-related disorders represent an average cost of USD 2,600 per employee per year for companies, while every dollar invested in improving mental health is estimated to generate a return of USD 4.7.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CCLA\u2019s initiative originated in the 2020 health crisis. At the time, the asset manager reached out to major UK companies to encourage them to protect their employees\u2019 mental health. \u201cWe received many positive responses, but we also observed a lack of coherent strategy behind the initiatives,\u201d explained Amy Browne. Built around 27 questions aligned with the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Mental Health Benchmark does not aim to measure individual wellbeing, but rather the maturity of companies in their approach to workplace mental health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The central role of leadership<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The initial findings highlight the importance of explicit leadership commitment. \u201cWhen leaders speak openly about these issues, it significantly contributes to reducing stigma,\u201d Amy Browne noted. The formalisation of dedicated policies, the setting of clear objectives and the training of line managers also emerged as structuring levers. For investors, these elements represent key entry points for engagement with companies, even if the correlation with financial performance remains difficult to establish at this stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The discussion then turned to corporate feedback. At Orange, Esther Szwarc, Coordinating Physician, identified \u201cthree areas of focus\u201d to address mental health: \u201craising employee awareness, training and sensitising managers and HR teams, and all aspects relating to collective and individual prevention.\u201d She stressed the need to structure these actions and ensure consistency between leadership messaging and actual implementation: \u201cemployees need to feel that everything is aligned, otherwise it is not effective. If, on the one hand, companies multiply surveys or \u2018cosmetic\u2019 initiatives such as relaxation sessions or massages, but on the other hand mental health is not genuinely taken into account in transformations, change management or project support, then the overall approach loses coherence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to her, integrating mental health into the company\u2019s overall strategy is also a necessary condition. \u201cIf it does not come from the top, it cannot work,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The consulting firm Wavestone presented a structured approach based on the employee journey. \u201cThe topic is addressed from onboarding,\u201d explained H\u00e9l\u00e8ne Cambournac, Chief Sustainability Officer. Line managers receive dedicated training on psychosocial risks, complemented by targeted measures depending on seniority or exposure to risk. Cl\u00e9mence Lagu, Head of HR, underlined the impact of leadership testimonies: \u201cwhen senior managers illustrate these issues through their own experience, it is always more impactful.\u201d The company is also piloting digital prevention tools such as the teale platform, enabling employees to assess their mental health, access dedicated content or, if necessary, receive therapeutic support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Questioning work organisation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, this multiplication of initiatives raises a central question: the risk of addressing mental health through tools without sufficiently questioning work organisation. For Nina Tarhouny, PhD in law, specialist in organisational prevention of psychosocial risks and founder of the consultancy Global Impact, \u201cdespite all the actions implemented, working conditions sometimes remain detrimental because work organisation itself is not sufficiently examined.\u201d She recalled that while appointing a dedicated prevention officer is not mandatory as such, \u201cthe duty of prevention is mandatory, regardless of the size of the company.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen a small company does not have the means to appoint a dedicated prevention employee, it designates what is known as a \u2018competent designated employee\u2019. This is an employee appointed and trained by the employer to implement prevention measures within the company. But this does not replace the employer\u2019s responsibility regarding prevention,\u201d she specified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Nina Tarhouny, one of the main pitfalls lies in placing responsibility for mental health on individuals or managers without providing a clear framework. \u201cWe ask a lot of managers, but we do not always clearly define what is expected of them,\u201d she observed. She advocated clarifying managerial instructions and decision-making latitude, comparing work organisation to a \u201cprompt\u201d. \u201cAs with artificial intelligence, objectives, resources, deadlines and expected outputs must be clearly defined. Otherwise, insecurity is created.\u201d In her view, as long as these elements are not explicitly clarified, prevention actions remain fragmented and insufficiently effective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adapting measures to operational realities<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This assessment was shared by Alice Gorvel, Medical Director and Head of Occupational Health at Saint-Gobain, who also stressed the need to adapt initiatives to operational realities. \u201cWe will not train employees, HR teams and managers in the same way,\u201d she recalled, adding that in an industrial group, equity considerations are central, particularly regarding remote work. \u201cSaint-Gobain is an industrial company. Executives make limited use of remote work, notably to avoid creating inequalities with site employees,\u201d she explained. At headquarters, remote work is authorised \u201caround two days per week,\u201d but remains structured and supervised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regarding the role of managers, Alice Gorvel also warned against an excessive burden of responsibility. \u201cIt places a significant weight on them,\u201d she acknowledged, recalling that \u201cmanagers themselves can also be under strain.\u201d She emphasised the importance of training them on what they are allowed to do, particularly when an employee is on sick leave. \u201cMaintaining contact is essential, but one must know how to do so without putting oneself at risk.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTackling root causes\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Digital tools also fuelled the debate. While some companies have opted for external platforms, others have chosen to internalise monitoring. At Saint-Gobain, \u201c30% of employees are monitored by in-house medical services, the others by external inter-company services,\u201d Alice Gorvel specified. In addition to this internal or external medical follow-up, all employees have access to a psychological support platform enabling them to self-assess, receive training or be connected with a psychologist if needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPlatforms are not a miracle solution,\u201d Esther Szwarc warned, stressing the need for heightened vigilance regarding data confidentiality and alignment with existing systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throughout the discussions, a consensus emerged: primary prevention, focused on work organisation, remains the most difficult to implement, but also the most structurally transformative in the long term. \u201cAs long as we do not act on the organisation, we are addressing consequences without tackling the causes,\u201d Nina Tarhouny concluded.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mental Health in the Workplace: \u201cWe Need to Change the System\u201d How can we move from intention to action? As part of the Think Tank \u201c2030, Investing for Tomorrow\u201d, investors, experts and companies structured the discussions of their second workshop around the operational implementation of mental health policies within organisations. Following a first workshop dedicated […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1740,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1753","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mental-health"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/2030investirdemain.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1753","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/2030investirdemain.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/2030investirdemain.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/2030investirdemain.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/2030investirdemain.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1753"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/2030investirdemain.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1753\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1754,"href":"https:\/\/2030investirdemain.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1753\/revisions\/1754"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/2030investirdemain.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1740"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/2030investirdemain.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1753"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/2030investirdemain.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1753"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/2030investirdemain.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1753"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}