Employee adoption of mental health interventions by employees in the South African workplace

Abstract

The subject of mental health is currently trending in the global community as mental health conditions (MHCs), including stress, anxiety, insomnia, depression, and burnout, are a major cause of concern due to their negative impact on individuals or employees. These conditions can cause related physical health issues, including chronic illnesses like high blood pressure (hypertension) and common musculoskeletal issues, including neck or back pain. Affected employees may experience poor performance and low productivity, which can impact business profitability. Considering that people are a company’s best asset, organisations worldwide are placing more focus on employee well-being by providing interventions to improve employee engagement and productivity in the interests of the individual and to achieve their business goals. Mental health awareness (MHA) programmes have been implemented and widely publicised through government initiatives, while mental health promotion (MHP) is also conducted internally within organisations. Based on this study's results, most modern-day employees are informed on mental health, and the job demands-resources (JD-R) model indicates that they can be equipped with resources to overcome stressors through several interventions. This research aims to determine the mental health interventions (MHIs) that employees use to manage MHCs at a personal level in order to inform policymakers or HR practitioners of the acceptable and effective mechanisms for improving overall employee well-being. Interviews were carried out on a sample of eighteen participants drawn from the financial services industry in South Africa. Thematic analysis was used to review and interpret the data, leading to a conclusion and recommendations regarding the adoption of MHIs. The research results indicate that prayer or spirituality and exercise were the most utilised interventions, while the emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming mental health through futuristic technology like chatbots and digital gaming.