Axa, Aon, HCA Healthcare and LfieWorks are among the companies that have come together to drive development and adoption of the global Mental Health at Work Index.
The index includes a standardised assessment of organisational programmes and practices that support workforce mental health and an advice library providing recommendations and resources to guide data-driven strategic improvement and innovations.
A founding corporate council of nine organisations have come together to help drive the development and adoption of the index.
The council has also been involved in the development of the index, participated in a beta test of the assessment to review suggested recommendations, and collaborated to identify tools that will help other companies advance their mental health programmes.
The founding members include:
- Axa Asia & Africa (founding principal partner)
- Aon
- Bank of America
- Business Group on Health
- HCA Healthcare
- Jardine Matheson – Mindset Care Limited Singapore and Hong Kong
- LifeWorks
- Prudential
- URAC
The index will launch in early 2023 after the current beta testing phase is complete and will be developed through the expertise of three partners: One Mind; the Mental Health + Work Design Lab at Columbia University; and Ethisphere.
It will enable organisations to self-assess and benchmark their mental health programmes using the 3Ps Framework covering protection, promotion and provision of care.
Aligned with global guidance and standards including the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) and the recently released World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, the index will also guide companies to improve their workforce mental health efforts based on access to immediate, usable data and resources, such as evidence-based programs and case studies.
Over the longer term, the aim is also to build an aggregated database of best-in-class workplace mental health programmes across industry sectors.
As founding principal partner of the Index, Axa Asia and Africa is also the vice chair of the One Mind at Work Guiding Council and has chaired the index’s founding corporate council.
Gordon Watson, CEO of Axa Asia and Africa said: “While companies are increasingly stepping up with expanded benefits to support the mental wellbeing of their people, more is needed when it comes to benchmarking progress made.
“The index will address this critical gap by establishing a guided path for companies to achieve measurable progress in line with global standards. This is essential as companies continue to invest in and refine their mental health initiatives and ultimately deliver better mental health outcomes for employees.”
Christina McCarthy, executive director of One Mind, added: “The pandemic has highlighted the need for companies to invest in sustainable mental health strategies to support their employees.
“While approaches vary across different companies, the evidenced-based and technology-enabled Mental Health at Work Index sets a common standard for the first time, with best practice guidelines on the evaluation of workplace mental health initiatives that are vital in ensuring their success.
“It also helps equip companies with easy-to-access resources and practical recommendations to support mental health in the workplace in impactful, measurable ways.”