Workplace Mental Health: Creating Safer Spaces For Employee Well-being

As awareness about mental health continues to grow globally, stakeholders and mental health advocates in Nigeria have called for more deliberate efforts to make workplaces emotionally safe and supportive.

The call was made at the Annual Mental Health Symposium organised by the Mental Health With Ditty Foundation (MHWDF), themed “The Work Community and Mental Health.”

The founder of MHWDF, Adedotun Esan, in her presentation titled “Bridging the Gap: Understanding Workplace Toxicity and Mental Health Through Employer and Employee Lenses,” highlighted that workplaces are not merely physical spaces for economic output, but complex social ecosystems.

“Culture, communication, and leadership directly shape employee well-being and productivity. We must recognise that to build sustainable organisations, we need mentally healthy employees,” Esan explained.

Her foundation recently conducted two complementary surveys;  the Employer Survey and the Mental Health Survey, designed to assess leadership perceptions, workplace culture, and the lived experiences of employees. Findings revealed patterns of toxic communication, bullying, workload stress, and poor emotional support systems , all of which significantly affect productivity and morale.

Esan advised organisations to begin by understanding their internal dynamics through surveys or informal feedback mechanisms. “If we don’t know what people are facing, it’s difficult to support them,” she said.

She also recommended the creation of mental health first aid programmes, where selected staff are trained to provide immediate psychological support before referring colleagues to professional help.

“Some people are naturally approachable; train them as mental health first aiders. Let them be the first point of contact. Employers can then organise regular well-being sessions and ensure everyone knows the support systems available,” she suggested.

While acknowledging that mental health services can be expensive, Esan revealed that her foundation is developing digital platforms to make mental health support more accessible and affordable.

Esan also emphasised the importance of mental health education from a young age, noting that many issues begin as early as age nine.

“We’re working with schools to train pupils and students to understand emotions and mental well-being early. When children feel heard and seen, we can prevent a lot of adult mental health crises before they start,” she said.

Also speaking, the  Executive Director of Technical Advice Connect, Dr. Lilian Annomnachi,  described the theme of this year’s symposium as “apt and timely,” stressing that most workers spend over 60 per cent of their time at work.

“The workplace cannot be divorced from our lives. If people are happy and mentally balanced, they are more productive. Every employer should be intentional about creating a non-toxic work culture,” she said.

Dr. Annomnachi urged organisations to establish safe spaces for open dialogue and to develop policies that address mental health needs, not just physical ones.

“Health insurance is not enough. When a once-efficient staff member begins to underperform, leaders should be able to engage compassionately, not punitively,” she noted.

She also advised managers to organise team-bonding activities, relaxation programs, and regular mental check-ins to help employees decompress.

“Sometimes it’s the little things, empathy, listening, creating a sense of safety  that make the biggest difference,” she added.

In the same vein, the CEO of Vaccine Network for Disease Control, Mrs. Chika Offer said the biggest challenge in many workplaces is ignorance.

“People don’t realise that communication, leadership style, and office interactions all affect mental stability. The first step is awareness. Not knowing is not an option,” she said.

Offer noted that many organisations in Nigeria lack formal mental health policies, despite the existence of a national policy framework.

“If the country has a mental health policy, why shouldn’t organisations?” she asked. “Every office should adapt that policy, ensure all staff understand it, and translate it into action. That’s how we start reducing stigma.”

She drew parallels between the current silence around mental health and the early years of HIV/AIDS advocacy in Nigeria.

“There was a time HIV was heavily stigmatised, but through advocacy, education, and policy, we reduced the stigma. We can do the same for mental health,  by talking, advocating, and training.”