- The covid pandemic has changed the discourse and attitude about mental health in India Inc.
- CXOs and staff are aiming to destigmatize the act of seeking help from mental health professionals by sharing personal experiences
In the initial few months following the lockdown, Suhail Vadgaonkar (33), HR director of Urban Company, sought therapy. Like most people, Vadgaonkar found himself feeling very anxious about the uncertainty the covid pandemic brought in its wake. Instead of letting it fester, he paid heed to his friend’s suggestion to speak to a psychotherapist.
“I am fairly a social person. I thrive around people. Within a month of lockdown, I started getting very anxious as I couldn’t meet colleagues or friends. I wasn’t depressed but I kept fearing the worst, and found it hard to focus. It began affecting my productivity as I would stay up late and feel tired through the day,” says Vadgaonkar.
Having felt better with therapy, he thought of sharing it with others in his workplace. What made him put it in action were two things : the suicide of actor Sushant Singh Rajput and the internal pulse surveys indicating varying degrees of burnout among the workforce. While rolling out an office mental health policy, where company sponsors one-on-one counselling and therapy to any employee, Vadgaonkar openly shared his personal experience with everyone.
Source: livemint
