Mentally Healthy Workplaces Asia Podcast

In this episode we explore the difference between psychological safety versus psychological health and safety, terminology that is often used interchangeably. Alicia gives some tips on how to create psychologically safe workplaces and unpacks psychological health and safety, a relatively new approach to addressing workplace mental health.

In this episode we chat to Christopher Kong, chef and owner of DearBorn in Singapore, a premium granola company. Having cooked and worked in kitchens and restaurants around the world, including Guy Savoy, Waku Ghin and The Nomad in NYC to an open-air seafood restaurant in Malaysia, Chris takes this experience and influences how he is building DearBorn. The hospitality industry is renowned for high stress, long hours and demanding customers and Chris shares his thoughts balancing work requirements and creating a mentally healthy workplace, an area that he is continuously trying to improve.

In this episode we chat to Gasper Tan, Chief Executive of Samaritans of Singapore. The last 2 years has seen an increase in the usage of SOS, a 24-hour hotline and safe space for those who are considering suicide or needing resources to help someone in crisis. We chat about the workplace, early intervention and how knowledge building is key. But starting with ourselves is key, especially for those who are in the work of helping others, we chat through how Gasper has led the team during a difficult 2 years, how they take care of themselves, their team and volunteers.

In this episode we chat to Cassandra Loh, a wellbeing advocate with significant industry. Cassandra shares her insight into her experience, initially in healthcare and then moving to a global health services provider covering mental health as part of her health and wellbeing role. We chat about the need to view physical health and mental health in an integrated approach and the real pressing need to change from reactive to preventative solutions.

In this episode we chat to Joelle Mitchell, Global Head of Psychological Health and Safety at People Diagnostix. We do a 101 on ISO 45003, which was just released in June 2021 on psychological health and safety. As a ‘child standard’ of the Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems Act (ISO 45001), we explore how ISO 45003 interacts with ISO 45001, why organisations are paying attention to this (e.g. ESG factors) and what the standard entails, including unpacking psychosocial risks.

In this episode we chat to Michael Cheah, Executive Director at HealthServe, a Singaporen non-profit focused on bringing hope and healing to migrant workers through the provision of holistic health and social care. When the pandemic hit, the migrant workers were one of the most affected groups, with sky high infection rates and non-profits like HealthServe were working overtime to help this community. Michael shares about the state of mental health of the workers and of his team, including volunteers, during these very difficult times.

In this episode we chat to Brad Reed, Executive Wellness Coach at Repurpose You. We have a chat about the Vietnamese working culture, general awareness of mental health and workplace mental health in Vietnam. Brad shares his observations with the clients he has worked with and where he thinks the most impact would be to help create better workplaces – by working with upcoming middle managers. A fascinating chat, including an insight to how some leaders view happiness as potentially leading to laziness or underperformance.

In this episode we chat to Krystal Tang, Wellness Lead at Mercer Singapore. Having worked as a psychologist in an EAP capacity supporting employees to now advising organisations as a consultant, Krystal shares her experience and what the issues clients are now facing in light of the changing work environments. We chat through moving beyond just programs and the need for culture change, starting with the leadership team in order to bring about true and long lasting change. We chat through the key findings of the ‘Navigating Employee’s Mental Health” report published by Mercer, Cigna and Workwell and what needs to change to improve from the current state of workplaces and employee mental health.

In this episode we chat to Joseph See, CEO of Agape Connecting People. We explore inclusive employment, the workplace ‘conditions’ that are needed to make this happen and the link to psychological safety. Joseph shares his vision of community transformation through the work of Agape Connecting People, impacting one life at a time, providing equal opportunity to vulnerable groups of society including ex-offenders and people with disabilities. All this requires mindset shifts, at all levels of the organisation, including Joseph’s role as CEO in overseeing the business to meet both social and financial KPIs.