Mental Health in the Workplace: A Summary of the CHL’s Work on Mental Health and Wellbeing

In September 2022, the WHO and ILO called for new measures to tackle mental health issues at work.  According to the WHO Guidelines on mental health at work, an estimated 12 billion workdays are lost annually due to depression and anxiety costing the global economy nearly US$ 1 trillion. In other words, an employee’s productivity largely depends on their mental wellbeing.  

Since its inception two years ago, the CHL coalition has put together a series of materials with expert stakeholders to better understand the links between mental health, nutrition and wellbeing in the workplace. 

1. An infographic showcasing relevant and global facts and figures of the effects of mental health at work and its synergies with nutrition.

2. The Workforce Nutrition Alliance which comprises the CGF and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) has produced an evidence brief focusing on the link between mental health and nutrition. The evidence is presented using the Workforce Nutrition framework’s four pillars of workforce nutrition programmes, which are Healthy Food at Work, Nutrition Education, Nutrition Focused Health Checks, and Workplace Breastfeeding Support. Click here to discover Five nutritional evidence-based steps about mental health. 

3. In an effort to raise awareness amongst our member companies on the importance of addressing mental health in the workplace, the CHL has published a podcast episode on employee wellbeing particularly how nutrition links to employee mental health with Christina Nyhus Dhillon, Senior Manager at the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) and Erin Boyd Kappelhof, Co-CEO of Eat Well Global, Inc. 

Part of the leadership agenda of the CHL’s Employee Health and Wellbeing working group building more awareness on wellbeing and mental health and driving the industry forward in a collective effort to help employees around the world pursue healthier lifestyle choices and diets.