“A state of well-being in which each individual develops his or her potential, can cope with the stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and can contribute something to his or her community.”

This is how the WHO defines mental health, which today celebrates its World Day, declared as such more than 30 years ago.

It was not until experiencing the Covid pandemic that the concept of mental health became popular and significant for society and organizations. It was during the periods of physical isolation and the beginning of teleworking that the entire world began to talk openly about mental health. Along with this, athletes, actors and singers have revealed their experiences and openly declared their sufferings. All of this has contributed to people and organizations addressing mental health with the importance it deserves.

“The pandemic opened a different perspective on life, work, free time and all aspects. And this brought with it certain amounts of stress in many people. At Connectis, we became aware of this and decided to approach the issue responsibly and with a genuine commitment to the well-being of our collaborators,” says Noemi Sakitani, Director of Human Resources for Latam. Mental Health is one of the axes of the concept of well-being contemplated in the company’s ESG Policy.

With this in mind, Connectis implemented a Mental Health Program in its offices in Brazil (soon it will be extended to the rest of Latam) which has the main objective of making tools available to employees to take care of their emotional well-being. To do this, the company has established a partnership with a platform specialized in professional therapy.

The program is structured around two axes. On the one hand, two semiannual meetings are held around topics that may affect people’s stress levels or mood. In these, self-knowledge is promoted and techniques are transferred to address various situations. On the other hand, collaborators have at their disposal a professional team of psychologists whom they can consult, also from the platform. “We try to convey the idea that everyone can seek help at any time if they think they need it.”

Currently, around 40 consultations are carried out per month in Brazil with complete anonymity and privacy. In 2024 the mental health strategy will be extended to the teams in Chile and Argentina. The Program has been very well evaluated by collaborators.

“One of the most important achievements of this strategy is that together we have managed to give mental health the importance it deserves. Only in this way can we all take care of ourselves and those around us,” concludes Noemi Sakitani.