Mental Health & D&I: Both Problems Have Similar Solutions

The pandemic has created heightened awareness about mental health issues, while Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) issues have been steadily becoming more visible. While the problems are distinct, there is a lot in common among the solutions:

- Manoj

Dr Bijna Kotak Dasani MBE, FRSA is Executive Director at Morgan Stanley. With over 20 years of experience, Bijna has led strategy, transformation and innovation within the financial services sector across the UK, EMEA, the Americas and Asia. Additionally, she serves the Boards of The Inclusive Companies Network, FinTech Connect, CIONET, Generation Success, Cajigo and Restorative Justice for All. She shares her insights on the confluence of mental health and diversity and inclusion:

Manoj Agrawal: Mental health is becoming a matter of rising concern. Is the root cause WFH or lockdown or something else?

Dr Bijna Kotak Dasani: Mental health issues have increasingly become prevalent in the workplace in recent years and within the spectrum of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) the global financial services sector has started to test-and-learn through frameworks to support both customers and colleagues alike.

Globally, the pandemic has heightened our awareness and sensitivities towards vulnerable customers externally, and within organizations, the vertical strands of depression, anxiety, suicide, hidden abuse, domestic violence, socio-economic, cultural, racial and genderbased challenges and more.

Firms understand the importance of providing education and awareness of these topics as well as psychological safe havens / spaces whereby colleagues can authentically discuss and work through the above, without repercussive pressures of judgment, stigma and taboo.

In recent years we have observed Lloyds Chief Executive António Horta-Osório openly share he suffered sleep deprivation and exhaustion, and former Barclays Head of Compliance Hector Sants, who was signed off on medical leave in 2013 due to severe stress as reported by World of Finance (2019).