HIS dreams of being a musician were shelved after he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. He needed medication, but a side effect of poor concentration led to him failing most of the modules in his first semester of university and later dropping out.
For Gavin Seah, it was securing a job at 7-Eleven as a part-time merchandiser and cashier two years post-diagnosis that gave him the confidence to make plans to pursue a psychology degree.
Stories like his are why mental health charity Mindset – now in its 12th year – continues to make employment and training a huge part of its work of championing mental health and inclusivity in Singapore.
“Social stigma associated with mental illness remains despite more public awareness and conversations on the subject, and job placements are avenues that can help to bridge this gap,” said Jeffery Tan, Mindset’s chief executive officer.
“We believe that gainful employment can help these individuals with income generation, provide them with a sense of dignity, and reduce the social stigma,” he added.
Public understanding of mental health has improved since 2011, when Mindset was set up by the Jardine Matheson Group in Singapore (Jardines).
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But it remains daunting for persons in recovery to attempt workforce re-entry, and employers continue to retain reservations.
Back to work
“We’ve challenged our internal group companies to open up opportunities and vacancies for persons in recovery,” said Tan, who is also group general counsel, chief sustainability officer, director of legal and corporate affairs and company secretary at Jardine Cycle & Carriage.
These have ranged from retail roles under DFI Retail Group’s 7-Eleven and administrative ones at Cycle & Carriage to quality safety roles at Schindler Lifts – companies within the Jardines stable.
Mindset has also persuaded external companies in Jardines’ supply chain – vendors and partners such as Capella Hotel Group and California Laundry – to do the same.
To date, this Back to the Workforce initiative has placed more than 280 people in jobs in and out of Jardines, including 25 in 2022.
For its work in reintegrating persons in recovery into the workforce and community, and for raising awareness of mental health issues, Mindset clinched an Impact Enterprise Excellence Award under the small and medium-sized enterprises category of the inaugural Sustainability Impact Awards 2023.
The charity’s belief in the power of work for persons in recovery is also evident in the Mindset Learning Hub (MLH), a vocational rehabilitation centre that was set up with the Singapore Association for Mental Health in 2016.
The centre has since trained more than 630 persons and secured close to 440 job placements in industries such as cleaning, food and beverage, and retail.
Mindset committed S$2 million to MLH’s first five years, and then pledged a fresh S$30,000 a year to the project till 2023.
With simulation rooms for nursing homes, hotel housekeeping and food and beverage settings, the centre conducts both industry-specific training courses as well as courses to equip beneficiaries with job readiness competencies such as CV preparation and communication skills.
On the employers’ side, those keen to hire persons in recovery are also offered support to scope out roles, prepare contingency arrangements and put in place HR structures such as a consistent supervisor.
Tan said that when MLH’s work first began, reviewing the “return on investment” proved daunting.
“At one point, it was about S$20,000 for each individual that we were putting back into the workplace. And it was debated, ‘Isn’t that costly?’ Some of us had to pull ourselves back and say, ‘What is it in terms of value to the individual, to have a job? And to that individual’s family, to have a loved one reintegrated back into the community?’ You cannot put a financial figure on it.”
That figure has fallen as the number of beneficiaries grew, but Tan said it was a learning point.
“When looking at social impact, sometimes a financial measurement yardstick is insufficient. One needs to take a step back, look at the bigger picture and think about this in a more holistic way.”
Employers gain too
This applies to the employers hiring people recovering from mental illnesses too.
Manpower is a perennial challenge for certain sectors, and those recovering from mental health conditions do represent an under-utilised source of talent.
Inclusive hiring of this nature moulds a workplace’s culture too. “Having a small community of colleagues express greater compassion and understanding… that already creates an environment that values mental health, where colleagues are more aware of one another’s needs and challenges,” said Tan.
As Jardines continues its efforts to destigmatise mental health issues via Mindset, it has begun to see its own employees’ perceptions shift. Seventy-two per cent of employees said Jardines provides adequate resources for mental health concerns in 2021, double the 36 per cent in 2020.
The group continues to hold a mirror up to itself. “Notwithstanding our involvement in mental health through Mindset, what about our own companies?” said Tan.
Last year, Mindset and Jardines became founding members of the Mental Health at Work Index – a standardised assessment of organisational practices for workforce mental health. Led by international non-profit One Mind at Work, the index is backed by research and technical expertise at Columbia University and Ethisphere.
“Everything from supportive HR programmes, to training people to care for their own mental health – unless you measure it, you may not even be aware that these matter. If the workplace is not attuned and alive to these challenges, it is very difficult to share about mental health and its importance,” said Tan.
Over the years, close to 250 Jardines employee volunteers have clocked over 51,000 volunteer hours with Mindset. “We have the lever of writing cheques, and over the years, we’ve committed S$10 million to mental health causes. But employee volunteer hours – this is another lever and one statistic that continues to encourage us,” he added.
The employee volunteers help run activities including the flagship fundraising event, the Mindset Challenge & Carnival, which has raised over S$3.2 million since 2012. Funds raised are donated to partner social service agencies serving Singapore’s mental health community.
The most recent edition of the carnival last year drew a crowd of 3,000, including 200 persons in recovery and their caregivers, and raised over S$325,000 for DigitalMindset.
Reaching youth
Launched in 2019, DigitalMindset is a collaboration with Touch Community Services aimed at a different demographic: youths that struggle with emotional regulation due to excessive cybergaming or use of technological devices.
Mindset pledged S$1.6 million over five years to DigitalMindset, under which more than 270 youths have undergone a nine-month intervention programme. “It’s not cold turkey. The idea is to have guardrails,” said Tan.
Weaved into the programme are real-world experiences. Participants are brought on tours of backroom operations, such as Giant’s supermarket warehouses and the Mandarin Oriental hotel’s kitchen and laundry.
“The kids are wide-eyed. There is an ‘aha’ moment for many – that this is life, that it is interesting and holds much to explore beyond a digital interface,” said Tan.
Telling their stories
As the charity reviews its strategy for its second decade, Tan is encouraged by the fact that what was once taboo is now less so. A 2021 survey by the National Council of Social Service of 2,000 Singapore residents found that the public’s attitudes towards persons with mental health conditions have improved since 2017.
Awareness has gone up – 70 per cent of respondents now agree that one can fully recover from mental health conditions. But misconceptions linger – 25 per cent still believe that a main cause of mental illness is a lack of self-discipline and willpower.
“What started off as something of a lone voice, is now a chorus of many others that have come alongside,” said Tan, naming groups such as the Calm Collective and Talk Your Heart Out.
“It’s important to tell the good stories – stories of people who have managed to rehabilitate and re-enter the workplace. People will be stuck in their stereotypical ideas and we just have to be able to show them an alternative,” he added.
Mindset is now supporting fresh ways of telling these stories. Two years ago, it started sponsoring the Mental Health Film Festival Singapore, which curates films addressing various aspects of mental health, hosts panel conversations and workshops, and runs a Short Film Youth Competition.
“Oftentimes, leaders can focus on the negative side of mental health, but there is so much positive that can come out of awareness of it,” said Tan.
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