MindForward Alliance Launches Singapore Chapter to Promote a Thriving Workforce

SINGAPORE –
Media OutReach – 2 November 2022 – MindForward Alliance, the leading global not-for-profit organisation dedicated to transforming workplace culture into one that supports the mental health of employees, establishes its Singapore chapter with nine founding members including Allen & Overy, Asia Pacific Breweries Singapore, Fraser and Neave, Goldman Sachs, HSBC Singapore, Jardine Matheson, Linklaters, Oliver Wyman, and Standard Chartered. Ms Sun Xueling, Minister of State in the Ministry for Social and Family Development & Home Affairs graced the launch event and unveiled the Parent’s Guide to Mental Health in Children and Adolescents.

The topic of mental health is coming to the forefront and more companies are increasingly seeing the need to take a holistic approach to promoting good mental health and well-being at workplaces. MindForward Alliance Singapore aims to be the catalyst for businesses to create mentally healthy workplaces in Singapore through the sharing of knowledge and real-world evidence, providing insights from experts, and offering practical support at both the operational and leadership level.

“MindForward Alliance Singapore is an exchange of reliable mental health practices, bringing the best from global companies and promoting the best of Singapore companies’ practices to the rest of the world. We help businesses benchmark areas of mental health management and awareness, while providing them with a more objective and structured look at developing opportunities or validating their strengths. More importantly, we empower business leaders to take bold actions to care for their team and transform the mental health agenda beyond their own workplace culture,” said Kenneth Choo, Co-Chair of MindForward Alliance Singapore and Managing Director of HEINEKEN Asia Pacific.

Free Resource for Working Parents to Manage Mental Health Difficulties in Children

To mark the start of its commitment to creating a mentally healthy and thriving workplace, MindForward Alliance Singapore, in partnership with Asia Pacific Breweries Singapore, developed a first-of-its-kind mental well-being guide written for parents who are concerned about the mental health difficulties that their children are facing. The guide also enables employers to better understand the challenges that working parents are experiencing and be proactive in adopting wellness solutions that better support their people’s mental health needs and in turn, attract and retain the very best talents.

In 2021, figures from the Samaritans of Singapore showed that the number of suicides among children and youths aged 10 to 29 years old hit a record high since the start of the millennium. On top of that, a study by the National University of Singapore, together with the Ministry of Education and the Singapore Institute of Mental Health, found that around 1 in 3 children in Singapore have reported feelings of sadness, anxiety, and loneliness.

“It can be worrying and stressful for any parent or caregiver to see their child experiencing difficulties with their mental health, which in turn reduces the productivity and performance of the working parent. Businesses have a responsibility to transform their workplace culture into one that makes working parents feel supported. With this mental health guide, we hope to inspire business leaders to transform mental health discussions into mental health actions to improve the well-being of their employees and build a compassionate and thriving workplace,” said Laure de Panafieu, Co-Chair of MindForward Alliance Singapore and Partner at Linklaters.

Drawing on the knowledge of social service agencies and mental health professionals in Singapore, the guide is designed to empower working parents with the knowledge and resources to identify and address mental health difficulties in their children. Besides, the guide features experiences from leading organisations to inspire business leaders and human resource practitioners with strategic actions to build a workplace culture that enables employees to pursue their career goals while managing their caregiving responsibilities.

“Through the partnership with MindForward Alliance Singapore, we strive to raise awareness of the mental health challenges that working parents are experiencing and reduce the stigma of the topic at workplaces. As a responsible brewer, we want to create a positive social impact in the local community and promote an inclusive society where people feel safe to speak up and embrace the sense of true togetherness,” said Andy Hewson, Managing Director of Asia Pacific Breweries Singapore.

The guide aims to introduce a holistic approach to promoting good mental health and well-being at home and at workplace. The guide covers the following topics:

• Understanding good mental health and mental health difficulties in children and youths
• Knowing why and when difficulties can arise and what to look out for
• Learning how to help if the children are struggling
• Identifying when and how to get specialist help
• Recognising that self-care is important
• Building an inclusive workplace to support working parents

Download the toolkit
here and visit
MindForward Alliance Singapore and
Asia Pacific Breweries Singapore for more information.

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