Transforming workplace mental health globally

Today the City Mental Health Alliance (CMHA) is launching MindForward Alliance . MindForward Alliance is the latest chapter from the City Mental Health Alliance (CMHA) designed to support business leaders and HR teams develop their global approach to workplace mental health and wellbeing. MindForward Alliance has been created by the CMHA community of business, HR and D&I leaders in the UK , Hong Kong , Australia , Singapore and India .

Tackling the global mental health crisis

According to the World Health Organisation , in 2019, nearly a billion people were living with a mental disorder. Suicide accounted for more than 1 in 100 deaths. Mental disorders are the leading cause of disability. People with severe mental health conditions die on average 10 to 20 years earlier than the general population, mostly due to preventable physical diseases. At the same time, just a small percentage of people in need had access to effective, affordable and quality mental health care.

People spend, on average, one third of their lifetime at work. Research suggests that 12 billion working days are lost each year to depression and anxiety alone. MindForward Alliance believes employers can be part of the solution. By supporting the wellbeing and mental health of their employees, businesses can play a critical role in addressing the global mental health crisis. The business impact is also substantial; without mentally healthy workplaces, organisations risk reduced productivity, increased costs, and loss of competitive advantage. But to drive a workplace mental health breakthrough at societal scale, it's going to take all of us working together.

A new global programme

MindForward Alliance’s ambition is to set the standards for workplace mental health globally. This new chapter is bringing together a global community of senior business leaders, wellbeing and HR practitioners and mental health experts to collaborate to improve wellbeing and mental health in the workplace. Members will have access to a programme of work including:

A workplace mental health assessment – measuring an organisation’s global mental strategy
Collaborative networks and events for senior business leaders and HR leads
A library of guides, toolkits and business case studies
An annual global workplace wellbeing and mental health summit
An annual global leadership forum

MindForward Alliance leadership

Poppy Jaman OBE, previously CEO of CMHA UK , will transition to be Global CEO of MindForward Alliance . Poppy helped co-found CMHA UK in 2012 and has been CEO since 2018. Under Poppy’s leadership, CMHA has established international chapters of the CMHA in Hong Kong , Australia , Singapore and India .

Poppy Jaman, CEO of MindForward Alliance:

“Since launching CMHA in 2012, our members have been bravely changing the world of work to build a healthier culture. Now, more global organisations from more countries have been asking “how do we roll out a global mental health strategy which supports our employees in different markets in a culturally appropriate way?”. As always, we are business led and we innovate, and the launch of MindForward Alliance is our response.

“The new name for the global chapter reflects our ambition to scale our impact across industries and geographies. While “Mind” grounds us in our mental health focus, “Forward” represents our future vision and our bold, progressive approach to everything we do. “Alliance” reflects that we are a collaborative community working towards the same goal.

“We are inviting visionary businesses, who are committed to workplace mental health, to join us on our ambition to set the standards for workplace wellbeing globally. By collaborating and sharing knowledge of what does and doesn’t work, businesses will be able to accelerate their journey to building mentally healthy workplaces in every country.”