O-282 IMPACT OF WORKPLACE COUNSELLING SERVICES IN GARMENT MANUFACTURING UNITS OF SOUTH INDIA: AN EVALUATION

India is one of the leading producers of apparel with a large number of employees in garment manufacturing units. Though their physical health is taken care of according to the mandate of the Indian Factories Act, their mental health is often overlooked. Studies have shown that prevalence of mental health issues is high in this population.

To assess the impact of workplace counseling services among the employees of garment manufacturing units in South India.

The workplace counseling services program included selection of motivated individuals from each factory and training them on basic counseling skills. After training, the team is supported in conducting awareness programs and workplace counseling sessions. After one year, an evaluation was done to assess the impact of the program.

Over 5 years, 25 factories with 15,000 employees were covered and 170 people were trained who in turn helped 1472 people with 403 counseling and 1069 support services (stress management or problem-solving techniques, financial planning, etc.). The cases were 75% marital issues, 15% workplace issues, and 3% financial issues. On assessing the reach by interviewing a random sample of 1% of employees, 83.8% knew about the program, 84.2% knew who the mental health team members were; 50% had attended awareness sessions conducted by the team; and 71% had seen the posters displayed.

A team of employees trained in basic mental health and counseling services went a long way in addressing mental health issues, overcoming the stigma around mental health, and helping out employees create a positive work environment.