10 takeaways from This Can Happen 2020
Kunal Mahajan
Vice President
SMBC
Kunal Mahajan has been in the investment banking field for 13 years within the Leveraged Finance industry. He joined SMBC in the Americas in 2017 in their Leveraged Finance Group and is also part of their ESG team. As a lifelong person with a stuttering disability, Kunal’s stutter impacted his mental health substantially until he obtained acceptance of his stutter in July 2017. Kunal founded SMBC’s Mental Health, Neurodiversity, and Disabilities Enterprise Resource Group called UNIQUE in June 2019. He Co-Chairs this employee resource group and helps to lead many activities through UNIQUE along with the support of SMBC management and SMBC employees from all over the Americas and Latin America.
I was incredibly touched by the multiple facets of mental health that impact our society globally.
10 takeaways from This Can Happen 2020
After attending the three-day virtual, This Can Happen Global Conference with over 250 companies, I was incredibly touched by the multiple facets of mental health that impact our society globally. As a person with a life-long stuttering disability, I know how much mental health affects the disability community. However, at the conference, I was able to experience how mental health impacts everyone in the workforce.
Here are 10 key takeaways I want to share from my experience at the conference:
1. You are not alone. Everyone faces mental health struggles at some point in their life.
2. Often, the mental health topics we are afraid to open up about are the very ones our colleagues are dealing with as well.
3. Employees are our greatest assets. We must show them that we care about their mental health and well-being for them to reach their full potential.
4. Managers can have a positive effect on their employees’ experiences with mental health.
5. More progress is needed globally to combat mental health stigma in the workplace.
6. Alcoholism, drug abuse, and suicide are increasing during the pandemic due to the isolation people are facing, and this has created an urgency for companies to bring more awareness to the resources that are available to employees struggling with mental health challenges.
7. Creating a safe and inclusive workplace starts with making employees feel safe enough to share their challenges if they choose to do so.
8. Cultural barriers and societal expectations create additional mental health challenges for many people of various cultural backgrounds. These shared experiences can help people be more empathetic to one another.
9. Every company is at a different stage of their mental health journey. We should continue to educate people on mental health issues so progress can be made.
10. The best way to approach mental health is by being open and not judging people by their experiences.
Our proud partners
Allen & Overy
Allen & Overy is a global law firm that helps the world’s leading businesses to grow, innovate and thrive. For almost a century, they have built a reputation for their commitment to think ahead and bring original solutions to their clients’ most complex legal and commercial challenges. Allen & Overy has expertise in banking & finance, M&A, litigation, funds, IP, and related business solutions.
Beyond
Beyond is a mental health charity which was formed in 2018 by award winning campaigner Jonny Benjamin MBE. It was created to address the growing need for mental health support for young people. 75% of mental health issues begin in adolescence and yet, according to the NHS, three-quarters of young people who experience mental illness are not receiving treatment. Beyond has so far given out various grants to organisations across the UK who support vulnerable youngsters. The charity is currently developing a nationwide mental health festival for schools called Now and Beyond which will take place in February 2021.
GlaxoSmithKline
GSK is a fully focused biopharma company. They prioritise innovation in vaccines andspecialty medicines, maximising the increasing opportunities to prevent and treat disease. At the heart of this is their R&D focus on the science of the immune system, human genetics and advanced technologies, and their world-leading capabilities in vaccines and medicines development. GSK is focusing on four therapeutic areas: infectious diseases, HIV, oncology, and immunology.
Haleon
Haleon Plc is a British multinational consumer healthcare company and the largest consumer healthcare business in the world. They are 100% focussed on everyday health with theirleading brands being built on science, innovation and human understanding. Haleion exists to deliver better everyday health with humanity.
Mental Health UK
Bringing together the heritage and 50 years’ experience of four charities across the country, Mental Health UK provides support and services for the biggest societal challenges posing a threat to our mental health - we won’t stop until everyone has the tools they need to live their best possible life.
Weber Shandwick
Weber Shandwick is a global marketing communications company. They work at the intersection of technology, society, policy and media, adding value to culture — to shape and re-shape it. They do it all – from creative concepting to content development and production, creative technology and user experience design. Their team develop and execute ideas that earn attention and drive business impact.
