Topics covered: Mental health
Why should we be an inspiring model for society, fostering transformation in the treatment of mental health and in our vision of it?
By Lourdes Diez Mora, Head of Social Area, and Jose Alberto Gallego Vozmediano, Head of Health, Safety and Wellbeing at ILUNION Hotels
January 21, 2025
At ILUNION Hotels, we recognize mental health as a fundamental and integral pillar of health and wellbeing — both for the people who are part of our unique company and for a society that needs it as a fundamental human right. Mental health allows us to relate to others and thrive, facing the challenges presented by a constantly changing world, going far beyond the mere absence of illness.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mental health is defined as a “state of mental wellbeing that enables individuals to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn and work effectively, and contribute to their community’s improvement.” We acknowledge that there is no single definition of wellbeing, but we undoubtedly include in this definition the certainty that wellbeing involves feeling that our lives are satisfying, fulfilling, valuable, and that we are contributing to our community.
The existence of mental disorders therefore compromises people’s health, and these disorders affect one in every eight people worldwide. Moreover, since the pandemic, mental health issues have become even more apparent, highlighting the need to make them visible and address them as naturally as possible. In Spain, nearly 40.0% of the population rates their mental health negatively, due to various causes, with daily pressures and demands leading these causes. This is further influenced by the perception of living in an increasingly individualistic and competitive society, causing high levels of anxiety and stress.
Thus, mental health presents itself as a complex and multidimensional problem, encompassing not only individual aspects but also social, economic, and labor factors. According to recent studies, there is a direct correlation between mental health and wellbeing, implying the responsibility to approach mental health comprehensively in our corporate policies and practices. As Sigmund Freud said, “If a person is capable of loving, being loved, and working, then they are healthy,”, which highlights not only the importance of these aspects for the individual but also for the work environment we aim to promote — a functional space for interaction where we can develop our real life work project.
We are aware of the existing mental health needs, but we also know that the current responses are neither sufficient nor adequate. Therefore, we must be an inspiring model for society, committing to providing solutions that guarantee adequate levels of health that allow us to progress and face the challenges we encounter, without any discrimination.
Hence, when we talk about mental health, we advocate for a transdiagnostic perspective, which considers not only diagnosable clinical disorders but also many other personal aspects such as the capacity to manage everyday stress, emotions, or frustrations in both work and personal life.
How do people’s living conditions and their social, economic, labor, and family situations affect their mental health and wellbeing?
This question can be answered from different perspectives, but from a corporate standpoint, we can appeal to our shared responsibility regarding mental health to help improve people’s wellbeing. This way, everyone living with a diagnosis and those facing difficulties in their life journey can have healthy functioning in their work performance.
It is essential to eliminate the stigma associated with mental disorders and focus on the person as a whole beyond any possible diagnosis, contributing positively to enabling people to lead full and satisfying lives.
Fostering a culture of care and self-care from Strategic Management is key to creating healthier work environments through policies such as work-life balance and digital disconnection. This includes developing wellness programs that promote a healthy atmosphere and support employees facing daily challenges through inclusive and equitable measures, encouraging self-management and autonomy within teams, and inspiring leadership that focuses on each person’s capabilities and talents.
For all these reasons, we must continue deepening our commitment to mental health by fostering environments that positively influence it, providing services that offer the necessary treatment for each individual at every stage of their life, and promoting policies that raise awareness and understanding of mental health. We also focus on prevention to reduce the onset of mental disorders, thereby minimizing their impact and the related need for care.
At ILUNION Hotels, this commitment to Mental Health is channeled through various internal policies, including Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, as well as our Wellbeing project and the DEIB initiative. Every team member plays an active role in facilitating and promoting mental health in every interaction, regardless of their position in the company. Each individual action contributes to collective wellbeing because it’s not what we do, but how we do it.
Likewise, we participate in the Strategy and Action Plan for the Management and Promotion of Mental Health for workers within the Grupo Social Once (GSO). Our goal is to design and implement a mental health management model that meets the needs and expectations of the people who are part of GSO, promoting a culture of prevention, support, and accompaniment in this area that helps improve the mental health and emotional wellbeing of our teams. We aim to become a benchmark in mental health management and an inspiring model for other organizations.
It is true that sometimes we may think the measures to be implemented are beyond our daily work. However, in the dimension where we find ourselves, every action counts: from the individual to the family, from the neighborhood to the community, from education, from the company, and from public administrations.
We are optimistic and aware that our comprehensive approach goes beyond improving people’s work experience—we seek to build a better world, while also strengthening our contribution to a healthier, more compassionate, and resilient community, promoting an impact on public health, human rights, and socioeconomic development..
We invite all members of our organization, our stakeholders, and society in general to join us in this ongoing commitment to promoting mental and emotional wellbeing, as the results we achieve will exceed all our expectations.
