In the era where diversity, equity, and inclusion are used as buzzwords, most corporates do not actually practice them. This presentation briefly talks about the model of minority stress, what it means for businesses. It also covers the ways how businesses can alleviate it.

1. Minority Mental Health
and Workplace
Swakshadip Sarkar

2. Mental Health Statistics in India
● 10-20 persons out of 1000 face severe mental health issues in India.
● 3-5 times more people have some sort of emotional disorder.
● The 1 year prevalence rate of depression ranges from 5.8 to 9.5.
● The 1 year prevalence rate of anxiety disorders is around 16.5.
● In India, prevalence of moderate level of stress was reported at 9.5% and most
stressors are work related.
● The economic loss due to mental health conditions, between 2012-2030, is
estimated at USD 1.03 trillion.
● Only 41% of the youth in India seek help for battling mental health issues.
Mental Health Foundation, UK, 2010; World Health Organisation, 2010; Ganguli, 2000; Mishra et al., 2011; World Health Organisation, 2019; UNICEF, 2021

3. Minority Stress
Environmental
circumstances
Minority status (e.g., sexual
orientation, race/ethnicity,
gender ID)
Characteristics of
minority identity
-prominence
-valence
-integration
1. Minority stress processes
(distal)
-Prejudice events
(discrimination, violence)
Sexual minority
identity
General Stressors
Outcomes
(positive &
negative)
Coping and
Social Support
2. Minority stress processes
(proximal)
-expectations of rejection
-concealment
-Internalized homophobia
Meyer, 2003

4. Why Alleviating Minority Stress Is
Important For Businesses
● Better Business Results
● Reduced Health Issues
● Reduce Absenteeism
● Increased Creativity
● Low Turnover
● Higher Innovation
Zojceska, 2018; Seidl, 2019; World Health Organisation, 2021; Waters, 2021

5. How To Successfully Alleviate Minority
Stress
● Offer appropriate mental health services
● Include counselling services under health
insurance
● Conduct diversity training
● Offer skilling initiatives
● Strengthen anti-discriminatory policies
● Be empathetic towards minority employees

6. Thank You