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At Janus Henderson we have been addressing this issue from an investor perspective and as an employer. Through our work as investors, our investment teams hold thousands of meetings annually with companies and often discuss environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues.
We have increasingly discussed the topic of mental health with companies and we have been very encouraged by responses that this is an issue corporate management teams recognise is of great importance and are seeking to address. COVID-19 has naturally brought mental health into the spotlight, with many more companies talking to us about how they have been supporting employees during this difficult time.
As investors our approach to engagement is collaborative and we will often share best practice insights and mental health resources with our investee companies. Generally, those companies that had strong mental health and wellbeing resources in place prior to the outbreak of COVID-19 have been well equipped to provide employees with any additional support needed. For example, companies that have a proportion of health benefits assigned to mental health resources, employee assistance programmes, internal mental health representatives and training have all been able to support their employees well during this difficult period. Another important aspect to our engagement with companies regarding mental health is the importance of thinking about it from a client and customer perspective. When applicable, we will often engage with companies to discuss and emphasise the importance of how they consider and put in place policies to help protect the mental health of their customers.
Mental health is also an increasingly important investment theme. There are now many companies that develop products, solutions and services that are directly aimed at aiding people’s mental health. For example, this is a significant growth area for healthcare providers and extends to related industries.
Janus Henderson has long been an advocate for mental health support and offers a wide range of resources for its employees. We strive to promote the health and overall wellbeing of our employees and their families by focusing on five interconnected elements within a wellbeing framework: Career, Financial, Mental, Physical and Social. Our mission is to improve the wellbeing of our employees by raising awareness and providing various resources and programmes that enable employees to consider adopting a healthier lifestyle. One of the initiatives is complimentary subscriptions to Headspace, a mobile app, designed to facilitate mindfulness and meditation in bite-sized exercises, supported by an employee assistance programme.
Since 2018 Janus Henderson has been a proud corporate sponsor of This is Me, a pioneering campaign developed to help reduce stigma, dispel myths and provide a platform for employees to share with colleagues their stories and experience of dealing with mental health. Every year we observe World Mental Health Day (10 October) and arrange events around this date to provide awareness and support for the mental health and wellbeing of our employees.
Additionally, Janus Henderson has provided mental health training to managers and employees. We have more than 50 trained Mental Health Champions globally available for our employees to reach out to, who can support and signpost colleagues to the appropriate resources.
During the pandemic we launched the Wellbeing Hub with resources from our supplier partners to support employee wellbeing during this challenging time. For example, every Wednesday in July was dedicated to employee wellbeing where colleagues globally were invited to attend virtual webinars and explore a host of resources being offered in support of social, physical and mental health. This also created greater social connection with more than 1,000 employees taking part. The hub remains a valuable resource and will benefit employees at Janus Henderson, along with future initiatives.
Post pandemic we are likely to see an increased strain on global mental health services, which were experiencing capacity constraints prior to the pandemic, with many individuals facing longer-term mental health problems. While the pandemic has negatively affected many people’s mental health and created new barriers for people already suffering from this illness, it has also affected people who had not previously experienced poor mental health.
In the UK, for example, the Office for National Statistics stated recently that the number of adults reporting depressive symptoms in the UK has almost doubled compared to this time last year.7 Therefore, it is important for us from an investor point of view to encourage companies held within our portfolios, or those that are being analysed for consideration, to have the right resources in place to support their workers. And from an employer perspective, we will continue to provide resources to our employees to help anyone who may be facing difficulties during this period and in the future.
1Mental health: strengthening our response, March 2018
2COVID-19 disrupting mental health services in most countries, WHO survey,
3Mental Health In the Workplace, May 2019
4Policy Brief: COVID-19 and the Need for Action on Mental Health, 13 May 2020
5Lancet Commission: Inaction on Mental Health Crisis Will Cost World $16 Trillion by 2030,
6COVID-19 disrupting mental health services in most countries, WHO survey,
7Coronavirus and depression in adults, Great Britain: June 2020