(Bloomberg) -- A Hong Kong family-run conglomerate is boosting its mental health support for employees, including creating “first responders” in the workplace, setting itself apart from peers in a city that has some of the most stressed out workers in the world, but where discussion around worker wellbeing is still nascent.

New World Development Co., the flagship property arm of the Cheng family’s business empire, is introducing mental health support as a pilot program that initially includes courses focusing on topics such as how to identify colleagues in need and handling mental health for managers and senior executives, head of sustainability Michael Long said. It will then form a longer-term strategy based on survey data collected during the pilot phase.

“Personal and work lives have become so intertwined over the last few years with the pandemic,” said Long. “People leaders in most companies over the last three years have learned that people’s private lives and their personal mental health and wellbeing do have material impacts on how the person operates, engages and performs at work.”

New World is also planning to start designating mental health first responders on a voluntary basis early this year, said Long, who should ideally be from different departments and levels. Through a two-day intensive training period, they are required to acquire a more advanced understanding of mental health issues and are expected to point employees in need to a range of resources for support. 

While global companies have been offering mental health support such as free therapy sessions and wellbeing days off for years, it's a relatively new concept among Hong Kong's local companies, said Henry Chan, training manager for mental health charity Mind HK.

Employee sentiment in Hong Kong has plummeted amid a wave of negative indicators for the city. Insurance provider Cigna Group found in a recent survey that Hong Kong residents reported the lowest levels in physical, mental, social and occupational wellbeing among 12 markets including the US, UK, mainland China and Singapore. Top stressors in Hong Kong include future uncertainty and cost of living, and about 66% of residents said they wanted employers to offer more support to lead a healthier life. 

The signs of declining mental wellbeing in Hong Kong come after years of severe Covid restrictions and an ongoing government crackdown on dissent. That’s resulted in an exodus of residents that has seen rival Singapore gain in stature as a regional financial center. Even after Hong Kong reopened at the start of 2023, the recovery of pillar industries like retail and tourism has been sluggish.

Globally, more large companies have increased their mental health support post-Covid and to help recruitment. Bank of New York Mellon Corp., for example, has increased its free therapy sessions to 12 a year from five, while Goldman Sachs Group Inc., which launched its mental health first aid program in 2019, targets to train 1,000 first responders by the end of 2024, Fortune reported. However, some companies are now paring back such benefits, such as Indeed Inc., which is canceling monthly mental health days.

New World, one of the conglomerates that dominates Hong Kong’s economy, is now led by the family’s third-generation scion Adrian Cheng. He has assumed a younger, trendier management style, placing artworks in the group’s malls and making personal investments in crypto and fashion. The group adopted a five-day work week in 2012 — five years before other blue-chip conglomerates like Henderson Land Development Co. and Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd. did so. Some smaller companies in Hong Kong still require employees to work a half day on Saturday.

Still, more Hong Kong companies are investing in developing a wellbeing support system to help with recruiting, especially as competition for workers intensifies as firms start hiring again after Covid, said Chan. In the past, they mostly just resorted to one-off training classes and activities as a box-ticking exercise, he added. 

A big company like New World devising a comprehensive mental health support framework could help provide a local benchmark and references for data, said Chan. It could also encourage other firms to follow suit. 

“There’s a certain level of competition among Hong Kong’s big families,” said Chan. If New World does more, “others may not want to be left behind.” 

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