New Campaign Aims to Raise Mental Health Awareness among Municipal Employees

Luxembourg's Ministry of the Civil Service and the Ministry of the Interior have announced the launch of a new mental health awareness campaign in the municipal civil service.

On Monday 28 June 2021, Luxembourg's Minister of the Civil Service, Marc Hansen, and the Minister of the Interior, Taina Bofferding, launched the campaign “Wéi geet et?” (How are you?), together with Marco Thomé, president of the general federation of local administration (Fédération générale de la fonction communale - FGFC), and Mareike Bönigk, head of the psychosocial service of the civil service (Service psychosocial de la Fonction publique - SPS), in the presence of Emile Eicher, president of the association of Luxembourg cities and municipalities (Syndicat des Villes & Communes Luxembourgeoises - Syvicol).

This campaign, launched at the initiative of the FGFC with the support of the SPS, aims to raise awareness among people working in the municipal civil service of psychosocial risks and their consequences on their health, as well as preventing these issues.

Minister Marc Hansen highlighted the excellent cooperation between all parties involved who have mobilised in order to be able to offer this campaign for the entire municipal civil service. He recalled the importance of taking an interest in one's own mental health in the workplace but also that of colleagues and addressed, as well as the importance of prevention and the fact that such issues can affect all of us.

Marco Thomé pointed out that while the current role of a union is to protect the rights of its members, its role tomorrow will be much more proactive. From now on, a union must also anticipate changes in society and its consequences on individuals in their work and in their private lives. Therefore, as part of the "Wéi geet et?" campaign, the FGFC wished to contribute to the detabooisation of mental health problems through collaboration with the SPS. Its multiplier role consists in the launching of such communication campaigns and will materialise through training for staff delegations to municipalities as well as to staff of the FGFC union itself.

Benoît Billo, communication designer at the FGFC, presented the campaign in more detail. It was designed in Luxembourgish as well as in French and covers eight themes: conflicts, stress, fears, harassment, depression, concerns about a colleague, alcohol and addiction, as well as work overload. The awareness campaign is available in different media. These elements can now be consulted on the site www.wei-geet-et.lu as well as on the site www.fgfc.lu, which now has a "Psych Support" section.

Mareike Bönigk of the SPS stressed the importance of prevention work. She recalled that the SPS is aimed at all civil servants, whether they are from the state or municipal sector or public establishments. Created in 2016, the service now comprises six psychologists and / or psychotherapists. In 2020, it carried out more than 1,000 interventions within the framework of individual psychological support. The service intervened 22 times for team support, including eighteen times in conflict resolution or change support and four times in conflict mediation.

Minister Taina Bofferding added that one of the main objectives of the campaign is to raise awareness among municipal sector officials about bullying. She also pointed out that the strengthening of skills in human resources management within municipal administrations is one of the subjects discussed in the context of the workplace relating to the overhaul of the municipal law “Mateneen fir eng modern Gemeng” (together for a modern municipality).

Emile Eicher fully welcomed this initiative, noting that municipalities have faced an increased workload in recent years and growing demands from the public, which risks increasing stress for municipal officials and can have a negative impact on their mental health. Consequently, it is important not only to ask the question “Wéi geet et?”, but also to take the time to listen to the response of the person concerned. For Syvicol, mental health goes hand in hand with physical health and both are integral to safety and well-being at work.