National Seminar on
‘Holistic wellbeing of the working population in India’
Organised by BPHE Society’s CSRD Institute of Social Work & Research
on 16-17 December 2025
About the Institute:
BPHES’ Centre for Studies in Rural Development (CSRD), Institute of Social Work & Research (ISWR), Ahmednagar is one of the pioneer institutions in community extension and social work education in India. It was established in 1961. MSW programme affiliated to Savitribai Phule Pune University was started in the year 1974-75 and CSRD is celebrating the golden jubilee of the first batch of MSW this year. The Institute is aided by the Department of Higher Education, Govt. of Maharashtra. The Institute has been accredited ‘A’ Grade with GCPA of 3.23 in June 2019 for the third cycle of re-accreditation by NAAC.
Context of the National Seminar:
Holistic wellbeing refers to a state where workers are healthy physically, mentally/ emotionally, spiritually, socially, and economically. It’s not just absence of illness, but also the presence of positive functioning: ability to cope with stress, good interpersonal relationships, meaningful work, satisfying life outside work, etc. Key mental health concerns among working population in India include stress and burnout, anxiety and depression, work-life imbalance, precarity in work / informal sector stressors, lifestyle & health‐related factors, managerial / organizational culture issues, and age, gender and socioeconomic differences.
A large number of Indian workers experience high levels of work-related stress and stress negatively impacts job performance. Young professionals, aged 21–30, experience higher levels of stress due to work‐life imbalance and higher expectations. Burnout often occurs due to long hours, tight deadlines and unrealistic workloads. Workplace pressures, job insecurity, uncertainty about career prospects and financial stress contribute the wide prevalence of anxiety and depression among Indian workers. Work-life imbalance is another serious mental health concern of working population. Many employees feel that they can’t fully switch off even during leave. Several young workers struggle to balance parental responsibilities, family obligations, and career.
Precarity in work in the informal sector is a serious stressor in the life of Indian workers. Workers in informal/unorganized sectors often lack social security, job contracts, and paid leave. This contributes to uncertainty and psychological distress. Exposure to unsafe environments, financial instability and discrimination add to their miseries. Lifestyle and health‐related factors, such as, long working hours, sedentary behaviour (desk jobs) and poor nutrition correlate with poorer mental wellbeing. Poor physical health and sleep disturbances also worsen mental health. There are also managerial and organizational culture issues that adversely affect the mental health of the working population in India. Many employees feel managers lack skills to support mental health. Toxic work culture, unclear roles, lack of role control, poor interpersonal relationships and lack of autonomy worsen the mental health of the workers. Age, gender and socioeconomic differences also affect the mental health of the working population. Younger employees are often more anxious than the older and the experienced workers. Women face additional burdens of domestic work and gender-based discrimination at the work place. Lower income and less secure jobs see higher stress, less access to mental health help.
Consequences of poor mental health in the working population are decreased productivity and performance, increased absenteeism and presenteeism (present but not fully productive), poor physical health outcomes including the increase of chronic disease risk, strain on relationships, family life and social support systems, high workforce turnover, employee disengagement and economic cost at macro level such as, the lost workdays and healthcare costs.
The mental health and wellbeing of unorganized workers in India is a pressing but often overlooked issue. This group constitutes a significant portion of the country’s labour force, yet they face numerous vulnerabilities that deeply affect their psychological and emotional health. India’s unorganized sector accounts for around 90% of the total workforce, encompassing agricultural labourers, construction workers, domestic workers, street vendors, gig workers, and more. These workers are often excluded from social security benefits and legal protections, which leads to heightened socioeconomic and psychological stress.
Key factors affecting mental health of the unorganised workers are economic insecurity, unsafe and stressful work conditions, social isolation and marginalization, lack of access to mental healthcare and impact of covid-19. Economic insecurity is the major concern of unorganised workers. Irregular income and job insecurity lead to chronic stress. Inability to afford basic healthcare, nutrition, or housing contributes to anxiety and depression. Unsafe and stressful work conditions, such as, long working hours, hazardous environments and lack of rest affect adversely the mental health of the unorganised workers. Physical exhaustion often translates to emotional burnout and mental fatigue. Social isolation and marginalization are other serious mental health issues. Migrant workers often live away from families, lacking social support. Gender, caste, and class-based discrimination exacerbate feelings of exclusion. Lack of access to mental healthcare is another significant concern. Mental health services are scarce, especially in rural or informal urban settings. Stigma, lack of awareness, and affordability issues prevent help-seeking. COVID-19 has left behind irreversible impacts upon the mental health of unorganised workers. Job losses and reverse migration caused mass trauma and anxiety. Sudden loss of livelihood triggered an increase in suicides and mental distress among informal workers.
Vulnerable sub-groups among the unorganised workers are women workers, migrant workers and children of workers. Women workers face dual burden of work and domestic responsibilities. They are also vulnerable to harassment and exploitation. Migrant workers are cut off from community networks and often subjected to exploitative conditions. Children of unorganised workers are prone to emotional neglect and may suffer developmental and psychological issues. Psychological effects observed among the unorganised workers especially the vulnerable groups include anxiety, depression, substance abuse, sleep disorders and chronic fatigue, increase in domestic violence, suicidal ideation, and interpersonal conflicts.
There are certain government and policy responses to address the issues of unorganised workers, such as, Unorganised Workers Social Security Act, 2008, e-Shram portal (2021) – a database for unorganized workers to facilitate welfare delivery and National Mental Health Programme (NMHP). This national programme has limited reach and no targeted focus on informal workers. There is a need for policy level interventions including integration of mental health services in primary healthcare targeted at informal workers, strengthening of occupational health and safety norms across informal sectors and creation of community-based support systems including peer counselling. Social interventions include awareness campaigns to destigmatize mental illness. Skill training and employment schemes provide them income stability. NGO’s and civil society should be engaged in mobile clinics, helplines, and support groups. Economic empowerment of the unorganised workers can be accelerated by securing them the universal access to health insurance, minimum wage, and social security benefits.
Mental health of the working populations in India is an urgent public health issue that requires intersectoral action involving health, labour, and social welfare departments. Addressing it is not just a matter of health but of human dignity, economic justice, and inclusive development. The national seminar is organised at BPHES’ CSRD-ISWR to explore various mental health issues of the working populations in the country, highlight success stories of effective social work interventions addressing such issues and make creative and constructive policy level recommendations.
Objectives of the Conference
- To critically examine the concept of holistic wellbeing of workers in India, encompassing physical, mental, emotional, social, spiritual, and economic dimensions.
- To identify the major stressors, risk factors and challenges affecting mental health and wellbeing of the working population in both formal and informal sectors.
- To explore the impact of work culture, job insecurity, lifestyle, socio-economic status, and gender dynamics on workers’ holistic wellbeing.
- To document and share best practices, social work interventions, organizational initiatives, and policy responses that have positively impacted worker wellbeing.
- To provide a platform for academics, practitioners, policymakers, trade unions, NGOs, and industry representatives to deliberate on innovative and sustainable solutions.
- To recommend strategies for policy integration and intersectoral collaboration that promote holistic wellbeing as a core element of labour and social welfare in India.
Sub-Themes of the Conference
- Conceptual Frameworks of Holistic Wellbeing – physical, mental/emotional, social, spiritual, and economic health of workers.
- Mental Health Challenges in the World of Work – stress, burnout, depression, anxiety, work-life imbalance, and precarity.
- Workplace Dynamics and Organizational Culture – managerial support, toxic cultures, autonomy, interpersonal relations, and role clarity.
- Health, Lifestyle and Occupational Factors – sedentary work, sleep disturbances, nutrition, hazardous work conditions, and chronic illnesses.
- Informal/Unorganized Sector Realities – vulnerabilities of agricultural, construction, domestic, gig and migrant workers; women and child workers.
- Intersectionality in Worker Wellbeing – age, gender, caste, class, income, and regional disparities in access to health and wellbeing resources.
- Policy and Legal Frameworks – National Mental Health Programme, labour laws, social security measures, occupational health and safety norms.
- Community and Social Work Interventions – role of NGOs, CSR, peer support, awareness campaigns, and social work practice models.
- Technology, Digitalization and Wellbeing – impact of hybrid work, gig economy, digital stress, and opportunities for tech-based wellbeing solutions.
- Global Perspectives and Comparative Learnings – lessons from international practices in promoting worker mental health and holistic wellbeing.
Expected Outcomes of the Conference
- Enhanced understanding of holistic wellbeing of the working population from multidisciplinary perspectives.
- A comprehensive mapping of key challenges, vulnerabilities, and risk factors affecting worker mental health and wellbeing in India.
- Documentation of innovative practices, interventions, and case studies from social work, industry, and community-based organizations.
- Policy recommendations to strengthen occupational health and safety, workplace wellbeing initiatives, and integration of mental health in primary healthcare.
- A set of action-oriented strategies for promoting resilience, work-life balance, and inclusive support systems for vulnerable groups of workers.
- Development of a conference declaration / action plan that can serve as a reference for government, industry, civil society, and academia.
- Establishment of networks and collaborations among stakeholders for future joint initiatives and research on worker wellbeing.
Important Dates:
- Dates of National Seminar: 16-17, December 2025.
- Last date of abstract submission: 30, November 2025
- Intimation of the acceptance of the abstracts: 05, December 2025
- Date of full paper and ppt submission: 14, December 2025
About the conference registration:
The two days’ national seminar shall be held on 16th to 17th December 2025 on hybrid mode. The participants shall have the option to attend the seminar physically as well as online. The link will be provided to the registered individual participants’ email as well as in the online paper presenters’ WhatsApp group. There is a nominal registration fee of Rs. 500 for attending the national seminar. There is no separate charge for paper / poster presentation. Registration is compulsory to attend the conference offline as well as online. Any query regarding the National Seminar can be addressed to nsmpswcsrd@gmail.com.
Registration charges and mode of payment:
Registration charge for participation and presenting paper is Rs. 2000 for faculty members and practitioners (accommodation provided), Rs. 1000 for faculty members and practitioners (without accommodation), Rs. 1000 for research scholars and students (accommodation provided) and Rs. 500 for research scholars and students (without accommodation). Registration charges are non-refundable. Registration for online participants of all categories is Rs. 500 only. Last date for registration is 30 November 2025.
Bank Details for NEFT/RTGS/Online Payment through (Bhim App/ Google Pay/ Phone Pay/ Amazon Pay etc.)
Account Title: Director, CSRD ISWR Golden Jubilee A/C
Bank Name: Union Bank of India, Station Road Branch, Ahmednagar 414001, Maharashtra
A/c No.: 505402010912590
IFSC Code: UBIN0550540
(Note: Amount can be deposited through any UPI platform or by direct deposit in any branches of Union Bank of India or by using NEFT/RTGS facility from any other bank in your area. If the payment is done through online process screenshot of the payment done needs to be attached along with application form)
Online registration form:
Registration for the National Seminar shall be done only through the following google form.
After the online registration, all the supporting documents, such as, abstract, ppt, full paper, students’ ID, proof of registration fee paid etc. have to be sent to the seminar email ID (nsmpswcsrd@gmail.com) by the registered participants.
There is limitation in the maximum number of participants for the National Seminar. Therefore, once the maximum limit is reached the google form will decline registration automatically. All your queries regarding national seminar shall be sent to nsmpswcsrd@gmail.com.
Organizing team: Specialization of Medical & Psychiatric Social Work, BPHES’ CSRD-ISWR
Convener: Dr. Jaimon Varghese
Director: Prof. Suresh Pathare
Advisor: Prof. Sanjay Bhatt