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“I set limits to prevent burnout and give myself time to recover from overstimulation,” says Dedianto Turnip. From work boundaries to emotional and digital ones, he believes protecting your headspace isn’t just self-care — it’s a performance strategy.
Mental health in Indonesia is no longer a whisper in the workplace — it’s gaining ground as a business-critical priority. As organisations race to keep pace with rapid growth and rising employee expectations, forward-thinking leaders are discovering that wellbeing isn’t just a moral responsibility — it’s a performance strategy. Invest in it, and you get stronger engagement, sharper focus, and fewer hidden costs like presenteeism.
For Dedianto Turnip, Director of Human Capital, Corporate Affairs, and Legal at Mie Gacoan, this connection is crystal clear. Throughout his career, he’s seen how proactive mental health support can unlock both people potential and business value.
In this edition of Well Within, HRO’s Sarah Gideon sits down with Dedianto to unpack why mental health isn’t just about wellness — it’s the fuel that drives a high-performing workforce.
Talking about the broader employee wellbeing strategy at Mie Gacoan and how it supports mental health, Dedianto shares that the company focuses on helping employees stay healthy and energised. He lists several initiatives, including comprehensive health insurance, sport community support, and educational campaigns on nutrition, relaxation, and sleep.
At his company, mental health is proactively addressed through counselling by leaders or HR, stress management workshops, and leader coaching to help recognise and respond to mental health concerns.
According to the leader, the organisation fosters positive relationships through team-building, volunteering, and knowledge-sharing programmes. Flexibility is another key focus, with initiatives such as flexible schedules and job crafting.
Crucially, leadership drives these efforts, with leaders modelling healthy behaviours and embedding wellbeing into performance reviews and KPIs.
In retrospect, as Dedianto reflects, a proactive approach addressing mental health has translated into tangible business results throughout his career. In fact, as he observes, such efforts have had a measurable impact on organisational performance.
“Addressing mental health proactively has led to diminishing attrition rate significantly (about 2–3% on annual basis), whereas reducing hiring cost for the replacement and learning cost as well.”
He emphasises that employee wellbeing directly correlates with stronger business outcomes. “Corporate performance can improve,” he explains, “that is reflected from employee performance that bring improvement on the top line (company’s revenues).”
The connection is clear:
“It is because of each member can demonstrate their best as supported by their mental health.”
While he has seen the positive impact of proactive mental health strategies, Dedianto acknowledges the risks when such issues go unaddressed. He points out that employees experiencing depression, anxiety, or burnout may still show up physically— but mentally, they’re not fully present.
“They may struggle to focus on tasks, have difficulty retaining or recalling important information, make slower or poorer decisions, and lose the ability to think creatively,” he explains.
This quiet drain on productivity, often harder to detect than absenteeism, has real business consequences. Dedianto references findings such as a Harvard study which revealed that presenteeism due to depression actually costs employers more than absenteeism—thanks to the subtle, ongoing decline in performance.
This invisible drain on performance is exactly why he believes HR must take the lead in shifting mindsets at the top. He notes that many leaders still view mental health as a soft issue — something intangible, non-urgent, and hard to tie to ROI, which makes them hesitant to engage.
To close this perception gap, he says HR must present mental health as a strategic investment, not a sunk cost. The payoff? Tangible outcomes like improved productivity, reduced turnover, a stronger employer brand, higher engagement, and lower health-related expenses.
He outlines a structured approach that includes:
- Gathering internal evidence of the problem
- Prove that mental health challenges are real, measurable, and affecting the organisation by now with absenteeism reports, turnover data, employee satisfaction survey results.
- Connecting mental health to business KPIs
- Show leaders that poor mental health impacts performance, revenue, retention, and reputation by linking it to presenteeism, disengagement, and lower output. It's a top reason Gen Z and Millennials leave jobs, damages employer brand, contributes to chronic illness and long-term leave, and affects service quality.
- Quantifying potential return on investment and cost of inaction
- Estimate the cost of absenteeism (lost days x average salary), and turnover costs (hiring and training cost for the replacement)
- Offering a clear, structured plan with budget tiers, goals, and KPIs
- Awareness campaign (posters, webinars)
- Wellbeing champions or ambassadors
- Basic manager mental health training
- Train leaders in psychologically safe management
- Mental health in performance reviews
- Embed wellbeing in business strategy and leadership KPIs
Building on the case for investing in mental health, Dedianto affirms that measuring ROI begins with clarity. Rather than jumping straight into data, he stresses the importance of defining what the programme is designed to achieve.
“Before measuring ROI, define what your programme aims to achieve. It’s critical and determines how we measure the impact to ROI.”
He outlines several common objectives:
- Reducing stress-related absenteeism
- Lowering turnover or burnout-related exits
- Improving productivity and focus
- Enhancing employee morale and engagement
- Destigmatising mental health through awareness and openness
To assess impact, the leader points to both direct and indirect costs:
Direct costs may include:
- Training fees
- Licensing for mental health apps or platforms
- External consultants or psychologists
- Marketing materials
Indirect costs may involve:
- Employee time spent attending sessions
- Manager time for implementation
- HR overhead for administration and coordination
When it comes to calculating returns, he suggests the following formulae:
Reduced absenteeism
Savings = Average Days Reduced per Employee × Number of Employees × Average Daily Salary
Lower turnover & improved retention
Savings = Reduced Attrition × Cost per Hire
To that point, he adds, while engagement and morale improvements may not yield immediate financial returns, they significantly influence outcomes such as productivity, innovation, and customer satisfaction.
“We can measure it via eNPS (employee net promoter score), pulse surveys, and participation rates in wellness programmes,” he says.
Dedianto concludes by noting that healthcare cost reductions can also be tracked by comparing historical data before and after programme implementation.
As the conversation turns to look inwards, Dedianto reveals how he prioritises his own mental health during challenging times. Setting clear boundaries — work, emotional, and digital — is essential to prevent burnout and recharge from overstimulation. He also values the power of connection, noting that social support not only buffers stress but triggers calming hormones like oxytocin.
Physical activity is another cornerstone, releasing mood-boosting endorphins and serotonin that help ease anxiety. He finds professional support invaluable too, appreciating the coping tools and safe space therapists provide.
And of course, the fundamentals — good sleep and balanced blood sugar — play a crucial role in regulating brain chemistry and reducing anxiety.
Dedianto’s approach reminds us that nurturing mental health requires intentional, consistent care — both personally and within the workplace — for lasting resilience and wellbeing.
Photo / Provided
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