A new corporate initiative focused on mental health and psychological safety has been launched in Hungary, bringing together psychologists, business leaders and major companies under the MentalCare Manifesto.
The initiative was created by the Mindwell Psychological Center with the support of the Hungarian Business Leaders Forum, while KPMG, Merkantil Bank, Erste, Baker & McKenzie and Pólus Group joined as founding members.
The manifesto is designed to encourage companies to treat mental wellbeing and psychological safety as part of everyday management and corporate strategy rather than as isolated HR programmes.
Psychological safety moves higher on the corporate agenda
The initiative defines psychological safety as a workplace environment in which employees feel able to ask questions, express opinions, request help, report problems and discuss mistakes without fear.
Its authors argue that this kind of environment can support stronger collaboration, employee engagement and innovation, while also improving the conditions in which teams perform.
Dr. Mónika Dura, founder and head of the Mindwell Psychological Center, said companies can no longer separate long-term business performance from the organizational culture in which that performance is created.
Leadership is at the center of the initiative
A central message of the MentalCare Manifesto is that managers have a direct role in creating psychologically safe workplaces. The initiative focuses on everyday leadership behavior, including how managers communicate, respond to mistakes, encourage questions and handle situations in which employees raise concerns.
It also highlights the importance of leaders being able to acknowledge their own mistakes and apologize when necessary, as this can influence whether employees feel safe enough to do the same.
Five companies join as founding members
The founding corporate members are KPMG, Merkantil Bank, Erste, Baker & McKenzie and Pólus Group. HBLF will use its network of Hungarian business leaders and companies to expand the initiative and bring the topic of psychological safety to a wider group of decision-makers.
Andrea Istenesné Solti, president of HBLF, said long-term corporate success requires a culture in which employees feel that their views are heard, feedback is welcomed and mistakes can be treated as learning opportunities.
