Mental Health: A True Priority

Current Mental Health Ideologies

For many years, mental health, or more specifically the admission that there was a need for psychological assistance, has been viewed as taboo. Coupled with the stigma associated with mental health wellness is the shortage of resources in the workplace and leaders who are just not equipped to deal with these types of complicated issues when it comes to their employees. While many companies offer mental health benefits, they often fall short of addressing the underlying causes of poor mental health.

Mental health ribbon

Today, more than ever, there is a need to understand the state of mental health problems to support our workforce and the impact that results from these issues in the workplace. Even more critical than just our mere understanding is how we effectively deal with these issues. According to a recent study conducted by Willis Towers Watson, 45 percent of US workers report having experienced mental illness in their lifetime. Over 76 percent say they have experienced emotional distress due to work pressures in the last 12 months. And more than 51 percent say their emotional distress was severe enough to impact their ability to do their job well.

In addition, recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows that over 36 percent of the US workers are experiencing symptoms related to depression or anxiety on any given day. The impact of poor mental health in the workplace has a huge impact on a business but, more importantly, on our employees. Some of the many causes of work-related psychological stress include long hours, heavy workload, job insecurity, and conflicts with coworkers or bosses. A few symptoms are:

  • Low morale and increased turnover rates.
  • Depression or anxiety.
  • Sleeping difficulties.
  • Loss of productivity, creativity, and work teams failing to meet business targets.
  • High stress levels and burnout by employees.
  • Job stressors that influence family interactions through their impact on the employed person’s mood, thought, and coping behaviors.

As several studies indicate, there is a strong need to shift the views on mental health. More specific, companies are encouraged to educate their workforce on the mental health wellness issue, cultivate an environment that embraces (without judgement) an employee’s request for mental health support, and incorporate mental health wellness solutions into their employee benefit offerings.

Benefits of a healthy workplace

Moving Away from the Stigma

There are several areas to consider when making the transition to making mental health wellness a priority. While the areas of focus below are a good start, they are not to be considered as all inclusive.

Person icon on many sticky notes, with one sticky note saying Workplace Culture

Areas to consider are as follows:

1. Educate the Workforce:

  • Mental health issues can sometimes be hard to detect, as employees can appear healthy while concealing suffering. Training helps employees recognize mental distress in others and in themselves as well as inspires people to hopefully seek help. Mental health training programs seek to teach employees and managers about common mental health conditions and reduce the stigma surrounding them.

2. Encourage a Safe Environment:

  • Communicate the organization’s commitment to mental health wellness.
  • Openly market the access employees have to mental health counseling.
  • Let employees know it is safe to discuss mental health issues without fear of losing their jobs, harassment, or isolation and provide them with ongoing mental health support.

3. Benefits:

  • Create a Health & Wellness program.
  • Provide Wellness and meditation spaces in the workplace.
  • Discourage working excessive hours outside of the normal workday.
  • Offer mental health days.
  • Consider offering flexible working hours that may include flextime, part-time, job sharing, or working remote.
  • Provide a 24/7 help line.

Making mental health wellness a true priority takes time and hard work; however, the benefits far outweigh the efforts. Choosing such a priority will allow employees to appreciate how their company provides support in both their work life and personal lives outside of work. Start the journey today!

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