It’s (Past) Time to Address Our Work Mental Health Crisis
For decades, America’s healthcare system has been a business/government partnership. Companies provide their employees with affordable group health insurance—for usually far less per person than comparable individual plans. In return, businesses can deduct their premium costs as a business expense on their corporate taxes. Not only do companies enjoy tax savings (and avoid penalties) from this arrangement, but they also reap productivity benefits arising from having a healthy, vital workforce.
Yet, when talking about workforce health, most people think only of physical wellbeing. Typically, they mean disease avoidance/treatment, caring for injuries, and surgical hospitalizations. What’s too often lost in the conversation? The importance of mental health, both its maintenance and, when necessary, preventative treatment. In fact, many employer-sponsored health plans don’t even cover mental health issues, and even those that do are often extremely restrictive or address only acute symptoms, choosing to ignore care for their underlying causes.
Fortunately, this situation appears to be changing. In a recent study by The Hartford insurance group, 70 percent of employers surveyed reported that mental health was a challenge at their company, with fully 52 percent dealing with one or more employees suffering from substance abuse and/or addiction. At the same time, 72 percent of respondents admitted that the widespread stigma long associated with mental health problems is an impediment to successful treatment and long-term care.
At work, the primary source of mental health challenges is, not surprisingly, stress. While workplace pressure has long been an issue (“Work isn’t supposed to be fun. That’s why it’s called work!”), the problem has significantly exacerbated in the 2020s due to a combination of COVID-19 fears and insecurities, the pressures of high inflation, and a general societal unease that, to nearly half Americans, suggests we are on the brink of violent civil war.
Social media also represents another contributing factor to workplace stress and tension. To this point, a recent article published by MIT Sloan Management Review detailed how online addiction tends to cause, among other things, “disturbed sleep patterns, heightened anxiety, and increased depression,” all of which can lead to poor worker outcomes, not to mention, sharp declines in organizational productivity.
This is rapidly becoming an untenable crisis. Reluctance to acknowledge, much less, seek help for mental health issues is already taking a huge toll on American businesses, according to the same Hartford report. It found that nearly one-third of U.S. employers—31 percent—claimed mental health problems are inflicting a “severe or significant financial impact” on their company’s performance, a massive 10-point increase from just two years ago.
Those surveyed also reported that unplanned absences and prolonged disability are two of the most worrying problems resulting from untreated mental health and addiction cases in their workforces. In addition, “a person diagnosed with a primary injury or illness, along with the presence of mental health conditions, such as anxiety or depression, takes two or three times longer to recover than someone with similar injuries or illnesses without those conditions.”
Now that we better understand what we are up against, let’s talk about what to do to remedy this situation. Addressing workplace problems associated with stress, depression, and similar mental health issues first requires removing the unfortunate stigma/shame too often associated with this topic.
Next, companies and their workers should:
Learn more about mental health conditions and substance abuse. Nearly half of adults with a substance use disorder also suffer from some form of mental illness.
Use respectful and first-person language to talk about mental illness and addiction, avoiding harmful words that perpetuate stigma.
Offer support if you think someone you know is having trouble. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has a hotline at 800-950-NAMI that provides information regarding available resources. If a worker or colleague is in a crisis, simply text "NAMI" to 741741. (Crisis support via text message is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.)
Proactive employers can also:
Provide mental health training to managers and senior leaders that includes information about mental illnesses, potential warning signs, and stigmatizing language guidelines.
Offer an employee assistance program with specific instructions concerning sleep management, mindfulness, or other initiatives to improve mental and physical health.
Communicate often, year-round about services and programs that support overall well-being. With additional communication, employees can more easily access help and resources when the need arises.
Most of all, wellness, both mental and physical, must become more than just a benefit. It should be a goal woven into each workday. Here’s one example of proceeding with this mindset. During a normal 8-to-5 schedule, company leaders should give employees sufficient time to exercise, meditate, or otherwise take advantage of any wellness apps or programs provided.
As organizational culture and compensation specialists, we can help you integrate wellness into your business’s operations in ways that measurably boost productivity and increase profits. For more information, please contact me at laura@conoverconsulting.com.