🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.
As we cautiously emerge from the pandemic, a clearer picture of its toll on our collective mental health is also emerging. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, suicide rates rose by 4% in 2021, and rates of anxiety and depression quadrupled from April 2020 through August 2021. Clearly, the stressors of the past few years are impacting the nation's well-being — and the cracks are becoming chasms. But as businesses and workers readjust to whatever today's new normal becomes, what lessons should organizations learn from the experience? In the spirit of Mental Health Month, let's take a closer look.
There is no question that the crisis of mental health following the pandemic is impacting the workplace. The National Institute of Mental Health has described depression as the main cause of absenteeism in the United States, and the Center for Workplace Mental Health reports that the total economic burden of major depression is now estimated to be $210.5 billion per year. According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 12 billion working days are lost globally every year to depression and anxiety at a cost of $1 trillion per year in lost productivity worldwide. Given the onslaught of challenges employees have faced since 2020, it has become even more essential to work toward a healthier work environment that acknowledges and addresses mental health concerns.
So how should smart business leaders respond?
First, get educated about mental illness in all its forms and understand the connections between mental health, physical health and employee productivity. Disabilities and impairments are not always visible. Just because someone looks "normal" doesn't mean they're not dealing with life-altering mental health conditions that may be manageable but can still profoundly affect how they function in their daily lives.
In a U.S. culture where nearly one in 10 adults experience depression, it has become critical to know how to recognize and address symptoms of mental illness. In 2019, a Teladoc Health survey revealed that 82% of employees with a diagnosed mental health condition did not disclose this information to their employer.
Sadly, few American managers would know how to respond even if an employee did inform them. Learning about mental health issues is the best way to understand how they may be impacting your employees, your business — and yourself.
Armed with this education, it becomes easy to see why developing programs and policies that acknowledge stressors and nurture good mental health is so critical. Your team is more likely to flourish when they feel supported and in control. And overall office morale improves as a result.
Increasingly, top talent seeks out environments that recognize the importance of mental health. Ultimately, employee retention and productivity benefit from such an environment. Ideally, mental and physical health are treated as equal components to overall health — and this is no different in the workplace. To start creating this healthier environment, consider the following steps:
Set the Right Tone
The culture at a company starts with top leadership — and this issue is no different. In addition to educating themselves about mental health issues, business executives and managers should also adopt behaviors that encourage improved mental health for everyone they interact with. This often translates to eliminating unreasonable work expectations — both for themselves and others — by clearly defining priorities, deadlines, and expectations.
Managers who practice more patience, actively listen, and strive for stronger connections within their team can circumvent inducing unnecessary anxiety. In the process, speak openly about mental health when appropriate to create awareness of the issue.
Create a Safe Space To Express Mental Health Issues
By demonstrating it is acceptable to discuss mental health, leaders give their teammates "cover" to express their own concerns as well. Most adults today have hidden their mental health issues out of fear that discussing them would negatively impact their professional path. Pulling back the curtain on depression and anxiety helps remove the stigma employees may be experiencing.
Part of creating a safe space is nurturing an environment where employees feel comfortable expressing disagreement, requesting assistance, and encouraging support for different ways of working. Making it clear that working on the weekends is not a requirement "to get ahead" and every email doesn't have to be addressed the minute it lands in their inbox can relieve tons of mental anxiety.
Encourage teammates to recognize when they need to take a mental health day and give them autonomy during the workday if they have to deal with a personal or family issue (however "family" is defined by them). And recognize with your team that mistakes sometimes happen. The world will continue to revolve, and the best outcome from a mistake is to learn from the experience. Demonstrating empathy and understanding goes a long way toward easing mental health stress.
Invest in Policies and Practices That Support Strong Mental Health
Business owners concerned about the cost of providing mental health support can breathe a sigh of relief. While there are certainly costly services and programs to be considered, there are a number of relatively inexpensive and easy steps you can take to begin encouraging stronger mental health. Implementing the following simple, straightforward benefits can provide some of the quickest ways to help employees better manage their mental health:
- Offer flex time and work-from-home options
- Add "mental health days" to PTO offerings
- Encourage employees to use these benefits, and if they're not, understand why
Research has demonstrated that merely showing support for individuals struggling with mental health concerns can make a difference in health outcomes. In addition, this same research indicated that knowing or having contact with someone with mental illness is one of the best ways to reduce stigma. In the workplace, when colleagues feel comfortable expressing mental health concerns and understand that support is readily available, the results can be dramatic.
In the end, a business environment that treats mental and physical illness with equal urgency can retain a quality team that is trustworthy and reliable with less turnover, allowing both the team and the business to succeed and thrive.