How To Address The Mental Health And Well-Being Of Employees Returning To The Workplace

Top 5 ways

The COVID-19 pandemic has had varying impacts on people around the world, but its effect on mental health has remained constant. According to a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 45% of Americans say the pandemic has negatively affected their mental health. Additional surveys have found more than half of Americans now meet the criteria for a mental health disorder, primarily anxiety and depression. In other words, up to 50% of employees at any one company could be actively managing mental illness in addition to work and family responsibilities. 
 

As employees return to work, employers will increasingly find themselves in a position to help address these challenges. 

The Impact of Mental Illness in the Workplace

There is a well-established body of literature that shows decreases in productivity, greater interpersonal conflict, and increased employee turnover can occur as a direct result of untreated mental illness. A 2018 study by the American Heart Association found untreated depression cost employers nearly $10,000 per employee, per year. According to the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI), 62% of sick days can be attributed to mental illness, and individuals with untreated mental illness utilize non-psychiatric medical care at three times the rate of their peers. With more people suffering from anxiety and depression than ever before, the consequences to a company and its employees could be catastrophic. These issues will continue to manifest in offices and new psychological issues that will start to arise as a direct result of returning to work.   

Here are five ways employers can address the mental health and well-being of their employees as they return to the workplace.

1. Make mental health and wellness a top priority
First, create a culture in which mental health is a top priority. This can take several forms, including providing health insurance with strong behavioral health plans and Employee Assistance Programs (EAP). Make sure all employees are well-versed in the resources available to them and remind them about these options as they start to return to work.

2. Offer courses and classes
Educating employees about the signs of stress, anxiety, depression, and other identifying symptoms can be incredibly valuable. Stress management opportunities like lunchtime yoga or mindfulness classes can help with symptom reduction as well. Consider providing support groups for employees both in-person or online depending on your work environment. With that in mind, being able to recognize informal educational programs like this will not be sufficient for everyone.

3. Actively work to reduce stigma 
Given the current economic climate and record levels of unemployment, many employees may be reticent to seek out help over concerns of the stigma and worries about job security. Actively working to reduce the stigma of mental health is imperative. Prior to the pandemic, eight in 10 employees believed shame and stigma were significant barriers to receiving help for mental health concerns. One simple way to reduce stigma is to choose your language carefully. Challenge yourself and your employees to stop using words like “crazy” in derogatory ways. Diagnoses like “bipolar” and “OCD” have become casual ways to describe ourselves and other behaviors, but this can create a chilling effect for someone who may be struggling with those issues. Providing education around the prevalence rates of mental illness can also help reduce stigma. For many, simply knowing how many of their colleagues may be struggling is sufficient motivation to seek help for themselves.

4. Pay attention to your employees
It is important to identify the signs of distress in employees as they return to work. Although each person is different, and more in-depth training to identify these signs may be warranted, many indications can be fairly obvious. Major changes in personality and behavior, manifesting as irritability or withdrawal, are good indications that someone may be struggling. Marked reductions in productivity or frequent mistakes in a person should be monitored. Offer support if you think someone is struggling. Letting employees know they are cared for at work is an important step in reducing stigma. Partnering with companies like Carbon Health can help ensure no one feels like their mental well-being is being ignored. 

5. Increase access to various mental health services
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, ensure treatment is available. Treatment can take many forms including medication, individual therapy, group therapy, and/or guided self-work through apps and books. Each person is different and may benefit from a different treatment approach. Carbon Health offers individual therapy and primary care providers are able to prescribe antidepressant medications.

Carbon Health has also partnered with evidence-based apps to help people address symptoms of insomnia and anxiety independently. Finding providers who are available (and take insurance or operate at a reasonable price) can be deeply frustrating, so consider developing a list of referral options in advance. As an employer, it is important to allow employees to attend sessions as recommended by their medical providers. Having an employee step out one hour once per week to attend therapy sessions for 12 weeks can drastically reduce missed days and improve productivity over a much longer period of time.
  
There are many excellent resources available to employers as they navigate the complicated transition back to work in this new COVID-19 world. The National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) has a program called “StigmaFree Company,” which aims to eradicate negative mental health stereotypes in the workplace. Meanwhile the American Psychiatric Association (APA), in partnership with the Center for Workplace Mental Health, has a program called “ICU,” which is also designed to help employers reduce stigma at their companies. Even the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) can provide resources through their Workplace Health Promotion program. 

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