Keeping Mental Health Top of Mind in the Workplace

Just as mental health problems plague society as a whole, they can create serious issues within the workplace environment as well. Poor mental health and ongoing stress can affect an employee’s job performance, engagement with work, communication with co-workers, and even daily functioning.

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that mental health issues, common as they are, would have an impact in the workplace. About 18 percent of American adults, or 45 million people in the U.S., struggle with mental illness. Additionally, 71 percent reported at least one symptom of stress, such as headaches or feeling overwhelmed or anxious. Such problems cannot simply be checked at the door of the office, factory, or job site and so inevitably affect both individual and corporate productivity.

Those are some of the findings published in a recent issue brief by the Workplace Health Resource Center of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report went on to note that mental illnesses such as depression are associated with higher rates of disability and unemployment. Depression, the CDC reports, interferes with an employee’s ability to complete job tasks 20 percent of the time and reduces cognitive performance 35 percent of the time.

Nevertheless, employers’ efforts to monitor and improve their employees’ mental health can pay big dividends, the CDC finds, and the workplace can be the ideal place to help individuals find the assistance they need.

An Executive Challenge

Mental health is "a key factor in a person’s well-being," said Daniel Whitehead, CEO of Sanctuary Mental Health Ministries, based in Vancouver, Canada. The organization trains church staffs worldwide to deal effectively with mental health issues. Employers, he said, "have to cultivate a culture of well-being and point people in a direction in which they will flourish."
 
Whitehead, a former Protestant minister from England who himself experienced ministry burnout before entering the mental health field, has been a guest speaker for several Legatus chapters. He also will be a presenter in the second part of Legatus' three-part webinar series, "Mental Health & Catholic Executives." His April 19 webinar is titled, "Leadership and Mental Health Challenges."

One of Sanctuary’s programs is specifically designed for use in Catholic parishes and other Catholic institutions.

"Mental health problems strike indiscriminately, in the workplace and anywhere else," Whitehead remarked. And struggling employees can negatively affect the bottom line of a business.

He noted that the recent pandemic and accompanying lockdowns led to a spike in the number of reported cases of anxiety and depression, and levels still remain high at about one-third of adults.

Watching the Signs
 
Signs a person has a mental health problem, Whitehead said, include being withdrawn, quiet, and showing obvious changes in mood. Additionally, naturally stressful situations in someone’s personal life, such as having a baby or moving one’s home, also call for vigilance from employers.
 
"At these times, ask questions, show empathy, listen," he advised. "Do not react to the person, but be present and understand his or her experience."

While employers cannot offer therapy or prescribe medications, they can extend friendship and support, he said, and can follow up to ensure the individual is receiving appropriate care.

Sanctuary offers an eight-week program that includes weekly study groups discussing mental health, companionship, recovery, self-care, and the role of caregivers. His coursework includes success stories from around the world from people who have lived through mental health challenges.

Paul Brogan, a California therapist and member of the psychology faculty at Mount St. Mary’s University in Los Angeles, noted that ideally an employee who struggles with mental health will self-report it to the employer and seek resources to help. Barring that, employers should look for such signs as a drop in productivity, habitual tardiness, or missing meetings unannounced. Another sign is a change in behavior. "Do you get the sense that this person was a yacht before but he or she has now become a submarine?" he asked. "Does the employee seem invisible?"

Employers should see themselves as a resource and not as a "rescuer," Brogan advised. "Employers are the 'guide on the side,' not the 'sage on the stage,'" he quipped.

Removing the 'Stigma'

Patty Neilson, president of Legatus’ Vancouver Chapter and a Sanctuary board member, believes society — and the business community in particular — has a "huge stigma" toward individuals struggling with a mental health issue.
 
"It may be seen as weakness or failure if someone is struggling with anxiety or depression and cannot perform to their ability," Neilson said. Such individuals, she believes, risk having their employment terminated and hence are "hesitant to come forward for fear of being judged."

Institutions like churches and businesses ought to offer support for those with mental health issues, she said. For the past six years, her own firm, Patricia Neilson Design, has offered workshops, counseling support, and time off for those who struggle with mental health.

Brogan pointed out that some companies offer mental health services as part of their medical insurance package so that employees have the opportunity to visit a therapist. Other things that promote mental health are even less involved. These include retreat days and social events, access to fitness centers, day care, allowing employees to bring pets to the office, flexible schedules, and the ability to work from home.

"Mental health issues are often a response to stressors," he added. "If we can identify and remove the stressor, the situation should improve."

Whitehead agreed. Mental health issues are not as "scary as they appear," he said.
 
"There are many practical things people can do in the workplace, in a church or the community that can make a huge difference: offer encouragement, listen, be a friend," he said. "These are all things we can do without any special training."

On-the-Job Training for Mental Health

The World Health Organization recommends employers take these steps to protect and promote mental health at work:

Train Managers for mental health so they can recognize and respond to supervisees experiencing emotional distress and understand the effect of job stressors, along with open communication skills such as active listening.

Train Workers in mental health literacy and awareness, to improve knowledge of mental health and reduce stigma against mental health conditions at work.
 
Provide Interventions for individuals to build skills to manage stress and reduce mental health symptoms.