Do you care about turnover rates, company culture, absenteeism, productivity, and the bottom line? Then you should care about the effects of mental health in the workplace.
Mental health may be the most critical workplace problem today.
According to the Psychiatric Times, mental health may cost the global economy $16 trillion by 2030.
Depression costs millions of lost workdays in the United States every year... 400 million.
Poor mental health is the culprit of high turnover rates and mass reductions in productivity.
The good news? The most common mental health struggles—anxiety and depression—are very treatable. As an employer, you are in a great position to help employees get the help they need.
What are the effects of mental health in the workplace?
Mental health impacts every aspect of a person's life. It affects virtually everything that happens in the workplace.
The two most common employee mental health struggles are anxiety and depression. So much energy is spent dealing with these internal struggles that it is tough to show up and work. The snowball effect kicks in—employees are stressed, which makes it hard to work, which causes more anxiety, and so on.
There is a stigma around mental health that causes shame and prevents people from speaking up. So, business leaders often don't realize that their people are struggling.
More than half of employees feel uncomfortable talking to their supervisor about mental health. About half do not disclose their mental state at all at work. About 30% fear that discussing mental health with their manager could cause them to be fired or cost them a promotion.
With 1 in 5 people struggling with a mental illness, your company likely has someone that is struggling in silence.
Why do employers need to make mental health a priority?
So, why is mental health essential in the workplace? Why should employers address it?
The effects of mental health in the workplace can be behavioral, physical, mental, and emotional.
Some impacts of poor mental health in the workplace are:
- tension, headaches, and body aches
- irritability
- low mood
- poor focus and motivation
- poor decision making
- brain fog
- difficulty getting along with coworkers
- absenteeism
- fatigue
The result? A decline in employee morale, employee retention, and revenue.
61% of workers say that their productivity was affected by their mental health in 2019—and that was two years ago.
There is a 4:1 ROI on investing in mental health—we've seen it time and time again at Nivati. And employees want mental health benefits.
Read our article 6 Signs Your Employees are Struggling with Mental Health to gain some more insight into the state of your employees' mental health.
How can I help employee mental health in the workplace?
It all starts with having an open dialogue about mental health.
You can start by talking about your mental health. Begin by talking about what you do to take care of yourself. Make it clear to employees that you are there to support them in their mental health journeys.
The idea is to create a culture that prioritizes mental health and fights the mental health stigma.
You can also provide employees access to tools like meditation, yoga, and counseling.
Partnering with an EAP like Nivati can help your company improve workplace mental health. Nivati provides resources and mental health education for employees so they can support their mental wellbeing!
How do I start addressing mental health in the workplace?
It can be intimidating at first to address mental health. Here are some more steps you can take today to help support employee mental health:
1. Set the example
Show your employees that you prioritize your mental health. Turn off your notifications once the workday ends—and encourage your employees to do the same. Take breaks throughout the day. Take vacations. Talk about your mental health journey openly.
Employees will feel more comfortable talking about their mental health if you are open about it.
2. Start enforcing some small stress-busting policies
Encourage employees to take breaks and use their vacation time. Encourage employees to turn off their notifications during certain times.
The idea is to create the expectation that employees take the necessary time away from work to take care of themselves properly.
3. Meditate or do yoga together
Even just a 10-minute yoga or meditation session can make a huge difference in stress levels.
Follow along to this meditation or this desk chair yoga session together.
4. Provide some helpful resources
Direct employees to resources they can use when they are feeling overwhelmed. Here are a few:
- Stress Management Tools and Techniques
- How to Start Therapy: Common Questions Answered
- 12 Best Workplace Stress Relief Techniques
How do I get company managers and employees on board?
This is a crucial question. What if employees aren't interested in these activities?
It likely has to do with the current company culture. Was talking about mental health at work taboo in the past? Are your employees disengaged at work?
The mental health struggles are undoubtedly there. Many employees are afraid to seek help or speak up for fear of losing their job.
It all goes back to setting the example. When we talk about mental health at work, we open the door to support and healing. Your managers and employees won't feel comfortable talking about their mental health challenges if you don't pave the way for those conversations. Make it clear through your actions that it is okay, and even encouraged, to talk about these more personal issues at work.
Next, you need to do whatever you can to remove the barriers to mental health care. This is where EAPs come in.
Related: Manager Training Handbook
How can an EAP help address mental health at work?
Most EAPs have an intermediary between the employee and the counselor, significantly decreasing utilization. The average EAP has a utilization rate of about 4.5%
When looking for an EAP, keep an eye out for ones that allow quick, easy access to care. The top EAP companies offer a holistic solution to mental health care. They include services like:
- Employee counseling
- Life coaching
- Financial coaching
- Personal training
- Nutrition coaching
- Meditation and mindfulness tools
- Yoga
EAPs like Nivati offer a complete mental health solution. The best EAPs aren't just a product or service—they help you transform your company culture from the inside. They help your company make mental health a priority.
Look for EAP providers that have a Customer Success Manager, in-depth utilization data, and customization options for your company.
Related: Your Guide to the EAP Implementation and Search Process
What are the top 10 most stressful jobs?
While we are on the topic, we figured we'd share with you some careers that may be at a higher risk for mental health struggles. If your company employs people in one or more of these categories, you need to provide mental health support.
Here are some of the most stressful jobs out there:
- Military personnel
- Paramedics, police officers, and firefighters
- Surgeons, nurses, and other healthcare workers
- Corporate executives
- Social workers
- Teachers
- Pilots and air traffic controllers
- Retail and hospitality staff
- Construction workers
- Lawyers
Stressful jobs typically have a combination of some of the following factors:
- Travel
- Competitiveness
- Life/death situations and hazards
- Physical demands
- Deadlines
- High growth potential
- Working with the public or in the public eye
Talking about mental health with employees—and providing them mental health resources like counseling—can help employees manage their stress to take care of business!
Support employee mental health with Nivati
Nivati makes supporting employee mental health super easy—for employers and employees. We are the all-in-one employee wellbeing app!
Nivati's average utilization rate falls around 65%—way more than the EAP average of about 20%.
We provide employees access to counseling, yoga, meditation, fitness classes, financial coaching, and so much more—live and on-demand. Our practitioners are located around the world! Want to learn more? Call us at 1 (800) 556-2950 or request a demo today!
