Welcome to my monthly mental health blog which I’ll be writing through December 2023 as I work to draw attention to mental health issues in our personal and professional lives. I’m switching my focus a bit from the past few months. In November and December I talked about the difference between an active and a passive mindset. Last month, I discussed some of my favorite cost saving tips for prescription drugs and therapy. This month we’ll begin looking at mental health in the workplace by discussing the topic of the most recent presentation I’ve put together: Mental Health Focused Leadership.
Below is a small sampling of statistics regarding mental health in the workplace:
2019 national poll from the American Psychiatric Association (APA) found that mental health stigma is still a major challenge in the workplace:
- 50% of workers were concerned about discussing mental health issues at their jobs
- 33% were concerned about retaliation or being fired if they sought mental health care
- 25% said they would not know where to turn for mental health help
According to the Center for Workplace Mental Health, only 3-5% of employees use available Employee Assistance Program (EAP) services.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that globally, an estimated 12 billion working days are lost every year to depression and anxiety at a cost of US$ 1 trillion per year in lost productivity.
In a 2021 American Psychological Association (APA) survey, nearly 3 in 5 employees (59%) said they have experienced negative impacts of work-related stress in the past month, and a vast majority (87%) of employees think actions from their employer would help their mental health.
As a leader, I know how overwhelming it can be to not just read those statistics, but to know my team is looking to me to provide guidance on these matters. I’m not a mental health professional, nor have I ever taken a psychology class. I’m guessing many out there are in the same position. How, then, can we exhibit mental health focused leadership? Luckily, it’s not about being a therapist, psychologist or councilor. Former coursework in psychology is not required. You don’t need to be a current or former patient.
Experiences with stress, depression and anxiety are universal. We may not have first-hand knowledge about what our teams are experiencing, but stress, anxiety and depression in life have touched us all. More important than being able to relate to specific issues is creating an environment which fosters communication in a stigma-free environment, even for difficult subjects.
Here are some suggestions for leaders:
Talk Openly
Initiate the conversation if you think someone is struggling. I’ve found that starting a team meeting with an example of a time when I struggled can get things started. For example, at one point, it seemed a member of my team was struggling with personal issues, but they had not brought it up to me privately. During a meeting, I shared a story about how a personal issue had impacted me at work. I then shared that if anyone on the team were to experience something similar, that we had a good PTO program, resources through EAP and our health insurance, or that accommodations could be made to allow regular doctor’s appointments. I stressed the details of the situation didn’t need to be shared with me, but it was better to be proactive and arrange accommodations and resources early in the event the situation worsened. Then I moved on to the rest of the meeting.
I like this approach because the employee doesn’t feel cornered into a conversation they may not be ready to have one-on-one. And in the event I read the situation wrong, and someone wasn’t actually struggling with an issue, I’m not addressing them directly and causing the employee doubt and stress over their past behavior.
Building upon this, remember 1:1s are time for your direct reports to ask questions and bring up topics. Don’t spend the time going over your to-do list for them. I tell my teams to think of our 1:1s as mini mentoring sessions. They collect questions as they occur to them and we go over them at the 1:1.
While I try and ask as few questions as possible, I do start with one to at least get things rolling. My favorites are:
“Tell me one good thing and one challenging thing that happened last week”
This is my go-to conversation starter and I do it very deliberately. I want to know what’s been happening that falls into the the good and challenging categories. If it’s something good, I want a chance to celebrate their success and pass the word along. For the challenging, I want to know as soon as possible if something isn’t right. If it’s something within my power to fix AND my help is wanted, I help where I can. In the cases where there may be some disappointment about how a project turned out or an interaction with a co-worker, sometimes we just need to level-set and put things in perspective. But my team knows these questions are coming, so I’ve found it’s a great way to learn what’s happening and how they’re feeling.
“What’s the most important thing we should be talking about today?”
If there’s limited time, I start with this question so we can devote the most time to the most pressing issue. Once that has been fully addressed, we can move on to other questions or items for discussion.
Be Conscious of Language
Remind your teams that words matter and to show compassion when you speak. We can’t understand everything someone is struggling with, so allow people the time and space to communicate. Avoid making assumptions about how someone looks or what they must be feeling.
Having a conversation about someone’s struggles is not the same as “playing therapist”. As leaders, we don’t need to offer team members advice, but we should be prepared to listen and put plans in place so team members can find the resources they need and have the space to work on them. We spend 1/3rd of our day at work and can’t always leave issues at home. Show you support your employees and work with them to develop a path forward. It is better to be able to act proactively rather than reactively.
Encourage Equality Between Physical and Mental Illness
Draw comparisons to how to treat someone with another health issue – such as cancer or diabetes. In this way, you can normalize mental health treatment like other health treatments. It may not be readily apparent, but mental illness and physical ill health are inextricably linked. Depression increases the risk for many types of physical health problems, particularly long-lasting conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Likewise, critical and chronic illness (e.g., cancer, serious injury, autoimmune diseases) can cause depression and anxiety, compounding stress on an already compromised individual. When it comes to seeking treatment, there shouldn’t be any distinction between two; a health issue is a health issue. We should strive to reinforce that.
Educate Yourself and Others
Respond to misperceptions or negative comments by sharing facts and experiences. Know the company provided healthcare benefits available to employees and have contact numbers at hand:
- Health Insurance
- Coaching Services
- Employee Assistance Program
- Short- and Long-Term Medical Leave
Managers should also learn about local, state and national programs for mental health resources, such as:
- National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI.org)
- Crisis Text Line (text HOME to 741741)
- Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (Call 988)
Communication on mental health in the workplace can’t be a “one and done” conversation with your team. Make discussions of mental health topics and support commonplace in your team meetings. Distribute information when benefits change and foster an environment where employees are more likely to communicate mental health struggles, but remember you still may need to initiate the conversation.
Thanks so much for reading. I’ll be back in March to continue with topics focusing on mental health issues and the workplace. As always, please keep in mind I’m still very much a student of my own condition. I’m happy to share what has worked for me and the journey that got me there. Please reach out to your own support team as you start or continue your journey as well.
If you are in need of mental health resources, please consider reaching out to Project Semicolon; they are the primary charity I’m raising money for in 2023. I’ve submitted a proposal to be a speaker at NAMIcon 2023 to discuss mental health in business and my presentation, Mental Health Focused Leadership, will be turned into a video I hope to share soon on LinkedIn.
See you all next month!