Employer Responsibility to Employee Mental Health: 10 Takeaways
Mental Health America has published its annual “Mind the Workplace” report for 2022.
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Stress and distraction levels are high, even in the most balanced workplaces. And this affects employees both on and off the job. Seventy-one percent of employees find it difficult to concentrate at work and 80% said stress from work impacts their relationships with friends and family as well as co-workers.
For an increasing number of employees, the office environment is as important as the nature of the work itself. If stress and distraction levels are too high, employees are likely to seek out other professional opportunities. Fifty-six percent of surveyed employees said they have spent time looking for a new position.
Companies that proactively develop supportive managers have healthier workplace environments. Despite this, only 40% of employees said their company invests in developing supportive managers. Still, 59% of employees believe their manager cares about their personal well-being.
Mental health issues are 24/7/365, not just after hours. Company leadership needs to speak openly about mental health and provide mental health training, raising employee awareness about resources at work. MHA’s survey results showed only 34% of employees’ company leadership speaks openly about mental health and 46% provide mental health training.
A “mental health day” (or days) is a real thing. The healthiest workplaces encourage PTO usage. Apparently they’re in the minority, as 58% of employees said their manager did not encourage them to take off time when needed.
If an employee is not comfortable working with their manager, they don’t feel empowered. And if they don’t feel empowered, it can lead to mental health concerns. Two-thirds of employees are not comfortable providing feedback to their manager about their performance. And 57% said they can’t negotiate responsibilities or workload with their manager.
While mental health awareness is increasing, employee comfort levels with the topic — and treatment — as well as their likelihood of seeking out workplace resources are lacking. Although 47% of employees are aware of employer-provided mental health services available to them, only 38% would be comfortable using them for a mental health concern.
Companies need to develop an employee-centric mental health strategy that addresses the specific needs of their workforce. This requires an investment of personnel, money and additional resources to support. Providing for employees dealing with mental health or substance use struggles is part of an inclusive workplace culture.
To be empowered, employees must be able to provide feedback to their manager as well as negotiate their titles, roles, responsibilities, salaries and workload. This requires mental health training that addresses the roles of both the employer and the manager in promoting positive workplace mental health. Managers should be educated about the explicit procedures or supports available to employees. They should know how to spot signs of increased stress in members of their team and encourage them to take time off as needed to avoid burnout.
To cultivate relationships within the team built on trust and respect, managers must learn about and apply active listening skills and emotional intelligence in daily interactions. They can help prevent increased stress and burnout by providing the appropriate level of guidance and assisting employees with workload management.
To cultivate relationships within the team built on trust and respect, managers must learn about and apply active listening skills and emotional intelligence in daily interactions. They can help prevent increased stress and burnout by providing the appropriate level of guidance and assisting employees with workload management.