Mental health in the workplace is a significant issue that’s not improving. Statistics reveal that one in two employees are grappling with stress, anxiety, and depression. This reality underscores the importance of leaders actively promoting mental health at work. Here are some practical tips to help create a supportive and mentally healthy work environment for your team.
They Don’t Care
As both a manager and employee, I’ve said and heard those words countless times, often peppered with expletives, within well-established organizations. Leaders are charged with ensuring workers align with the mission and bottom line, but the human energy driving that mission is often overlooked—and your team notices.
When the focus is solely on productivity and speed, with little regard for the people making it happen, employees inevitably feel unsupported and conclude, “They don’t care about us.” Think about being in a relationship where you no longer felt cared for. How did that work out?
The reality is people have long been unhappy, stressed, overworked, and disconnected from their work. According to the Partnership for Workplace Mental Health, more workdays are lost due to stress and emotional health issues than many chronic conditions like diabetes, asthma, and arthritis. Add the current uncertainty around layoffs, economic instability, and the struggle to balance demands at work with personal priorities, and it’s clear why employees are increasingly reevaluating not just their well-being but their great purpose and fit within organizations. This period of reflection and new demands has prompted many to reassess their personal needs and aspirations, leading to a collective wake-up call about their priorities.
Why Should Leaders Care About the Value Shift of Employees?
Ignoring employee well-being directly impacts the company’s bottom line. While the economic focus might have shifted from turnover to managing with less human capital (with looming layoffs), the cost of neglecting our teams’ emotional and actualized needs remains significant. Research suggests that happy employees can be up to 20% more productive than unhappy ones, with even higher increases in productivity for sales roles.
The threat isn’t just in losing employees but also the cost of those who remain and are emotionally checked out. Invisible costs to the company include absenteeism—missing work due to emotional or physical health issues—and presenteeism—employees who are physically present but mentally and emotionally absent. These “invisible” costs slowly erode productivity and engagement.
We often talk about these half-life worker bees as “stealing time,” but it’s more than that. It’s a sign that your team may be overwhelmed, underutilized, exhausted, and needing attention. As a workshop facilitator, I’m always amazed at the level of unrecognized stress and the lack of emotional resources to bridge the gaps within organizations. Instead of questioning how much more they can do, consider their message: they need more support. Addressing these concerns can turn a disengaged workforce into a motivated and productive team.
How Can Leaders Respond to The Crisis of Mental Health at Work?
Work on cultivating a culture of caring that includes normalizing the conversation of mental health, assessing the needs of your employees, and implementing onsite and ongoing support is key.
There is a false sense of comfort in tasking wellness to only Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to address workplace mental health concerns or health insurance because the reality is, it isn’t enough. Most EAP’s only cover approx six sessions, and finding a mental health provider with availability that takes your insurance is like performing a magic trick, especially for minority populations. So, while those ideas are good, they shouldn’t be the only strategy to support your team. Crisis calls for more intentionality and creativity.
3 Simple Ways Leaders Can Promote Mental Health
Value and Encourage Employee Input (aka Listen to your people)
I was once in a meeting being welcomed by executive leadership, and everything was going well. They sounded glad to have me on board and painted an open-door policy. Then I accidently asked, “So if I have an issue, can I come to you directly?” To which the lights dimmed, her eyes glared, a wisp of cool air entered the room, and a professional no fell out of her mouth.
I understand that there is a hierarchy to how we do things. However, if leadership is drawing a line between genuinely knowing what is happening in the lower ranks and positing themselves to respond, it is already creating an atmosphere for chaos. I walked out of that meeting thinking they don’t give a shit what happens, and they lived up to that with poor dissemination of information, limited support, and ineffective leadership. Guess who left that job?
As a leader, you need a strong voice and boundaries, but also need to know when to listen. Employees who provide direct service are the lifeline of your organization. Making decisions without them, and they can’t see themselves in your larger vision, can easily contribute to a crisis.
Active and empathic listening will allow managers and leaders to ask questions that get to real concerns before they become costly issues. Creating space for engagement and dialogue fosters a sense of belonging and respect. It also allows you the opportunity to grasp innovative ideas for your best assets that will eventually contribute to your bottom line. Engaged and included employees are more likely to navigate stress and overwhelm and less likely to use lunch breaks for job interviews.
Create Opportunities for Advancement
Humans crave progress. Employees must feel they are on a meaningful path and part of an evolving workplace culture.
Do you know the areas where your team members need the most support or want to develop? Is it communication, managing emotions, resolving conflicts, or enhancing professional skills? Do you allow them to focus on these areas during their workday?
Have you created space for continuing education and critical conversations that address and dismantle race-based biases limiting upward mobility within your organization? We live in one of the most diverse times in history, at the crossroads of our beliefs, experiences, community trauma, and survival. This reality enters your workplace daily, impacting your staff’s emotional safety, well-being, and productivity.
While recognizing the importance of mental health at work is a positive shift, it can still be a struggle to conceptualize where to start and what steps to take next. This is where external expertise can make a significant difference. Bringing in professionals who aren’t entangled in company dynamics can provide fresh perspectives, essential skills, and much-needed support.
Investing in wellbeing and leadership training may seem costly, however, when compared to the expenses associated with losing the expertise of staff, intellectual property, and the hidden costs of presenteeism and burnout, it’s a minor investment in your retention strategy. Prioritizing a mentally healthy workforce is essential for overall organizational health.
Amanda Fludd, LCSW-R, and Katiuscia Gray, LCSW-R, are Licensed Psychotherapists and Mental Health Consultants. They work in partnership with organizations and institutions like law firms, schools, and women’s organizations to assess an organization’s emotional health and craft customized mental health and wellness workshops and trainings incorporating evidence-based approaches like Mindfulness, Yoga, Movement, and Human Behavior Strategies. To request further details contact: 347-868-7813
When people think of healthcare, the first things that come to mind are surgeons, doctors, injured patients in hospital beds, or even needles and bandaids. But healthcare doesn’t just stop there. Our well-being stems from within us, and it’s time to redefine mental health and its value to our well-being.
Living life is a lot of work with unpredictable stressors, decisions to make, relationships, and traumatic experiences constantly changing the landscape of who we are. Effective emotional management requires an understanding of and control over one’s emotions. People who are emotionally well are better able to handle stress, form meaningful relationships, maintain a good attitude and avoid burnout. This means they have a more robust capacity to make decisions, tolerate distress, adjust to change, feel good about who they are, operate confidently, and experience greater self-assurance.
If you are not doing any of that well, this blog is for you.
Good emotional, psychological, and social development is vital through all stages of life, from childhood to adulthood. This is known as mental health. The beauty of our emotional experience is it can be supported and protected with skills, the proper support, and changes to our environment.
Redefining Mental Health and What It Means
We often only speak of mental health on the challenging side of the spectrum, such as psychosis, where there is a disconnect from reality, or through the lens of stigma equating mental health to being “crazy” or “weak.” Still, mental health and wellness exist on a spectrum. Mental health impacts how humans think, feel, interact, behave, and handle stress. It’s a complex continuum of Mental health and wellness to mental health disorders that varies from person to person. Meaning everyone has unique vulnerabilities and life experiences that shape their mental health condition.
In this beautifully chaotic world, mental health is a shared human experience, and redefining it from a negative into a perfectly normal human experience is absolutely okay.
The Connection Between Mental Health and Our Silence
There are varying degrees of contributing factors to our mental well-being, such as stress, substance use, brain chemistry, family history of mental health problems, gender, trauma, and abuse, and even a willingness to seek help with the average person waiting over ten years to seek professional help at the onset of a mental health issue.
Some Additional Stats:
Women are more prone to having a mental health disorder than men are, specifically 1.5 to 2.5 times more likely.
More than 80% of Black Americans are very concerned about the stigma associated with mental illness, which discourages them from seeking treatment (1)
Around 1 in 6 people (14.7%) experience mental health problems in the workplace, meaning work is negatively impacting their mental health [2]
Only 13% of employees feel comfortable discussing their mental health in the workplace. [2]
Mental Health Applies to Us All
Mental illnesses exist everywhere, from home to work and in between, and can range from mild to severe such as feeling like everybody in the room is staring and judging you, also known as paranoia, to hallucinating like people with schizophrenic may experience when they see or hear things that other’s don’t. Even with anxiety, there can be mild worries to where one experiences obsessive concerns about a perceived flaw, or it manifests in forms like body dysmorphia. In some cases, anxiety is professionally disguised as procrastination or perfection.
While it can be scary to think about experiencing challenges with our emotional health, it’s no different than experiencing physical concerns and seeking help from a doctor or engaging in preventative measures to protect your well-being. It is always important to engage in activities or good habits that will change your mental health for the better, and what we know is positive mental well-being is influenced by supportive networks, getting connected socially, doing more of what you love, getting active, and prioritizing self-care.
How Are you Prioritizing Your Mental Health this Summer?
Industry Scholar and College Freshman Valerie Vallejo shares, “This summer, I will be practicing good habits like staying physically active, socially connecting myself with supportive people, and quieting my mind. I enjoy being physically active by going to the gym and playing soccer with my family and friends. By doing so, I am devoting my time to care for my health and look my best because when you look good, you feel good.”
Scholar and recent graduate Keria Emptage reminds us to be social and to check in with family and friends. Valeri adds the benefits of that are you “make new memories, learn about different cultures,” and it’s an opportunity to express yourself “freely, and laugh uncontrollably”. All of the above is excellent medicine for well-being.
As a Psychotherapist and Self Care Facilitator, I always get asked how I care for myself, especially after hearing many client stories. Well, this summer, I plan to be intentional about reconnecting to things I love to do even if it means scheduling it weekly. I am my most present self when I spend time alone (at the beach), get outside to beautiful places like State Parks, and spend time with family doing activities that encourage connection and communication.
Key to improving your mental health is giving yourself permission to actually pause, unplug, and regroup and without guilt.
How long can you keep putting off taking care of yourself? Your mental health depends on it.
Kensho Psychotherapy Services
We can’t wait to hear what you will do to protect and nurture your emotional selves for the summer. We’ll be sure to share some more protective tips in future posts, but in the meantime, wishing you a happy and emotionally healthy summer!
Article was put together with support from Industry Scholars Keria and Valerie, who are interning with Kensho Psychotherapy Services of the Summer. We love having them and are grateful for their input on this piece and all they are learning about Mental Health! If you need support in Redefining your Mental Health or need someone to come out and talk to your organization about protecting your Mental Health please reach out to us at support@amandafludd.com.
Sources
[1] Black Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) Mental Health Fact Sheet
compiled by Danielle Leblanc, MSW, Diversity Outreach Resource Specialist, Laurel House, Inc. & www.rtor.org
“University Health Service.” Ten Things You Can Do for Your Mental Health | University Health Service, uhs.umich.edu/tenthings. Accessed 12 July 2023.“What Is Mental Health?” SAMHSA, http://www.samhsa.gov/mental-health. Accessed 12 July 2023.
Mental illnesses from a macro viewpoint are associated with higher rates of disability, absenteeism, and unemployment. Emotional experiences like depression and anxiety often interfere with a person’s ability to focus and complete tasks and have even been reported to reduce cognitive performance about 35% of the time. While the impact may not rise to the level of a clinical diagnosis for most workers, they are still susceptible to stress and burnout, seriously affecting their ability to contribute meaningfully in their personal and professional lives.
Data from several countries worldwide indicate that mental health problems are behind a considerable number of employees dropping out of work, particularly as we navigate returning to work post-pandemic. It’s the elephant in the room that can no longer be avoided, with Covid-19 having a lasting impact on the workforce. It was hard before, it’s a crisis now, and we are at a juncture that requires us individually and collectively to shift our work culture and prioritize mental health.
Mental health was a massive issue in the workplace before the pandemic. It was hard before, and it’s a crisis now.
Workplace Well-being
Mental health is something we all possess. When it is good, we have a sense of purpose and direction and feel that we can cope with whatever life (and work) throws at us. But just as our physical health fluctuates, so too our mental health. This is even true for solopreneurs or entrepreneurs, with one study out of the University of California finding that out 49% of entrepreneurs surveyed had at least one mental illness, and about one-third struggled with two or more conditions like depression and anxiety.
Emotional challenges at work can contribute to:
Decreased productivity and performance
Reduced engagement with one’s work
Decreased physical capability
Poor communication with coworkers
Increase in employer mental health spending with behavioral health claims responsible for a 20% increase in that area.
At any one time, at least one in six workers are experiencing common mental health problems (some studies have it as one in five), and it’s no surprise that these adults are tasked with dealing with their mental health in the workplace. Depression contributes to about 400 million lost workdays annually. Poor mental health costs US employers up to $193.2 billion in lost earnings per year, and within the UK, mental health problems in the workplace cost the economy approximately £70 billion annually.
Good mental health enables not just the individual to thrive but the business. The WHO has estimated that for every $1 invested into the treatment and support of mental health disorders, business see a return of $4 in improved health and productivity.
Tips for Managers, Leaders & Colleagues
Some common signs that can surface in colleagues who are struggling with their emotional well-being:
1. They exhibit (or often talk about) physical symptoms, such as tiredness related to disrupted sleep or persistent headaches.
2. Withdrawal from the team, more isolative.
3. Loss of interest in work, sadness, or constant worry
4. Noticeable irritability or conversely complacent
5. Reference to increased alcohol consumption
6. Procrastination, indecisiveness, slowed productivity (missing deadlines and deliverables).
7. Absence may increase, or alternatively, they start to work much longer hours, starting early or staying late.
Employers are uniquely positioned to encourage employees to get help if they are experiencing issues with their mental health. Not only that, most workers want their employers to champion mental health and well-being in the workplace.
Employee/Self Care is Key to A Thriving Workplace
Five small changes that can be made with little effort and improve employee well-being:
1. Flexible hours. Discuss with your staff a reasonable plan to reduce their stress while navigating return post-pandemic. One size does not fit all.
2. Enforce working hours. This can be done by limiting out-of-hours work and encouraging reduced email access outside of office hours
3. Increase supervision and team support: If possible, avoid employees working in a solely isolated way. If they are working from home extensively, make sure there are regular check-ins not just on work but also on challenges that impact the work.
4. Share resources: Provide support services, share available resources like EAP information, child care options, and how to access staff members or consultants who have training in mental health and workplace stress. Make sure support is widely and regularly communicated.
5. Promote self-care breaks: That may include reminders to eat healthy, group walks, or quiet time at the end of meetings.
Other ways companies are investing in corporate wellness:
1. Changing company cultures – Get intentional about creating a culture of understanding and openness around mental health. This can mean HR programs taking steps to prevent burnout and build employee resiliency. It could also mean supervisors being mindful of and allowing employees to speak openly about mental health challenges or even implementing mandatory self-care time. Some companies have even implemented paid or unpaid mental health days from work, and staff is encouraged to utilize it before they feel overwhelmed or emotionally unwell.
2. Incorporate a Wellness Menu – If wellness is not a regular part of the culture, invest in it. Progressive agencies are mandating self-care, and a part of that is providing options for staff to pick from during the workweek, such as the 30 mindful mornings or wellness workshops I recently facilitated at a Law Firm in NY. Other options include training on topics such as overthinking and productivity, stress and the body, or trauma-informed care.
When the agency prioritizes care, it sends a message to the employee that your wellness matters, and that is often reciprocated back with increased productivity and a reduction in turnover.
It will take all of us to help alleviate the impact of COVID-19 related stress and the emotional impact it continues to have on ourselves, colleagues, and communities. Our Mental Health Consultant Team can support you in your journey to promote workplace well-being and raise mental health awareness in the workplace or to personally develop yourself. Get in touch to find out more.
You can find additional resources from The American Psychiatric Association (APA) here or when emotions are significantly impacting functioning refer colleagues to therapy here: Psychologytoday.com, Cliniciansofcolor.com, Therapyforblackmen.org, and Openpathcollective.com.
Amanda Fludd, LCSW-R, Psychotherapist and Corporate Mental Health Consultant
Unless you are a woman you have NO idea what it’s like to be a woman building an empire and navigating the workplace! Don’t worry, we got you. Our talented list of panelists from the recent Protecting Your Mental Health in the Workplace Summit joined me to break it down. The first topic we unravelled with the help of author and therapist Kendra Hathaway, was Gossip, Slander, and Toxic Relationships in the workplace. When the word, “toxic” is defined the words most commonly associated with it are: harmful, poisonous, destructive, and venomous just to name a few. Although not only women experience these obstacles in the workplace we certainly seem to be well-versed in it. How many times have you been at work and overheard one employee complaining about the next? You have those that are loud about it and don’t care who knows what they are saying, and then you have others that are more hush hush about it and you may see them whispering as if you don’t exist.
One thing that is true about both types is that the gossip spreaders are usually looking for attention or are trying to hide some type of pain. (There is another theory or possibility that we will consider in just a moment.) So now that we know what the problem is, let’s discuss how we can cope with such working conditions and figure out a solution. It is important that you pay attention to how you feel in situations, noticing if any negative thoughts and feelings come up for you, that’s a sign this is probably a toxic situation. This is a part of you protecting your mental health. If you stumble upon a co-worker being messy or you’re involved in a conversation that suddenly becomes demeaning or unproductive, walk away. Dismiss yourself, choose not to be involved. If you need to, take a moment to regroup and rid yourself of their negative energy. It’s ok to separate yourself from what is no longer serving you. If you feel strongly enough about the issue, confront the gossiper at a later time when you can engage in a calm conversation sharing your thoughts on gossiping about another coworker and be honest about how uncomfortable it made you feel. We have to take a stand for mistreatment in whatever form it shows up, including toxic communication, abuse, harassment, gender bias and racism in the spaces we exist in.
Subtle manifestations of discrimination may significantly impact the everyday lives of women, the compiling effect of which may result in hostile work environments and distressed internal emotional states
Next, we unpacked Gender Bias in the Workplace. In the previous paragraph we discussed potential options as to why some employees behave the way they do and we mentioned that there could be another valid theory. Our next panelist reminded us to think about the beliefs that have been built into us. From birth people project their views and opinions of how girls are different than boys. A baby girl is rumored to cry less than a baby boy. Says who? As girls grow older we are taught not to speak or dress a certain way, what sport is lady-like, what toys we should play with and the list goes on. By the time we enter the workforce, we have so many rules inside our heads that we begin to doubt our abilities in our work space. Internally we are replaying all of the things we were told we should be as women, and unbeknown to us, our subconscious is keeping us tethered to the expectations of gender bias and we begin to acquiesce before our thinking brain kicks in with a conscious response. When you are presented with an idea or a situation and feel that hesitation, or fear, check in with your thoughts- “is this something you were told that you will not be able to accomplish? Do you believe the voices in your head?” Now take note of your response to others, particularly other women. Ms. Araika-Zawadhafsa Mkulo, Psychologist, shifted our awareness of our relationship to other women- “are we subconsciously sabotaging our fellow women co-workers based on biased views that were projected on us? Are we even conscious that we are doing so?” I want to encourage you to pause through your day and tune in to your relationship to yourself and others at work.
Ask yourself what are you accepting in our own roles or in those around us that need to end? As Araika shared, be open to unlearn. What micro step can you take in this moment to shift that experience in the workplace?
We have the unique opportunity in this day and time to change the narrative.
Notice the story you tell yourself. Where does it come from?
We live in a time where it is ok to speak up for yourself as a woman and ask for what you need. We no longer have to stand behind a man and wait to be spoken to in order to have a voice. Take risks, do things that scare you in order to advance in your career. Don’t allow yourself to feel as though you cannot be a wife, mother, and successful career woman. Those ideas are false and do not serve you. Ignore the Imposter Syndrome that makes you believe that you do not belong in places that you have earned your right to be in.
What have you been taught to be? Agreeable, beautiful, quiet, the parent, the responsible one? Is it showing up in your career and just isn’t working towards your success anymore? Let’s dive in together and get the work done together. That is the benefit to partnering with a women’s mindset coach to collaborate on healing and unlearning. We can have difficult conversations, model new expectations, challenge core beliefs, make core shifts, and become the best version of you. Sometimes you need that little nudge in the right direction to unleash your confidence, get clear on what you want to do with your life and implement strategies that work, as women and the organizations that support them. Are you ready to shift the narrative?
Amanda Fludd, Psychotherapist, Corporate Trainer and Women in Business Mindset Coach is here for your Mental Health needs. Sometimes you just need that professional nudge in the right direction to implement strategies that work.
