There are several ways to gauge professional success. A corporation can gauge its success by meeting productivity targets, making financial gains, and finishing projects on schedule. The importance of employees’ mental health cannot be understated in the quest for success because it is essential to achieving these success metrics.
Making sure employees mentally well benefits a business as well as the employees themselves, both at work and in all other facets of their lives.
Why Mental Health Matters
The rate of depression has tripled, and anxiety has reached its greatest point since the epidemic started, according to the 2021 State of Mental Health in America study.
With over $51 billion in lost productivity and absenteeism, depression has become one of the most expensive disorders in America. Additionally, the annual direct treatment expenditures total nearly $26 billion.
Even if an employee’s sadness is brought on by problems unrelated to their employment, their mental health influences how well they do their jobs.
How Mental Health Affects the Workplace
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), mental diseases have a variety of effects on workers. Of course, mental illnesses can impair employees’ ability to fulfill their job duties and be productive. Still, they can also hinder their ability to interact with coworkers and carry out everyday tasks physically.
According to the CDC’s figures, melancholy makes it difficult for a worker to execute “physical job responsibilities around 20% of the time.” Additionally, it may result in a 35% decline in cognitive function.
Employees with depression don’t always seek help. 57% of people who report mild depression receive assistance. People who say they have a severe case of depression are much less likely to ask for treatment. Only 40% of the time do they seek professional assistance.
Normalize Talking About Mental Health
According to Harvard Health, employees may be hesitant to get therapy due to the stigma associated with having a psychological disease. Even though a diagnosed and well-treated mental health illness can “relieve symptoms for the employee and improve job performance,” they delay therapy out of worry that it may endanger their careers.
To address the significance of mental health in the workplace, a change in attitudes toward mental diseases is required among both employees and employers. To feel comfortable taking the time necessary to address their mental illness, employees must also be aware that therapy does not always lead to a rapid fix.
A list of a few things that employers can do to help their employees in dealing mental health
- Incorporate mental health first aid into organizations
- Management to assist
- Make mental health tools and apps available
- Keep a close eye on employees to ensure they do not burn out
- Make mental health policies clear
- Create a team to help employees meet their mental health needs
- Continue to hold engaging mental health sessions
- Don’t keep micromanaging employees
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