Posted October 06, 2022 by Steve Chrzanowski, Director, Group Retention & Sales Support
When one of your employees comes to work with a broken leg, you make concessions – like moving their workspace to an accessible area. Just as important, and often overlooked, is an employee’s mental health needs. At first glance, it may be impossible to know when someone is struggling, but studies show one in five adults is experiencing some form of a mental health disorder (anxiety, depression, stress, addiction issues). To put that into perspective, that’s 20% of your workforce.
Much like their physical health, your employees’ mental health doesn’t only exist outside of working hours. Whatever issues they are going through are coming to work with them. And those issues can affect their ability to communicate, be engaged, be productive and ultimately, perform their job. For example, employees who are having trouble sleeping due to anxiety or stress may come to work tired and be at greater risk for a workplace accident – leading to higher medical costs for your company.
Don’t assume the reasons they are stressed or depressed are due to factors that have nothing to do with their job or work environment. Studies show that a stressful work environment can aggravate mental health conditions. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), some workplace factors that negatively contribute to an employee’s mental and emotional wellbeing include:
What Can Employers Do?
For starters, promote your company’s mental health tools and services all year long, not just during open enrollment. Normalize and prioritize mental health by offering a supportive environment and resources to help employees who are struggling. When you help build a resilient workforce, you also help build a resilient company because people who feel valued are more engaged, productive and less likely to want to leave. Here are some strategies to consider:
Benefits for Your Company
When building an integrated health and well-being strategy, make sure it covers everything from prevention and early identification of symptoms to support and recovery. Doing so translates into increased retention, reduced disability and absenteeism, lower healthcare costs, and most importantly, a happier, healthier and more productive workforce.
SummaCare offers several health and wellness programs that can help support your employees whether they are experiencing short- or long-term stress, anxiety, trauma or depression. For more information on the programs we offer, visit https://www.summacare.com/employer-sales/plan-benefits