Human Resources: Executive Summary: Mental Health in the Workplace

Workers' mental health disorders "exact a heavier toll on workplace productivity than do physical illnesses," according to a 2004 Employee Benefits Journal article. Mental illness affects virtually all businesses and represents a costly and complex set of issues that are likely to become more critical over time. Employers ill-prepared to address the matter will continue to feel the impact in terms of lowered performance levels, increased absenteeism and a range of other workforce problems.

Many of today's workers say they are stressed, anxious and burned out, finding it hard to balance their work and personal lives. Technologic improvements continuously step up production demands and expectations, and the lack of privacy and downtime afforded by "cubicle farm" environments might be adding to workers' mental health woes.

In addition, many factors from outside of work influence employee mental health. For instance, personal issues such as divorce and the deaths of loved ones, including pets, seriously affect workers' performance on the job. Reactions to such losses do not resolve themselves in the course of the standard three-day bereavement leave. Workers often return to work in varying stages of mourning. These and other mental and emotional difficulties are not easily left at the workplace door.

The results can be very costly to business. About 200 million workdays are lost in the U.S. annually because of mental health-related issues, according to a joint report from the International Labour Organization and the World Health Organization. Depression alone is estimated to cost U.S. business up to $53 billion per year in lost workdays and productivity. Grief packs an even bigger wallop, costing business about $75 billion per year.

Several factors ought to be taken into consideration when assessing the status and effectiveness of employer mental health policies and initiatives. In spite of the plethora of information available about the nature and treatability of mental illness, stigma is still an issue that prevents many people from seeking help for mental or emotional difficulties. A recent study conducted by the University of Michigan Depression Center suggests that most workers are fearful that seeking professional help to deal with emotional difficulties or mental health issues will negatively affect their careers. Other barriers to mental health treatment include a lack of education and understanding about mental illness and treatment options. Providing mental health benefits doesn't do any good if employees don't seek assistance.

Employer-sponsored mental health benefits have long been weaker than they should be and this is due in part, some experts say, to lack of understanding of the importance of adequately covering mental health services and the effects in the short term and the long run. In addition to generally poor coverage by most health benefits plans, mental health carve-out plans seem to discourage rather than encourage employees from getting the help they may need by severely limiting reimbursement for services and restricting the number of visits employees may have each year. Meanwhile, the availability of an employee assistance program is not an adequate substitute for a good mental health benefit program.

Women suffer from depression more than men do and are especially hard hit by this disease, according to the National Mental Health Association. It estimates that of the about 19 million adults suffering from depression in the U.S. in 2003, 12 million were women, and five million of those were working women. One in three working women suffering from depression reported that it seriously affected their work, professional life and performance on the job. Absenteeism rates for women who are suffering from depression are double that of the general population, according to a 2003 study. Many experts view depression as a major hindrance to women's advancement in the workplace.

But the news isn't all bad. Mental illness and other health issues are often successfully treatable. Of the nearly 59 million people in the U.S. who received treatment for mental health issues in the past two years, as many as 80% report that the treatment they received was effective.

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The Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp, inc.) improves corporate productivity through a combination of research, community, tools and technology focused on the management of human capital. With more than 100 leading organizations as members, including many of the best-known companies in the world, i4cp draws upon one of the industry’s largest and most-experienced research teams and Executives-in-Residence to produce more than 10,000 pages annually of rapid, reliable and respected research and analysis surrounding all facets of the management of people in organizations. Additionally, i4cp identifies and analyzes the upcoming major issues and future trends that are expected to influence workforce productivity and provides member clients with tools and technology to execute leading-edge strategies and "next" practices on these issues and trends. i4cp is a for-profit company with offices in St. Petersburg, Florida.