The role of mental health in the workplace
In 2017, it was reported that 47% of working Canadians said that work is the most stressful part of their day, creating mental health issues that 82% of working Canadians say impacts their work.
Even now, as COVID 19 continues to affect people everywhere, it’s not just our physical health that’s impacted. Many of us are still experiencing the depression and anxiety that comes with isolating ourselves from others for the sake of our health, losing our jobs due to major shutdowns everywhere or businesses that can’t afford to stay open after being closed for so long, and the stress that comes with knowing people who are especially vulnerable to the virus.
Now bring all of that weight on your shoulders into work. A lot of us work 9-5 jobs (let’s be real, longer hours usually), but have we ever stopped to think about how it’s impacting our overall well being? In our years working with companies, big and small, we’ve highlighted the importance of individual productivity and how it contributes to the company’s overall performance - but productivity is unsurprisingly low when we’re suffering from depression, anxiety, stress, or other mental illness.
While mental health issues will not always sprout from work, our job performance will almost always be impacted. On top of productivity, it will also affect our engagement with our work, communication with our co-workers and management, and our physical health and capability.
The long-term consequences of ignoring the issues of mental health in the workplace? Increased absenteeism, presenteeism, turnover rates, and hiring costs.
An employee with major depression is absent 27 days of the year
What can employers do?
Create a workspace culture that values mental health and well being *link*
Create open conversations about mental wellness and its importance
Ensure your employees have access to resources and and support
Create community within the workplace
Allow room for mental health days
Stay consistent
The effort that goes into building strong work relationships, reducing stigmas in the workplace, and prioritizing important conversations about your employees’ well being is a lot less than the effort that goes into dealing with turnover, extra hiring costs, low productivity, and overall low performance.