What People Need for Better Workplace Mental Health

Workplace mental wellness. Does that sound like an oxymoron to you? Unfortunately, that’s how many people feel because of the poor mental health conditions that are in the business culture today. Workplace mental health is something that desperately needs to be addressed for the good of you, your company, and the world.

That’s right. I went a little big on that last one, but it’s 100 percent true. As a corporate mental health speaker who focuses on diversity and inclusion, I not only read the statistics, but I hear it from people who come up to talk to me after sessions around the country.

Workplace mental health needs to be addressed. I think most of us know it. But I think many struggle with figuring out what that really means and how to make it happen. So I decided to address this topic by enlisting the help of a few experienced and respected professionals: Dr. Isaiah Pickens, who is a licensed clinical psychologist and writer, and Nance Schick, who is an attorney, educator, coach, and mediator.

Here’s what I’m going to cover in this article about workplace mental health:

• Why you should care about the mental wellness of your office
• What mental health should look like in the workplace
• What mental health does looks like in the workplace today
• The three things that every workplace needs to focus on
• The legal considerations of workplace mental health

Why does mental wellness matter at work?

Let’s start with the obvious. Your workplace is full of people. Real human beings.

On a personal level, I hope that we all care about those with whom we are working. I would hope that you wouldn’t want any of your staff or coworkers being part of the 450 million people that the World Health Organization (WHO) reports suffer from mental health challenges.

On a business level, mental health challenges cost your company money.

WHO claims that depression is one of the leading causes of disability. And a recent WHO-led study found that the global economy suffers a $1 trillion loss each year from lost productivity due to anxiety and depression.

Those are significant numbers that you can’t afford to ignore.

What mental health in the workplace should look like

Let me tell you a story I read that I believe showcases the perfect response to mental health in the workplace. You can read more about it in the Inc. article, “This CEO’s Absolutely Perfect Response to Someone Taking a Day Off for Mental Health is a Master Class in Leadership.”

A few years ago, a web developer named Madalyn worked at Olark Live Chat. She decided to take a few days off for her mental health. As any responsible employee would, she made sure to put an out of office reply on her email. The subject of it was “Where’s Madalyn,” and this is what the email response said:

 “I’m taking today and tomorrow to focus on my mental health. Hopefully I’ll be back next week refreshed and back to 100%.”

Sounds simple enough, right? But I think it’s something that many of us would hesitate to put as our out of office reply. This would be sent to anyone who sent her emails while she was away. And that’s exactly what happened. The CEO of the company received her out of office reply and sent her this response to it:

“I just wanted to personally thank you for sending emails like this. Every time you do, I use it as a reminder of the importance of using sick days for mental health—I can’t believe this is not standard practice at all organisations. You are an example to us all, and help cut through the stigma so we can bring our whole selves to work.”

Don’t you just love that?

He supported her in her decision and acknowledged that it was a message important for others, including himself, to hear and be reminded of.

What mental health looks like in most workplaces

I wish that mental health was supported like that in workplaces around the country, but unfortunately, we are far from it.

Instead, we live in a world where people feel they need to look busy in the workplace. It’s something you can find in workplaces throughout the country—busy people.

Employees feel they need to be busy all the time in order to prove their worth and keep the company happy. Generations ago, there was loyalty within the workplace and people would work at one company for their entire career until they retired. It isn’t like that anymore. The message that “everyone is replaceable” is sung all too often, creating tension in the workplace.

We have created this fast-paced world that is unrealistic for us to keep up with if we ignore our mental health. We don’t have the capabilities as humans to just work, work, work, work, work, work, work. Sometimes you just need a break. That’s a healthy thing.

How to improve workplace mental health in your organization

If you want to start addressing workplace mental health, I believe the three things that you need to focus on are creating a culture of self-care, knowing the right conversations to have, and supporting employee wellness.

1. Cultivate a culture of self-care

Self-care is not a buzzword. I know it might feel like that a little. But it has to be part of the norm. Just like in the example above of the Olark Live Chat employee, you need to be proactive about your own mental health so you can help others do the same.

Here are a few things that you can consider implementing in your organization to cultivate a culture of self-care:

• Offer flexible hours. Work smarter not harder.
• Allow people to work remotely
• Bring in speakers to teach on self-care and mental health
• Encourage employees to take self-assessments (there are plenty of online assessments that you can find and recommend)
• Provide employees with information on handling stress and self-care strategies

2. Learn to have intentional conversations about mental health

This is an area that I think strikes a little fear into people. Talking about mental health is an uncomfortable and awkward conversation in everyday life. But talking about mental health in the workplace brings up a few legal considerations. So we’re going to address this from a few different angles: the individual, the coworker, and the leader.

The individual with mental health challenges

You don’t have to share the details of your mental health challenges with your coworkers. But if you’re struggling, they might be able to tell that something is going on. Caring coworkers notice this type of thing.

So when someone asks you “What’s going on?”, if you aren’t comfortable sharing the details, you can just say, “I’m going through a rough time.” On a human level, everyone knows what that means. Your rough time might be different than mine, but we’ve all been there before. 

However, if you want to share more, Dr. Pickens suggests that you learn how to self-advocate. You need to know how to have conversations around your own health. Learn what to share and how to share it in a way that others can understand. He shares, “It’s hard for coworkers or bosses to understand what’s going on. And sometimes it’s really just about finding the right language to do that.”

He also encourages you to take advantage of any employee assistance programs that are in place within your workplace or to get professional help from outside of those resources.

The coworker of someone struggling

Mental health challenges are not like a broken leg. You can’t see it on a person. Remember, unless they tell you, you really have no idea what the people around you are going through or struggling with. Because of the mental health stigma, people have gotten good at hiding it. You may never know.

While the legal ramifications are different if you are a coworker and not in a position of leadership, you still need to be mindful of mental health conversations in the workplace.

What you can do

Nance shared some incredibly valuable tips on how to do this that should be implemented by both employees and those in leadership positions:

1. Learn the right words to use. “Learn to catch yourself and stop using terms such as crazy, insane, and retarded to describe situations,” says Nance. “Expand your vocabulary and use words that are grammatically and factually accurate. Often, you can describe the same situation as difficult, challenging, frustrating, or something along these lines and relay the true reason it needs to be addressed. That’s far more effective and actionable.”
2. Stop playing amateur psychologist. “Unless you are a licensed psychiatrist, you are not qualified to diagnose someone as narcissistic, bi-polar, depressed, or mentally ill,” reminds Nance. “Labeling someone in this way is often a technique used to avoid responsibility for a relationship that is not working. Leaders take responsibility—and action toward better results. So, do that.”
3. Train others on appropriate behavior. Nance recommends that you “work with your employer to create an approved program that meets legal and culture requirements.” Don’t be afraid to propose solutions to leaders within your organization. She encourages, “If you are met with resistance, get some training in Persuasive Conversations and keep standing for what you know is right. It takes time for us to develop the skills we need for uncomfortable discussions—because we often avoid them. Don’t do that; build your skill and your confidence.”

Things you should remember

Outside of those three tips, Nance mentioned to me a few other things that are important to keep in mind. If a coworker shares a mental health struggle with you, keep it confidential. This is not appropriate water cooler talk or office gossip.

They have confided in you and now it’s your responsibility to protect that information and do your best to help them. One way you can do this is by learning about their diagnosis or struggle. Take time to educate yourself. And don’t be afraid to ask them what you can do to support them.

Learn about what warning signs you can watch for that show they are struggling with it. If they are saying or acting in a way that you think they may be a danger to themselves or someone else, report it. But remember, reporting it doesn’t mean sharing it with all your other coworkers; take it to your manager or the Human Resources department.

The Employers, Managers, and Leaders

“If you manage people, you have to be especially mindful of your conversations about mental health in the workplace. Not only are you responsible for your own behavior, you are responsible for the behavior of the people you supervise,” says Nance. “When you do not address discriminatory behavior and allow hostile work environments to occur, you can be disciplined, fired, or sued.”

And those last several words are the ones that I think keep people from taking action. They are scared of the repercussions of their actions. They aren’t sure what the rules are and what they’re allowed to say and what they shouldn’t say, so they try to play it safe and say nothing at all.

Nance advises, “Mental health is as protected as physical health, gender, gender identity, race, religion, and other topics in relationship to work.”

Therefore, you need to educate yourself on the rules. There should be company-wide training in your organization addressing what’s appropriate and what’s not.

Create systems that will support the culture you want in your organization.

3. Put systems in place to support employee wellness

“It’s hard to focus on the work you’re doing if you don’t feel psychologically safe,” says Dr. Pickens. “Safety can’t be built without a sense of trust. The reason people have trust for others is because there are people who they feel care and also create a structure that others will not hurt them in some way, whether it’s emotionally, physically or any other way.”

As a leader within an organization, it’s your job to create this safe structure for your employees. So how do you go about creating this type of work culture and environment?

Provide employees with resources

I encourage workplaces to create employee resource groups. If you don’t already have resources in place, you can take advantage of the free mental health resources that are out there. These can be shared with your employees. Check out the following:

• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
• Mental Health America (MHA)
• Mental Health Services Guide (Plus Free Services)

Or check out my book and workbook, Transforming Stigma: How to Become a Mental Wellness Superhero.

Make sure that you make resources available to employees in a way that allows them to check them out and utilize them anonymously. You don’t want to just dump a stack of brochures on the table in the lunchroom. Most people will not pick them up if you do this, even if they are interested in the information. It’s that mental health stigma at work again.

Focus on Diversity and Inclusion

We all know that when you feel valued and welcomed like a part of the tribe, your mental health is going to be better. When we cultivate welcoming environments where everyone feels included and like a part of the team, we get so much more done. Yes, companies are more profitable, but it’s also just good for our mental health.

This is why Dr. Pickens advises that diversity and inclusion efforts are an important piece of the puzzle. It allows people to more freely express the things that make them feel stressed and overwhelmed and respond to those in a way that is true to who they really are.

Provide a calm space

Dr. Pickens also recommends that workplaces “create spaces where people can come and settle down. Have calming rooms where people can do self-soothing techniques to help them better manage their stress when it becomes overwhelming.”

Better workplace mental health is important for everyone

Stress left untreated can lead to things like anxiety and depression. People don’t need to have a diagnosable mental health disorder in order to need your help and support with their mental and emotional wellness at work.

I believe that many employee productivity issues come down to mental health challenges. If you want to see your revenue numbers increase, take care of your people. This is where it all begins.

If you want to see how we can partner together to improve your workplace mental health, contact me here.