As the talk of mental health in the news and society blossoms and evolves it makes sense that these discussions are entering the workplace. American workers log long hours and are constantly connected to work via phones and mobile devices. Eventually, this takes a toll on a person resulting in stress, anxiety, and depression. In the workplace, these ailments result in reduced productivity, increased medical costs, high absenteeism and high turnover. Are companies supporting their employees to help combat these issues?
Overwhelmingly more companies are creating programs and offering services to support their employees’ mental well-being. Cisco, Lyft and Microsoft are just some companies that are offering unlimited PTO and emergency days off, free counseling sessions or free access to a mental health care service like Lyra Health. To protect law enforcement officers in New Jersey, a directive was passed in August 2019 to promote resiliency stating, “protecting an officer’s mental health is just as important as guarding their physical safety”.
Resources like One Mind at Work (www.onemindatwork.org) is a global coalition of leaders from diverse sectors including business, medicine, research, education, law enforcement, the military, and civil society. These leaders will join together with the goal of providing the transformational leadership we need at this historic moment in the evolution of mental health care, by championing proven, scalable approaches to raise awareness, eliminate stigma, deliver affordable access to quality care, build a culture of well-being and deliver better health and economic outcomes.
If you think your current employer could do more to support their employees’ mental health, contact your HR department about adding mental health benefits like Lyra Health (www.lyrahealth.com). If you are interviewing, ask the recruiter what mental health benefits are offered. Even if this is something you don’t need to take advantage of now or in the future, if a company offers these types of benefits it is a reflection on the company’s leaders and how much they value a healthy work environment.
By Megan Cashion | People Science Talent Advisor II