Companies have been trying to find the right approach to mental health for years (representative)
Layoffs, back-to-work battles, and concerns about jobs being replaced by artificial intelligence have raised employee stress levels and exposed troubling workplace deficiencies. Few managers know how to properly address their employees’ mental health concerns.
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 9 in 10 American adults believe the country is facing a mental health crisis. Workplaces typically have basic guidelines on how managers can deal with issues such as anxiety and depression in their employees, but few workplaces have guardrails for knowing what not to say. . This is what experts say bosses are haphazardly trying to spread mental health struggles in the workplace, which, while well-meaning, can increase the burden on employees. More than 7 in 10 employees surveyed by Fishbowl say they are uncomfortable discussing their mental health needs and challenges with their managers.
Christina McCarthy, Executive Director of One Mind at Work, a mental health nonprofit, said: “Mid-managers on the front lines are fundamentally ill-equipped.”
Spurred by the pandemic’s surge in mental health issues among workers, organizations have responded with awareness and investment. Years of prejudice have receded, prompting the leader of a once-guarded business to speak openly about the challenges he faced. A survey by Headspace Health last year found that 2 out of 3 CEOs said they talked about mental health at work, compared to 1 in 3 in 2020. , that doesn’t mean they’re speaking properly. .
Companies and their leaders have been searching for the right approach to workplace mental health for years. In 2015, a corporate consultant named Mike Robbins gave a TED Talk, “Bring Your Self to Work,” and said the key to success is to bring “all of us,” including fears, doubts, and anxieties, into an organization. ‘ claimed. His speech builds on previous research by researcher Brené Brown that emphasized the “power of vulnerability.”
But as these new-age leadership approaches gain momentum, employees complain on workplace blogs about managers encouraging employees to bare their souls before budget meetings. I’ve been asked to set up a ‘sympathy corner’ during the team conference call to discuss recent misfortunes, such as the death of a parent.
“Managers are not therapists. It’s a responsibility,” McCarthy said. “Most organizations would be concerned if they heard managers behaving in this way because it could have unintended consequences.”
Melanie Naranjo, vice president of employees at training platform Ethena, recalls having a boss early in the pandemic.
“Employees want to know managers care about their health and success,” she said. “It doesn’t mean saying, ‘Hey, I’m suffering from depression. I want to open it up and see who else has it!'”
According to James Pratt, a former human resources executive who has worked with bipolar disorder, leaders who do it are like “psychological vampires.” “They prey on the pain of others and people can be deeply hurt by it.”
Training is helpful and has become more common these days, but experts say it only works so far. “Just click a box and move on,” says Bernie Wong, Senior Manager and Principal, Insights at MindShare Partners, a mental health nonprofit. A professional’s best advice for a layman who gets involved in a colleague’s problem is to listen and direct them to the right sources of help.
Employers are trying to improve. His KPMG, the tax and audit giant, is piloting a program for managers to call and test the company’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP). This is a confidential service that connects employees to mental health resources. That way, you can better understand how the process works when employees really need help.
“If someone came to us and was bleeding, we wouldn’t ask anyone to be a doctor,” said Jason KPMG, who oversees benefits and benefit planning at KPMG as total compensation leader in the United States. Larue said, “You guide them to the help they need.”
One concern is that mental health resources could fall prey to cost-cutting campaigns that continue to gain momentum across the economy. Just 25% of employees surveyed by Headspace Health last year said their company remains focused on the issue as the pandemic wanes. Mind Share Partners’ Wong said it would be unwise.
“In a recession, when employers feel they need to tighten their belts, employees are most looking for support,” he said.
