It’s been a rough start to the year for the average American worker. While hiring has leveled off somewhat, job searches are taking longer – sometimes as long as 12 months.
Persistent inflation has started steering consumers toward store-brand grocery items, away from restaurants, and essentially stressing them out.
Research from earlier this year has already revealed that employees – in multiple countries – are struggling with their mental health.
To make matters worse, a new poll shows that those same employees aren’t exactly willing to talk about it, either. The survey, a joint production between the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and the number crunchers at Ipsos, exposes a growing divide between mental health benefits at the workplace and worker’s desire to talk about their mental health at all.
The second annual poll included full-time employees at larger companies – which employed more than 100. The bottom line? While workers appreciate their mental health benefits, they remain hesitant to take advantage of them.
“These results show a high demand for mental health education and resources, with mental health challenges emerging across the workforce,” NAMI CEO Daniel H. Gillison Jr. explained in a press release. “But gaps persist — in knowledge, access, and comfort — that need to be addressed, not just for the benefit of the employees, but for these organizations as a whole.”
Stigma and Fear Persist
According to the survey results, more than 90 percent of employees believe mental health care benefits are critical to a positive workplace culture. In fact, they rank nearly as high in the poll results as standard health insurance. Even so, most employees refuse to discuss their mental health struggles, citing fears of judgment (from their superiors or their co-workers), not wanting to appear weak, and the perceived risks to their career.
Among those reluctant employees, the top concerns include fear of stigma and workplace retaliation. For example, while 81 percent of those surveyed are OK talking with a friend at work (and 57 percent would even bring up mental health issues with their boss), less than 40 percent of them would ever go to HR. And only 28 percent would bring up any concerns they had with senior leadership.
A Call for More Employer Support
Despite the growing attention to mental health at work, only 53% of employees say they know how to access that care through their employer-sponsored health plan. And that’s probably because education and training remain underfunded. Less than a quarter of employees – 20 percent – receive any materials on mental health conditions or symptoms.
And it’s not happening during onboarding either. Only about one in three new hires admit that they didn’t even know their employer offered any mental health benefits.
But that’s not to say that employees aren’t clamoring for more support. More than three-quarters of those polled believe that more training would help put their minds at ease while empowering them to help their co-workers.
Employees said that they’re most interested in learning about:
- Employer-provided mental health benefits.
- Stress and burnout management.
- How to respond to a mental health crisis.
- How to recognize mental health conditions (and their symptoms).
- And how to best talk with coworkers.
Mental Health Education Shapes Workplace Culture
While more than a quarter of workers remain confused about whether their company provides mental health benefits, employee assistance programs, or flexible work arrangements, more than 80 percent are convinced that they’re essential to a positive workplace culture.
Training programs appear to be effective in making mental health issues easier to talk about – for employees and employers alike.
“It takes a commitment for companies to implement mental health education and establish mental health benefits,” NAMI Chief Innovation Officer Darcy Gruttadaro added. “By doing so, organizations will see increased productivity, connection, and satisfaction among employees who are connected to resources.”
Further Reading
Employee Mental Health is a Global Issue
How Clinicians Can Help With the Psychological Toll of Layoffs
Work Hours, Sleep Sufficiency, and Prevalence of Depression Among Full-Time Employees
