Mental health impacts employee engagement, productivity, turnover and other variables every bit as much as physical well-being–depression alone leads to over 200 million lost workdays a year. (Photo: Shutterstock)

When was the last time one of your employees took time off from work by calling in “sad”?

While it's common for people not to work when they have a cold, break a bone or suffer from any number of physical ailments, the same is not true when it comes to mental health. In many workplaces, discussing mental wellness is taboo — despite research that shows that 1 in 5 people experience mental illness. Plus, there's my own unofficial research showing that 5 in 5 people experience broader emotional challenges at times that can hinder work.

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