Reactive mental health measures don’t cut it anymore (and they never did)
It’s incredibly encouraging to see employers taking on the responsibility put squarely in front of them by this pandemic. That said, can they do more?
It’s now clear that the COVID-19 pandemic has created an immense amount of uncertainty, chaos, and overwhelming stress for the majority of people in their daily lives. Less obvious is how this has affected employees who are likely doing double, or even triple, duty between work and home life. Those lines have quickly become increasingly blurred. As a result, mental health, which has always been important, is now a priority for the workforce.
Most employers want to do their best to support their employees through this crisis — and people need that support. A recent study by Qualtrics and SAP of over 2,700 employees across more than 10 industries found that 75% of people feel more socially isolated, 67% of people report higher stress, 57% have greater anxiety, and 53% feel that they are more emotionally exhausted since the start of the pandemic. Let these numbers sink in for a moment. A lot of people are really feeling the burden of this pandemic — and often silently.
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But beyond wanting to do the right thing by their business, employers have a responsibility to take care of their employees and to try to ensure some stability for both. A recent survey by the nonprofit employer group the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions found that of 256 companies, 53% are providing special emotional and mental health programs for their employees as a direct result of effects from the pandemic. Some examples of these offerings can be found in a recent article on LinkedIn:
- Starbucks is now providing access to 20 free counseling or coaching sessions, which can also be accessed by family members, at no cost.
- Unilever has launched a 14-day mental wellbeing resilience program for its employees.
- Professional services firm EY is offering live daily workouts online in an attempt to reduce anxiety and depression.
- Goldman Sachs has provided an extra 10 days of family leave to its employees in order to take care of personal needs as a result of the pandemic.
It’s incredibly encouraging to see employers taking on the responsibility put squarely in front of them by this pandemic. That said, can they do more? Although each of these benefits is individually helpful, does a better approach exist?
Is there an approach that can not only mitigate the stress and anxiety we’re seeing today, but also proactively support wellbeing going forward? The answer is an unequivocal yes, and it’s based on the same reasoning we have for brushing our teeth, exercising, and buckling our seat belts: the power of prevention.
Proactive vs. reactive approach
Although a lot of employers are now stuck in a reactionary state of taking care of their employees’ mental health and wellbeing, it doesn’t need to be this way. In fact, it shouldn’t. Rather than reacting to the employee mental health crisis, leaders who care about helping their people to live better lives should have already implemented proactive, or preventive, measures for greater mental health.
After all, everyone has mental health, all the time. And everyone is somewhere on the spectrum of mental health wellness. Yet our current mental health programs are treatment based. They’re designed and built to support the 1 in 5 adults annually who experience some form of mental health illness. The mental health of these individuals shouldn’t be the only ones considered important during a pandemic — or at any other time.
When employers only focus on reactive mental health support, it feeds into the stigma surrounding mental health. “COVID-19 is taking a toll on our minds and emotions in a million little ways,” says SHRM President and CEO Johnny C. Taylor Jr. “Now, more than ever, employers should double down against stigmas and guarantee employees know of the resources, benefits, and accommodations available.” In addition, these kinds of measures and tools have low utilization and engagement. Finally, they’re simply brought into the game too late to make a significant difference.
Just 6% of workers use the Employee Assistance Programs provided to them. That leaves a huge share of your workforce that likely needs proactive assistance but aren’t getting the tools, education, and care they need. They’re not being empowered to take care of themselves regardless of where they are on the mental health spectrum. So, while applying reactive mental health support is certainly better than doing nothing, prevention is (and always has been) the key to a healthier workforce. Providing every employee with the right care, at the right time — and making it always accessible — should be the new vision of mental health for companies that care.
Being proactive makes solid business sense
U.S. businesses are taking an estimated $53 billion hit each year in absenteeism. On the other hand, the World Health Organization says that for every $1 put into scaled-up treatment for common mental disorders, there’s a $4 return in improved health and productivity. By empowering employees, proactive mental health measures that offer measurement, variety, and accessibility can lead to improved organizational performance.
The bottom line is that employers can help protect their business and their employees with a proactive, multifaceted approach to mental wellbeing that provides long-term positive improvement.
Whole-person, whole-organization
But to achieve those results for your business and your workforce, it’s critical to realize employee health isn’t one-dimensional, and that mental health programs certainly shouldn’t be one-size-fits-all models.
To create a more stable and healthier workforce, employers need to consider a whole-person, whole-organization approach to mental health. This means applying preventive mental health strategies that can effect change in any individual’s psychological, physical, and social wellbeing — and doing that wherever each employee is on their own mental wellbeing journey.
The antithesis to a positive, preventive, and whole-person mental health strategy is assuming you (or your mental wellness app or solution vendor) know exactly what an individual needs and where they are along their journey. Instead, employers should provide employees with tools that address the whole person and enable their workforce to actually utilize those tools.
Mental health isn’t going away
Unfortunately — and despite everything that argues for an ongoing, whole-person, and proactive approach to employee mental health — we seem to be in a state of limbo amid the ongoing twists and turns of the pandemic. But one thing is certain: Employee mental health isn’t going away; it’s a fact of our lives. The effects of the current crisis will, meanwhile, be felt for a long time — for individuals and for companies.
Fortunately, the pandemic has opened employers’ eyes to what has been in front of them for a long time, unseen but silently occurring below the surface: their employees’ mental health, just like their physical health, is always in need of support. It can’t be ignored, and it certainly shouldn’t be, unless employers want to see the financial impacts of a workforce that’s left completely to its own devices and unsupported.
Proactive, preventive steps can ensure the health and wellbeing of the whole person and the whole organization. Employers can help their employees be healthier, more resilient, and more productive — and improve their company culture and brand — starting now for whatever the uncertain future brings.