Many managers assume that an employee’s mental health is none of their concern when, in fact, it can have an enormous impact on their performance, as well as that of their co-workers. It can also have a negative impact on the company’s bottom line. One in five Americans has a diagnosable mental health condition, so it’s a business imperative to make employee mental health a concern.

 

The Centers for Disease Control estimates that mental illness and substance abuse cost businesses between $79 and $105 billion yearly. Reduced productivity, absenteeism, and higher healthcare costs are just a few of the ways mental illness costs employers.

 

Creating a Healthy Workplace

A healthy workplace is one where workers and managers actively contribute to the working environment by promoting and protecting the health, safety and well-being of all employees.

Mental health interventions should be delivered as part of an integrated health and wellness strategy that covers prevention, early identification, support and rehabilitation.

 

A recent WHO-led study estimated that for every $1 put into scaled-up treatment for common mental health disorders, businesses realize a return of $4 in improved health and productivity.

 

How to Encourage Good Employee Mental Hygiene

It’s up to leadership to set the tone for a healthy working environment. Here are a few tips that can help.

 

Promote work/life balance. Management needs to walk the walk and talk the talk so teams will be comfortable knowing that their “me” time is valuable. Encourage employees to use their paid time off. Leadership must do the same to serve as role models.

 

No 24/7 email. Promoting an environment where employees are expected to be “always on” isn’t healthy. Volkswagen has a great employee-centric email policy: Email servers stop routing messages 30 minutes after the end of employees’ shifts and start again 30 minutes before they return.

 

End the cult of overwork. The pervasiveness of an always-on work culture can be harmful. It’s not healthy when employees compete to be last to leave the office, nor should it be a status symbol to continually talk about how busy they are. Productivity and performance should be the predictors of success, not hours logged.

 

Encourage the use of EAPs. It’s been proven time and time again that mentally healthy employees are more productive, have fewer absences, and are less prone to work-related injury. When management encourages their team members to use the services an EAP provides, employees gain confidence that they’re working in a supportive environment, which, in turn can improve satisfaction and employee engagement.

 

Employee Assistance Network has been helping companies and government organizations across Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee for more than 30 years. We are a recognized leading provider of Employee Assistance Programs, managed behavioral healthcare services and work-related training and education programs.  For more information or to download our overview brochure please visit www.eannc.com.

Although the Biblical proverb says, “Physician, heal thyself,” many physicians, nurses and other medical professionals are still reluctant to seek one-on-one counseling with a counselor or psychiatrist when it would be highly beneficial to them. They are often in dire need of a sympathetic ear when it comes to understanding the magnitude of the daily trials they can face both at work and at home.

 

While some medical professionals prefer that a peer provide that support, some also can benefit by the use of an EAP. In addition to confidential support services designed specifically to help physicians deal with the stress of their profession, an EAP can provide a menu of convenient, time-saving work and life services designed to reduce the stress in their lives, as well as that of their families.

 

EAP counseling services address the barriers that typically prevent medical professionals from getting the help they need, such as lack of time, fear of stigma or loss of privileges or cost of treatment. And an EAP can help physicians and their families identify and resolve issues such as:

 

• Depression, stress and anxiety
• Chemical dependency and addictions
• Marital and relationship issues at home and at work
• Anger
• Grief and loss
• Workplace conflict
• Financial and legal issues

 

The confidential EAP services we provide to medical professionals and their families include:

• Convenient counseling by phone or in person
• Immediate access to services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
• Referrals to specialized professionals, if necessary
• Legal and financial assessment and referral

 

Work & Life Resources

When medical professionals feel good—physically, mentally and emotionally—their performance and productivity naturally improve. Patient confidence, satisfaction and retention go up. Staff morale increases.

 

Unfortunately, between the daily stress of a medical practice, emergencies and the demands of family life, these professionals often reach peak stress levels that can wreak havoc with their physical and emotional wellbeing. Our EAP is designed to reduce that stress.

 

Online Resources

Accessed through our member portal, medical professionals and their families can easily discover valuable work and life information online — with more than 20,000 articles and resources including self-search locators, online resources, financial calculators and other tools. We provide instant access to information on:

 

• Parenting: Information on adoption, parenting and childcare, child development, wellness and more.
• Aging: Topics on aging well and planning for the future to eldercare and dealing with grief and loss.
• Living: Articles ranging from consumer choices and legal and finance help to pet care, home improvement and more.
• Life Balance: Gives information and resources related to every aspect of personal growth, relationships and emotional wellbeing.
• Health and Wellness: Provides a wide variety of articles and resources.
• Legal: Resources including an online legal encyclopedia and helpful legal forms.
• Working: Articles on career and workplace issues, as well as resource links.