Every single person on our planet has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has highlighted the importance of employee mental health. This challenge provides employers an opportunity to support their employees’ personal needs, resulting in a more productive and engaged workforce.
Employees are not only facing an unprecedented threat to their physical health, but they are suffering a corresponding mental trauma. This can manifest in the form of anxiety, depression, PTSD, anger and grief, stemming from the loss of jobs, businesses, holidays, freedom and a sense of security. According to “SARS Control and Psychological Effects of Quarantine” – a study of the psychological effects of quarantine – 31.2 per cent of the population have developed depression and 28.9 per cent have developed PTSD.
In addition, ‘‘financial loss as a result of quarantine created serious socioeconomic distress and [contributes to] psychological disorders inclusive of both anger and anxiety.’’ Mental health and addiction specialist Dr. Rizwan Rafiq highlights the signs of anxiety, depression and PTSD that may be visible in the workplace:
- Anxiety – “Restlessness or feeling on edge, easily fatigued, difficulty concentrating or mind going blank, and irritability.”
- Depression – “Depressed mood, lack of enjoyment… poor appetite, poor concentration, loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities… [and] excessive guilt.”
- PTSD – “Suddenly feeling/acting as though the stressful experience were happening again… having strong negative feelings, such as fear, horror, anger, guilt or shame.”
Interestingly, children’s health and safety advocate Charlene Renaud connects the mental health of children to their parent’s workplace performance. Citing a 2019 Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Ontario report, she explains one in four parents in the province miss work to care for a child with anxiety issues, costing the Ontario economy $421 million a year. “Imagine your child is confident, thriving, energetic, healthy and safe,” she explains. “How would this affect your life? You would benefit from less stress, increased focus [and] your mental health would also improve, knowing your child is happy.”
Notwithstanding the corporate moral and ethical responsibility to care for employee well-being, employee mental health also has an economic impact on businesses. The World Health Organization (WHO) confirms employee depression and anxiety generate an estimated $1 trillion U.S. per year in lost productivity. Additionally, an Employers’ Health Coalition study found that presenteeism (defined by Morneau Shepell as “time spent at work while not productively engaged in work”) resulted in 7.5 times greater productivity loss than absenteeism.
Understanding employee mental health can be difficult, so how can employers begin to approach this business challenge? Along with places such as the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS), the CMHA is an excellent resource for education and detailed advice for workplaces. For one, this organization shares how mental illness episodes are more likely to activate during stressful or uncertain times, resulting in potentially fluctuating levels of employee morale, productivity, confidence, concentration, decision-making, learning and connection to colleagues. The CMHA provides a free Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Guide for Managers because their support role is critical. “Just as physical first aid is administered to an injured person before medical treatment can be obtained, MHFA [should also be] provided,” the CMHA explains.
The basics of MHFA include recognizing a behavioural change, responding with a confident conversation, then guiding the employee to appropriate resources and support. In actioning these steps, remember to emphasize your concern for the employee’s well-being, lead with listening instead of problem solving, talk about the employee’s strengths, keep in touch and refrain from rushing the conversation. Canadian law does not require employees to disclose any health-related diagnoses to their employers, so it is important to let each employee decide how much they share. Ultimately, employees know better than anyone what accommodations they require to continue working productively. To ensure their needs are met, solutions should be discussed directly with the employee.
To create a workplace that supports its employees’ mental health, the CMHA suggests some global adjustments employers can make, including:
- Ensure tasks and objectives are clear,
- Ensure health and safety policies are updated and understood,
- Recognize, reward and reduce overtime work,
- Modify the way instructions and feedback are given, with written or recorded instructions to help employees stay on task and remember the directive,
- Consistent meetings with employees to help deal with problems before they become serious,
- Evaluate the need to reduce employee workloads, specifically manager workloads, and
- Consider reducing job-related travel time for employees, which may mean opportunities for full or partial work-from-home options, flexible arrangements for when to work and/or extra time off.
Lastly, what should you do if you are the employee struggling with mental health challenges? Dr. Rafiq’s Mental Health First Aid tips include:
- Pick up the phone or drive to meet a colleague,
- Attend to your basic physical needs (eat, sleep, take time off),
- Distress tolerance – accepting the uncertainty of life or the future,
- Self-compassion – don’t be hard on yourself,
- Connect with trustworthy peers and friends,
- Life experiences – How can we learn from this? How can we grow from this? What are my values and world views? and
- Seek professional therapy.
The Basics of Letting Go
We have very little control in life over anything
The more we try to control things, the more we get stressed
The more we get stressed, the less we have to offer
The less we have to offer, the more frustrated we get
The more frustrated we get, the more errors we are likely to make
The more errors we make, the more likely we are to get into trouble
Why worry…just let go. – Dr. Rizwan Rafiq
With thanks to:
Dr. Rizwan Rafiq, Chief of Psychiatry and Medical Director of the Mental Health and Addictions program at Chatham-Kent Health Alliance (CKHA).
Charlene Renaud, a life coach, professional speaker and author, created the Precious Pinata® plush character and guidebook designed to teach children valuable life skills.
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