Fewer disability claims and a speedy return-to-work schedule for employees who are getting help with mental health issues—employers want these to be a reality. But how do they make it so? While there’s no shortage of resources available to employers on how to create a workplace that is healthy for mind and body, the problem—despite good intentions—lies in actually taking action.
Workplaces have been saddled with a “do more with less” philosophy since 2008, and continuing economic challenges have left few able to buck that trend.
Tod Maffin, keynote speaker at Benefits Canada’s Mental Health Summit in Toronto in November 2012, addressed how this mantra is causing serious issues in workplaces.
“Increased workload doesn’t necessarily mean a more productive workplace,” he told attendees. “Multi-tasking isn’t about what you are holding in your hand, it’s about what’s going on upstairs.”
Maffin, once the fast-moving CEO of a publicly traded digital company during the dot-com boom and, simultaneously, host of a technology show on CBC Radio One, is now a recovering alcoholic who has to work to keep both his addiction and depression in check. He explained that much of what led to his drinking and eventual breakdown was the pressure he felt to perform.
Although his company and radio show were doing well, Maffin’s physical and mental health were teetering dangerously on an unhealthy edge, and in his early 30s, he suffered a mental breakdown. Not realizing what was happening to him, Maffin initially shrugged it off—he figured everyone is stressed and he just wasn’t handling it as well as others.
It turned out he was suffering from depression. By the time he was 35, Maffin’s undiagnosed illness escalated to the point where he was powering through 18-hour workdays with the help of a bottle of red wine and Polar Ice vodka. But nobody knew.
How could someone in such mental distress and with severe addiction issues fly under the radar?
“It didn’t occur to me that people didn’t wake up not hating themselves,” said Maffin. If you don’t think there is anything wrong with you, there is no reason to ask for help.
Stéphane Grenier, a retired lieutenant-colonel of the Canadian military and founder of Mental Health Innovations Consulting, had a similar experience.
“When I returned from Rwanda a broken person, I didn’t know I was broken,” he said. “I was sick and didn’t know. I thought I was normal.”
Paula Allen, vice-president, research and integrative solutions, with Morneau Shepell, cited a Conference Board study that estimated 12% of current employees have a diagnosed mental issue. And, according to the 2010 Leger National Survey on Depression, 17% delay taking action because they are afraid of the reaction they may get from family and friends. They also don’t want to come forth because they say the stigma can be worse than the illness itself, and many fear repercussions at work.
Managing mental health
Allen said that the most prevalent workplace mental health conditions are depression, anxiety and substance abuse. “All are very manageable and need not result in long-term productivity loss, nor disability.”
The best way to manage these illnesses is no different than other chronic diseases: early detection. Unfortunately, few plan sponsors have the luxury of on-site medical staff. But Sean Slater, vice-president, business development, with Solareh, said there are warning signs for these conditions—ones that don’t require a medical degree to spot.
Slater listed indicators that managers and co-workers should be aware of but added that any significant change in the person’s verbal and/or non-verbal behaviour, attitude or performance warrants attention. As well as any change involving persistent, specific and uncharacteristic signs that last for more than two weeks.
“Managers don’t need to solve the problems; they just need to be a facilitator toward help,” he said. “People don’t get sick overnight. There’s a process that predisposes us to it.”
Grenier agreed. “We don’t deal with symptoms in the workplace; we deal with behaviours.”
More Action
As a first step, employers should offer training and education for managers and employees on how to recognize signs of mental distress and point employees to the appropriate resources. However, training and education won’t be useful if the company culture can’t break down the stigma associated with mental health.
Grenier said there needs to be more social support at work for employees in these situations. “If someone sprains their ankle and comes to work on crutches, people ask what happened and wish them well, but what do we do for people who sprain their brains?” he asked. “Because the same environment for those people doesn’t exist.
“Sick leave was the kiss of death for me, because of my workplace culture,” he said, referring to the isolation he felt. “There are too many eggshells in workplaces to even say, ‘Let’s go for a coffee.’”
Employers can’t control what happens to their employees once they leave work, but they can control how the workplace impacts them.
April Scott-Clarke is associate editor, BenefitsCanada.com. april.scottclarke@rci.rogers.com