During these unprecedented times, employees are under greater stress due to job insecurity or financial losses than ever before. That stress can lead to mental disorders and long-term disability leave. Understanding mental disorders, knowing the signs and how to successfully integrate an individual when they return to work should therefore be required training for today’s people managers, according to a panel of experts.
Return to work in progress
The 3 Ws of return to work
Creating a positive return-to-work experience
The point of returnA Mercer webinar on Thursday, May 21 suggested that high levels of stress in an employee can trigger different types of mental disorders. These disorders can be categorized into four different areas:
- Mood and affective disorders
- Anxieties and phobias
- Panic and post-traumatic stress disorder
- Adjustment disorders
While everyone copes with stress in his or her individual way, mental health issues can reveal themselves in a variety of physical, psychological and behavioural reactions. And, while one of your employees or co-workers may appear to fit into one of the aforementioned categories, it is important not to judge anyone too quickly based solely on their behaviour, notes Diane Champagne a principal with Mercer in Montreal.
That being said, if an employee is showing any of the following signs, they may be having difficulty coping and be in mental distress. Signs include the following:
- Difficulty getting through the work day due to lack of sleep
- Change in appetite
- Worried or pre-occupied
- Sad and discouraged
- Many ailments such as constant headaches or colds
- Irritable or disinterested
- Performance issues
Knowing that high levels of consistent stress at work can lead to mental problems, below are some of the common work stresses that may be the culprits:
- Work overload or work that is too complex
- Lack of recognition
- Lack of job stability
- No participation in decisions that affect them
- Irregular or long hours
- Role conflict
- Role ambiguity
- Lack of autonomy
There are also personal causes of stress that should be taken into consideration, says Michael Klachefsky, a principal with Mercer in Portland, Oregon.. An individual who always “sees the glass as half-empty” is more likely to become mentally distressed, as is the person with a Type “A” personality. Age is also a discriminating factor, as depression typically hits women at age 35. For those individuals over 45, attempting to acquire a new and difficult skill can be the trigger, while those around age 24 who are working long hours are susceptible to mental problems. Gender is also important, with women twice as likely to suffer from depression as men.
Klachefsky adds that preventing an employee’s mental disorder is dependent on the support and commitment from upper management. Providing access to an Employee Assistance Program is one positive step, as is establishing an addictions policy and offering work/life balance programs.
Re-integrating an employee who has been off work due to a mental disorder brings with it its own set of challenges, he explains, adding that the best predictor for return-to-work is an individual’s work history, along with their current skill level. Both of these factors infer a certain level of work commitment and capability.
He also suggests that as an employer, you designate one person to maintain contact with the off-work employee throughout the entire process. Training management and co-workers on the myths surrounding mental disorders is also important. He also suggests that having a job description with mental and physical capacity requirements is not as difficult as some managers may think, and that it can be an important indicator on whether an employee is even capable of returning to their old job.