Why employees hesitate to disclose mental health concerns—and what employers can do about it

About one out of four employees has a diagnose mental health and up to 65% say that mental health problems interfere with their ability to work.

The economic assessment is amazing. In the United States only, mental health problems cost more than $ 280 billion a year. Around the world, this figure reaches approximately 1 dollars per year.

Mental health is increasingly recognized as essential to the functioning of the workplace. Organizations invest substantial resources in well-being programs, mental health training and employee assistance programs. Some even offer on -site therapy sessions at no cost for their employees.

However, despite these efforts, many employees are hesitant to ask for help or disclose their mental health problems. This reluctance can leave under-support employees and contribute to an increase in absenteeism and turnover. Those who choose not to disclose often lack access to accommodation and support for work, which can exacerbate their conditions and even increase the risk of job loss.

Disclosure can be a gateway to vital support, but questions remain on how to facilitate such disclosure. Our research, recently published as free access articles, show that the decision to disclose a mental health problem is not purely personal and can depend on the wider environment of the workplace.

Supporting workplaces lead to better mental health

In two samples, we interviewed 1,232 employees in Canada and the United States, we recruited quality participants, an online panel supplier and a large financial institution in Canada that operates on several locations. We asked employees – both with and without mental health problems – to indicate to what extent they received their organization as support for the disclosure of mental health problems.

Employees with mental health problems shared if they had disclosed their state to their employer, how will they were willing to disclose their levels of anxiety and depression in the future and a range of attitudes and behaviors related to work.

We found that a working environment that was safe and supported the disclosure of mental health problems was extremely beneficial for employees and organizations.

First, employees working in very favorable environments were 55% more likely to disclose their mental health problems. These environments were also linked to a greater desire to disclose current or potential mental health problems.

Second, support environments were associated with lower levels of anxiety and depression, which are both important mental health indicators. This suggests that organizations can contribute to the mental health of employees by promoting support environments.

Thirdly, employees who estimated that their organization maintained disclosure reported greater satisfaction at work, greater professional commitment and more organizational citizenship behavior, such as helping colleagues or going beyond their functions. These types of behavior help create healthy and efficient workplaces.

In one of our samples, we have paired the responses of employees with their organizational files of absenteeism. We found that when employees have judged their organizational environment as promoting the disclosure of mental health, they were less likely to lack work due to a disease.

Support the disclosure of mental health

Our study has identified three elements of a workplace that support the disclosure of mental health. The first is the lack of stigma and planned discrimination. Many employees choose to hide their concerns because they are afraid of being stigmatized, to face unjust treatment or to be transmitted for promotions.

Employees often take up subtle clues in their environment – unconsciously or not – to estimate the risk of stigma. If they observe colleagues with disclosed mental health problems treated negatively, this indicates weak organizational support and makes disclosure risky.

The second element is the availability of organizational resources. The disclosure of its mental health problems should unlock access to organizational supports, such as holidays or consulting programs. These supports must be tangible and go beyond simple mentions in the manual of employees. The employees form the perceptions of the seriousness of their organization according to the question of whether these resources are present and accessible.

The third element is the presence of social support. Our research has revealed that social support was an important indicator of informal culture around mental health problems. Such support may include emotional support of peers or supervisors, and the ability to openly discuss mental health.

Employees notice if, and how, mental health is discussed at work. When employees are encouraged to talk about it openly, the workplace seems more conducive to disclosure. On the other hand, when concerns are rejected or encountered with unnecessary advice such as “remaining positive” or “hardened”, the environment is unlikely to be considered support.

How organizations can support disclosure

Our research indicates four main strategies that organizations can use to promote an environment that signals support for the disclosure of mental health problems.

1. Identify improvement areas.

Our research provides a list of survey elements that organizations can use to follow employee perceptions and identify priority areas for improvement. For example, one might wonder about employees if they feel safe to disclose a mental health problem, or if they believe that the organization reacts with support when others do. These articles can be included in the annual surveys of employees, with the anonymity guaranteed to encourage honest responses.

2. Fight stigma by modeling roles.

Middle -to -work managers are well placed to make positive changes and appropriate behavior of the model. Employees often turn to leaders and model their behavior. Providing managers with implicit biases and equipping them with tools to provide support from employees to mental health problems can help start the positive change cycle. Managers who receive mental health training tend to be more favorable, more likely to encourage disclosure and are better able to guide employees towards appropriate aid.

3. Make visible and easily accessible resources.

Even when organizations have resources, employees may not know them or can find them difficult to access. Organizations and managers must frequently communicate on the availability of mental health resources and ensure that they are easy to access. Administrative formalities and bureaucracy can dissuade employees from accessing organizational supports.

4. Talking openly about mental health.

Talking about mental health can help normalize it and encourage employees to share their concerns. This may include an intentional creation of possibilities of such discussions, such as mental health days. In addition, when senior leaders share their experiences with mental health problems, this can help normalize such discussions.

In the end, a disclosure environment supports employee mental health and encourages positive work behavior. In other words, when employees feel safe enough to speak, employees and organizations benefit from it.

This article is republished from the conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.