The American Psychiatric Association Foundation conducted a poll about mental health in the workplace. “40% of our poll respondents told us that they didn't feel comfortable talking about mental health in the workplace because of fear or shame or the threat of retaliation. They didn't want to be perceived as the weak link on the job. And 48% of the folks who responded told us that even when they're off the clock, they never felt like they could be 'on', you know, just work-life balance was off," says Rawle Andrews Jr., executive director at APA.
Andrews says they found that nearly 3x as many people who had training in mental health literacy and awareness gained more confidence across the organization from the bosses to the newest employee.
He points out the stigma attached to bringing up mental health struggles depends on the workplace. “If we have psychological safety where we can live and lead and work whole and well, and that is from the top down that our leaders and our leaders of leaders let us know it's okay to be a human being and be in the workplace, we don't find those kind of troubles. But in those instances where we're closed, where we're shut down, where we're not transparent, we find that three out of four people say they're stressed out at work or that they are facing a mental health condition that they can't work through. And they're spending we are spending so much time at work.”
APA created a new training program Notice, Talk, Act at Work. Notice is noticing the signs and symptoms of distress in ourselves and others in real time. Talk, have a comfortable conversation versus a difficult conversation about mental health concerns.
Andrews adds “Act, which is the most important thing. Once we've opened up the conversation, what are the tools, tips and resources that might be available to help us be stronger, to help us be better teammates, and to help our organization perform at its peak? What are some of the ways that employers can make it easier for employees to start those conversations about mental health? Well, the first thing we are encouraging all leaders to do from the C-suite, up, down and across: be a human being.”
For more information on mental health training in the workplace go to workplacementalhealth.org.