MENTAL HEALTH IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS PHYSICAL HEALTH

I suffer from PTSI, unipolar depression and high functioning anxiety. I also suffer many comorbid physical conditions due to my mental health conditions. Despite this, I manage a very active life and still regularly compete in sports, albeit at a reduced level. Having been a former elite professional athlete I appreciated what was required physically and mentally to compete at such a high level. However, I knew very little about what constituted good mental health.

Every day I hear of and witness leaders and organisations that contribute to their staffs poor mental health and yet do nothing to address it. The following is my thoughts on this.

Make no mistake, the greatest cause of disability globally is poor mental health and in the workplace it’s an urgent priority.

It is no secret that the majority of today’s adult population spends at least one-third of their lives at work. Even as remote work becomes increasingly common, full-time jobs inevitably shape a person’s health habits, which can either help or hinder performance. Employers play an important role and have a significant stake in helping to shape their employees’ physical and mental health habits.

While mental health was once a taboo topic in the workplace, many high-profile campaigns have encouraged a more open attitude towards it. As employees become more willing to talk about their mental wellbeing, so do leaders need to be better prepared to support them.

Mental health is a deeply human issue that most of us don’t want dig into the humanity of the workplace but what’s needed is to set the expectation of discomfort in the workplace. It takes lot of emotional bandwidth, is obscure, subjective, and messy to engage in, uncomfortable, complex and at times highly confronting, hence the reluctance for many organisations to involve themselves in investing in strengthening better mental health in the workplace.

There’s still so much stigma, shame, and discrimination around mental illness or mental health and wellbeing. People are still afraid to speak about it, yet more and more people are suffering given the COVID-19 pandemic. This unprecedented global pandemic has significantly affected many people’s mental health, restricted access to care for those with existing mental health conditions and is impacting on the workplace through increased anxiety and fear about the spread of the virus, loss of social networks, stressful experiences of healthcare and emergency services workers on the frontlines, and a higher risk of substance use. Despite these significant impacts, mental health has not been at the forefront of organisational funding. Where investment does occur it’s less than 1% of overall budgets despite the fact that for every US $1 invested in scaled-up intervention for common mental disorders there is a return of US $5 in improved health and productivity according to the WHO.

Equally as important to acknowledge is that mental health issues don't occur in a vacuum, and those suffering often don't have the option to keep issues confined to non-work hours. US research highlights Eighty percent of employees stated that workplace stress affected their personal relationships. So, while mental health in the workplace is an incredibly vital topic to address right now, it's one that organisations and businesses who value safety and health in the workplace should focus on even when the pandemic subsides.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), by 2030 the greatest health threat to developed and developing nations will be metal health, specifically depression and anxiety. Research (pre Covid) has identified that increasing investment toward mental health in the workplace is good for both employees’ well-being and a company’s bottom line.

Here are a few numbers that validate this claim:

How common is mental illness?

· 970 million people worldwide have a mental health or substance abuse disorder

· Anxiety is the most common mental illness in the world, affecting 284 million people

· Globally, mental illness affects more females (11.9%) than males (9.3%)

· Major depression, anxiety, alcohol use disorders, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and dysthymia (persistent mild depression) were identified as leading causes of disability in the U.S

· The mortality rate of those with mental disorders is significantly higher than the general population, with a median life expectancy loss of 10.1 years

· It is estimated mental disorders are attributable to 14.3% of deaths worldwide, or approximately 8 million deaths each year.

Mental health statistics worldwide

· Anxiety affects 284 million people in the world

· Depression affects 264 million people

· Alcohol use disorder affects 107 million people

· Drug use disorder affects 71 million people

· Bipolar disorder affects 46 million people

· Schizophrenia affects 20 million people

· Eating disorders affect 16 million people.

Economically, Mental illness has a global cost and will cost the global economy approximately $16 trillion (USD) by 2030. An estimated 12 billion working days are lost every year because of mental health injuries

· It costs Australia an estimated $11 and $12 billion dollars each year through absenteeism, presenteeism, reduced work performance, increased turnover rates and compensation claims

· Almost half (45%) Australians will experience a mental illness in their lifetime

· It’s estimated that one in five (20%) Australians aged 16-85 experience a mental illness in any year

· 20% of Australian workers feel anxiety

· 16% experience depression

· 27%are stressed “increasing significantly” since 2011 and further following COVID

· Depression has the third highest burden of all diseases in Australia - is the number one cause of non-fatal disability in Australia

· At least six Australians will die each day from suicide 30 will attempt to take their own life.

The figures suggest it is important for employers to take these challenges more seriously and take more responsibility for the mental health and wellbeing of their people. But what does this mean for leaders? Whether they are executives or managers, should they be equipped with the skills and knowledge to identify any potential issues and offer support to anyone who is struggling? Or should this already be part of their skill set?

So, the question becomes, how does an organisation go about improving mental health?

If organizational leadership is willing to engage their employees to develop their mental health programs, they can start a conversation that is thoughtful and that resonates with the employee populations.

In 2019, employers were just starting to grasp the prevalence of these challenges, the need to address stigma, and the emerging link to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). In 2020, mental health support went from a nice-to-have to a true business imperative. Fast forward to 2021, and the stakes have been raised even higher thanks to a greater awareness of the workplace factors that can contribute to poor mental health, as well as heightened urgency around its intersections with DEI.

Although employers have responded with initiatives like mental health days or weeks, four-day workweeks, and enhanced counselling benefits or apps, they’re not enough. Employees need and expect sustainable and mentally healthy workplaces, which requires taking on the real work of culture change. It’s not enough to simply offer the latest apps or employ euphemisms like “well-being” or “mental fitness.” Employers must connect what they say to what they actually do.

Employers must move from seeing mental health as an individual challenge to a collective priority. Given all the workplace factors at play, companies can no longer compartmentalize mental health as an individual’s responsibility to address alone through self-care, mental health days, or employee benefits.

In order to make real progress requires culture change. Culture change requires both a top-down and bottom-up approach to succeed. Workplace mental health is no different — an ecosystem of a Mentally Healthy Workplace Framework illustrates that everyone has a role to play, starting with leaders and managers.

Culture is a powerful tool to encourage healthy habits, and many companies have leveraged culture to help employees become more active and eat better. Increasingly, companies are finding ways to successfully and cost-efficiently promote better brain health in the workplace by creating a culture that values mental health needs and providing support without stigma. Relatively simple and inexpensive measures, such as building peer support networks with colleagues and starting a dialogue among managers that encourages healthy behaviour can go a long way in improving mental health in the workplace.

Creating a workplace culture that values mental health does not need to be a costly endeavour, and in many cases, there is plenty of low-hanging fruit that can bear rewards for employers. For example, simple efforts to replace negative stigma with positive affirmation can significantly improve a workplace environment and employee health.

It's the organisational leaders who can do this. Leaders must treat mental health as an organisational priority with accountability mechanisms and clear ownership. It should not just be relegated to HR. Leaders should serve as allies by sharing their own personal experiences to foster an environment of transparency and openness. Due to fear and shame, even organisations with the best mental health benefits won’t see an uptick in usage unless a stigma-free culture exists.

To be effective, organisations have to train leaders, managers, and all employees on how to navigate mental health at work, have difficult conversations, and create supportive workplaces. Managers are often the first line in noticing changes and supporting their direct reports. Building an environment of psychological safety is key. Mental health policies, practices, culturally competent benefits, and other resources must be put in place and (over)communicated.

It’s the voice of senior management that is important and influential, but employees at every level can impactfully influence how mental health is approached in the workplace. In order to be successful, mental health support efforts must reach and educate all employees and should be incorporated into the day-to-day workplace environment. This inclusive approach makes combatting stigma truly ingrained and fosters widespread awareness among all employees that mental health matters whether or not they are personally d