In the article, Deciding Whether to Disclose Mental Disorders to the Boss , the author discusses why it may be detrimental to individuals with mental illnesses to inform their employers. She gives many examples of times that people built up the courage to tell their supervisor about their illness and were either looked at differently or fired shortly after. For instance, a woman requested Fridays off and told her boss that she had to meet with “a group.” After she was more comfortable, she told her boss about her disorder and they seemed accepting. A week later she was fired because her illness was “affecting her work.” While this has been common practice for many decades, the culture around properly treating and addressing their employees’ mental health.
Contrary to the article cited above, there has been an increasing acceptance of how important mental health is in the workplace. Companies have been taking various measures to assist their employees in ensuring that their mental health is a priority. Globally, more than 300 million individuals suffer from depression, which ends up costing the United States economy $1 trillion every year in lost productivity, according to the World Health Organization. While working can be positive for mental health, a negative climate and culture can be harmful to employees. Risks to mental health can include, but are not limited to: inadequate health policies, low control over one’s area of work, low levels of support, and inflexible working hours.
There have been many programs and initiatives started by organizations to improve working environments. Aetna, one of the country’s largest insurance companies, created a successful meditation and yoga program. At this organization, the 13,000 employees have participated in at least one class reported an average of 28% reduction in stress levels, 20% improvement in sleep quality, and gained 62 minutes of productivity per week per person. Booz Allen Hamilton created a program that combines physical and mental health, called PowerUP, which allows employees to improve their personal, emotional and physical goals. Additionally, they installed treadmill desks, stability balls, and opportunities to stretch at work. Another corporation, Unilever, provides training for managers and senior employees specific to mental health and holds regular workshops on sleep, mindfulness, and exercise. They aim to erase the stigma around mental illness so employees will seek support, if needed.
More and more research supports the idea that a happy employee is a productive employee. This mantra is becoming adopted by more and more companies with the goal of discussing mental health issues more openly.
Mental Health Discrimination 