Why Ignoring Mental Health is Costing You

Within seconds, a normal day for bank employees can be disrupted in a traumatic way. Sometimes robberies are quick and subtle. Other times, they’re loud and last for what feels like forever. Regardless, a traumatic event like a robbery can have a big impact on employee well-being.

In one instance, a TD Bank location was robbed in the middle of the night. LifeWorks, their employee assistance program (EAP), sent counselors immediately. They arrived at the location before employees showed up in the morning.

Why is this so important? Because traumas from the workplace and at home can have a devastating impact on one’s mental health. And when you consider the role mental health plays in employee well-being, you see why employers need to address mental health in a proactive, sensitive manner.

Instead of leaving those employees alone with their thoughts and worries, the company proactively addressed the trauma by providing counseling. The mental health professionals gave employees the coping skills and tools they needed to manage their emotions and gain a healthy perspective on troubling events.

Unfortunately, a lot of people feel uncomfortable admitting they struggle with managing emotions or living with mental health issues. Others don’t understand common disorders, so they’re unsure of how to talk about them in a sensitive, productive way.

However, mental health disorders are incredibly common — Mental Health America’s 2017 survey found that one in five adults have a mental health condition. So, chances are, you have employees living silently with a mental health disorder.

And the cost of ignoring this subject in the workplace is staggering.

The infographic below — compiled by LifeWorks, an EAP that takes a holistic approach to employee assistance and well-being — looks at how mental health can cause poor physical health and lead to disengagement, high absenteeism, and lowered productivity.

Let’s take a look at some of the highlights:

• Depression, including anxiety and fatigue, is a predictor of heart disease.
• People who experience depressed thoughts show a 12% reduction in memory.
• Depression costs U.S. workplaces $23 billion in absenteeism.
• The economic burden of depression in the U.S. is estimated to be $210.5 billion per year.
• 42% of adults said they are not doing enough or aren’t sure whether they’re doing enough to manage their stress.

Check out the full infographic below to learn more about how your business is impacted and what you can do to help employees.