Employees spend a large percentage of their waking hours in the workplace each week. As a result, the workplace is a setting for both social and emotional support–through interactions with coworkers, supervisors, etc. Because of the critical role the workplace plays in mental health and well-being, it’s essential that employees cultivate a culture of psychological safety to remain competitive and successful. Additionally, it’s important to understand the unique mental health challenges each generation of employees faces most to respond appropriately to their needs. At the same time, disciplining employee with mental health issues can be a sensitive task for HR staff, so knowing which mental health struggles are most prevalent can help them respond appropriately.
Mental Health Trends in the Workplace
According to the American Psychological Association, younger workers feel stressed, lonely, and undervalued. Among mental health conditions affecting employees, data has shown that anxiety is one of the leading issues facing American employees. In addition, mental health-related absence from work in 2023 rose by 33% from 2022 and rose by 300% between 2017 and 2023. Considering the world-altering events experienced in the past few years, this data is not entirely surprising. According to the World Health Organization, factors that are likely to affect mental health in the workplace include:
- Excessive workloads and understaffing;
- Unsafe working conditions;
- Long or inflexible hours;
- Discrimination and exclusion;
- Job insecurity or inadequate pay;
- Workplace violence or harassment;
- And many other factors.
Mental Health and Age
The current workforce is incredibly diverse, with employees spanning five distinct generations: Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Baby Boomers, and the Silent Generation. Among these generations, Gen Z employees report the highest levels of poor or only fair mental health, while Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation have the highest levels of good or excellent mental health. And, overall 40% of the workforce reports that their job has either a poor or extremely negative impact on their mental health.
Regardless of age, studies have shown more than 50% of people will develop at least one mental health disorder by the age of 75. Among women, the most common conditions are anxiety and PTSD. For men, the most common are depression and alcohol abuse. With the majority of conditions being mood disorders that appear during the younger years, it’s not surprising that young employees report worse mental health. Thus, it could be that Gen Z employees, as they transition into the workforce, are also battling emerging mental health conditions and finding ways to best manage them.
Navigating Employee Mental Health
With the growing number of mental health challenges facing employees across the country, HR departments are faced with the task of responding and addressing issues appropriately. Unfortunately, mental health can have a very real impact on business productivity and expenses. However, employees are often left feeling like they are not able to voice the challenges they’re experiencing–68% of employees report that reaching out to their employer about their mental health would harm their job security.
Rather than disciplining employee with mental health issues, HR departments should seek to create an environment where employees feel supported when dealing with mental health conditions, like anxiety, depression, PTSD, addiction and substance abuse, and more. In fact, employers need to be careful when navigating employee mental health because mental health conditions are protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and employers need to provide reasonable accommodations. At the same time, if an employee needs accommodations for mental health reasons, they need to be able to share that with their supervisors. Otherwise, declining performance could look like the employee’s inability to do their job and result in HR disciplining employee with mental health issues.
Thus, employers should train employees to be sensitive to changes in mental health with their peers. For example, if a high-performing employee suddenly begins to fall behind on tasks. Rather than taking immediate disciplinary action, it’s important for HR departments to have a conversation with the individual to try and understand what’s going on.
Taking Action
If employers have done what they can to accommodate an employee’s mental health conditions to no avail, there may come a time when disciplining employee with mental health issues is unavoidable. So, how can HR leaders approach this sensitive topic? Let’s dive into how employers can better navigate this situation:
- When addressing an employee’s performance, it’s important to carefully observe their actions and emotions. Keep a close eye on whether the employee is showing heightened stress or anxiety.
- Ensure the employee has a way to raise issues, especially regarding stress and mental health. This should be an open line of communication with someone they feel comfortable discussing sensitive health-related topics.
- Talk with mental health professionals to understand how to navigate challenging conversations with employees facing mental health issues.
However, this only works if the employees are forthright about their mental health challenges. In addition, mental health cannot be used as an excuse for any potential disciplinary action. It is the employee’s responsibility to establish they are facing mental health issues and provide medical evidence that the behavior resulting in discipline is related to their mental health. So while employers can find dealing with mental health much more challenging, there are ways they can address the situation while being sensitive to an employee’s struggle.
Since disciplining employee with mental health issues can be such a sensitive task for HR staff, relying on an experienced HR outsourcer for managed HR services can alleviate some of the burden. From general HR to payroll and benefits administration, an HRO can free up valuable time that HR staff can dedicate to more important priorities, like mental health. At the same time, an HRO can help companies with 75 to 6,000 negotiate more comprehensive benefits packages that can provide employees with the mental health resources they need to thrive.
Corban OneSource has more than two decades of experience providing expert HR support to companies with 75 to 6,000 employees. We help you streamline HR processes so you can focus more on what’s strategically important. You’ll have one point of contact to facilitate smooth communication but can rest assured knowing we have multiple backups ready to go.
To learn more about how we can help your organization with our managed HR services, contact us today.
