“95% of employees who took time off due to stress named another reason” (Deloitte 2017)
Here are some possible reasons, what do you think?
1. Could it be the word mental?
Mental simply means mind. Is it because when the word is put with illness, we just don’t want to consider having illness of the mind? When we are stressed it has an impact on our brain cells (neurotransmitters). Chronic stress can cause the area of the brain responsible for memory to shrink and it can halt the production of new brain cells. Our mind is made up of parts, which are chemically impacted by stress, potentially leading to mental illness. Perhaps if we thought about mental illness in this physical sense rather than emotional it might seem different?
2. Worried about your career?
“In 15% of cases where the employee disclosed a mental health issue to a line manager the employee became subject to disciplinary procedures, dismissal or demotion”. Litigation against employers for stress related injury is on the increase. Employers don’t yet really know how to empathise and proactively support employees. Sometimes the knee jerk reaction is to get rid of the “problem”. Unfortunately, much of the time this is getting rid of high performers. The only way this can change is through education and active culture change from the top and of course, each individual having the bravery to speak out.
3. Lack of genuine empathy?
“Only 58% of employees feel that their line manager is genuinely concerned about their wellbeing”. Evidence suggests that line managers are not being trained to deal with stress in the workplace, and the impact on staff. When we don’t know what to do, our gut instinct is to avoid and/or deny. “75% of managers believe there are barriers to offering support”. A simple lack of education?
4. Negative organisational culture?
Many organisations are led by individuals who have an outdated culture in which mental illness in considered a character flaw. A manager said: “I support my team members despite management treating any mental health or anxiety/stress problems as weakness. They only care about profit and/or shareholder values”. This is unfortunately all too common an occurrence and can only change when employers want to; perhaps when there is a financial reason to. Statistics show that proactive intervention can return up to 8 times the original investment.
5. Is it just another publicity stunt?
61% of senior leaders believe that their organisation does very well in supporting staff with mental health issues whereas 27% of all employees believe that their organisation does not support those who experience mental health issues. There appears to be a serious disconnect between what leadership think they are doing and what employees need or want. Has it become another marketing tool, leading to apathy and disengagement?
Quotes are from a recent study – Mental Health at Work Report 2017. Statics on return on investment from Deloitte studies.
