36 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2022 HUMAN RESOURCES Debra A. Mastrian Partner SmithAmundsen LLC dmastrian@salawus.com SmithAmundsen LLC is a Diamond Associate Member of the Indiana Bankers Association. Prioritize Employee Mental Health To help attract and retain talent While our country remains divided on many important issues, one thing we can all agree on is that the COVID-19 pandemic and other recent world events have taken a toll on employees’ mental and emotional well-being. Anxiety, depression and other mental illnesses have been on the rise. With inflation at a 40-year high, those numbers are likely to keep rising. In addition, employee stress and burnout have increased, with more and more employees reporting they have experienced mental health challenges or a decline in mental health over the past two years. Workplace studies and surveys show that many employees in the United States have struggled at work due to anxiety or depression, and that many would leave their jobs over mental health. Employees with anxiety or depression, or who are stressed or burned out, are more likely to miss work and are often less productive. Thus, to boost job satisfaction as well as productivity, employers should prioritize employee mental health. Employers should consider adopting a comprehensive well-being strategy that includes mental/emotional health; examine the company’s health insurance plan, and consider providing or expanding coverage of mental health benefits (e.g. counseling, therapy and psychiatric services); and consider adopting or redesigning an employee assistance program (EAP) to include or increase mental health treatment or counseling and to expand mental health services. Having dedicated mental health benefits that address employees’ mental health needs may now be considered a necessity rather than a job perk. Whatever benefits or resources the company does provide should be communicated to the employees. If you have not done so recently, now is an ideal time to remind your employees of the mental health resources your organization provides. Other ways employers can help their employees’ mental/emotional well-being include having paid time off or leave policies and a culture in which employees are encouraged to use that time, making sure employees are properly onboarded and trained. Other recommendations include: % Keep workloads manageable. % Set clear job expectations. % Encourage employees to share concerns. % Be empathetic. % Collect regular feedback from managers trained in communication skills. % Let employees have input into how/when/where their work is done. % Encourage and respect regular breaks. Employers should also have and enforce a policy against workplace bullying. Forward-thinking employers are addressing mental health in the workplace and offering a supportive company culture in which employees are not afraid to discuss their concerns, whether through direct feedback from employer surveys, one-on-one conversations or other forums. Employers must be mindful, however, of their obligations under federal, state and local disability laws, including keeping employee medical information, such as mental health information, confidential. Mental health disabilities certainly present unique challenges for employers. They may be more difficult to recognize than physical disabilities and may be undiagnosed or sometimes even denied by the employees themselves. Employers may be hesitant to address an employee who appears to be having mental health issues, but has not reached out for help, out of fear of being sued for disability discrimination.* Ignoring signs of a problem, however, can also lead to liability
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