“The economic costs of mental illness will be more than cancer, diabetes and respiratory ailments put together.” – Director, US National Institute of Mental Health at the World Economic Forum
On March 31st, Gloria attended Beyond Accommodation: Mental Health in the Workplace, an interactive panel held by the Chicagoland Business Leadership Network. Gloria shares key insights and takeaways from the event.
The Four Key Principles for Driving Change:
1. Know the Impact — Mental illness is more prevalent than physical illness. 1 in 3 people are diagnosed with a “mental illness.” Ways to know the impact:
measure the impact of health on productivity
examine usage of mental health and substance use disorder benefits
examine organizational pharmacy spend
determine the impact on short- and long-term disability
2. Break the Silence — Create safety and build trust so people feel safe enough to discuss it. The goal is to normalize mental illness so that people feel as comfortable talking about it as they do physical illness. The disease of the stigma about mental illness is as big (and bigger) than mental illness itself. It serves to delay acknowledging and/or getting help or, worse, it serves as the motivation for individuals, managers, families and cultures to hide and deny that there is a mental illness.
3. Deliver Affordable Access – There are many organizations and programs that are FREE that people can take advantage of to help them if they have a mental illness.
4. Build a Culture of Well-Being – Companies that support the well-being of their employees will find higher employee engagement and loyalty, which correlates with improved productivity, effectiveness, and business results. The person is not the illness, the illness is an experience the person is having. The people-first approach has to extend to people with mental illnesses.
The panel discussed the need and benefit of measuring the impact, teaching managers and HR professionals more about mental illness so they’ll know what to do when they witness behavior that leads them to believe the cause may be mental illness. The intention is to help people get help sooner rather than later in a way that honors them.