While mental health conditions are extremely prevalent in daily life, the workplace has notoriously been a contributing factor for individuals who experience depression and anxiety on a day-to-day basis. As stated in recent research done by Willis Towers Watson, the amount of US workers who have experienced mental health issues in their life time is almost half. Over 75% of these workers report that they have experienced work pressure-driven distress in the last year. More than 50% say that it was severe enough to disturb their productivity and work. In a report by the American Psychiatric Association, depression in the workplace yields an annual loss of about $210.5 billion in productivity to the economy. Anxiety also leads to reduced productivity and a more likely chance for serious mistakes to occur. The combination of all of these symptoms manifest in traits like employee burnout and high turnover rate.
However, studies have found that with certain interventions like therapy and medication, about 80% of individuals treated would improve satisfaction at work. Employers can help to improve mental health stigma at work by dispelling toxic culture in the workplace and providing resources and support to their workers. Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) are part of employee benefits that can provide confidential counseling amongst other resources to employees as part of their program. Although previous EAPs faced limitations due to access and lack of care options, these programs are evolving to better support and prevent employee burnout.
