Creating a Supportive Mental Health Culture

Description

People with higher rates of reported mental illness are entering the workforce and discovering that it has less accommodation for mental health issues than their high school or college did. As a result, a complex issue has become even more difficult because many people struggling with mental illness believe they have to hide it from their employer. Consider some findings from a recent Accenture study of almost 4,000 workers in Britain. Nearly half of the younger participants reported that they had experienced suicidal thoughts or feelings. They were twice as likely as older workers to be experiencing a mental health challenge. Yet they were also more hesitant than their older peers to tell employers what was going on. Employers shouldn’t underestimate the difference they can make, even by making a fairly modest (and low- or no-cost) effort to create a more supportive workplace. Numerous characteristics differentiate more supportive cultures from their opposite. But three stand out as being particularly significant—and they aren’t difficult to replicate. First, in more supportive cultures, 53 per cent of all workers note that senior leaders visibly support mental health at work. Second, in more supportive cultures, 87 per cent of workers can identify a senior leader they can approach for help with a mental health challenge. Third, it’s important that workers know about the supports that are already in place.