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Keeping employees mental health top of mind

Historically employee benefit and wellness programs have focused on: comprehensive, competitive benefits, keeping cost in check and improving and maintaining employee health. New reports have suggested the focus shift to include mental wellness.

We are just starting to understand the importance of promoting mental wellness in the workplace, both from a cultural and financial standpoint. Although there's a desire to positively impact our employee's mental status, many companies don't know where to begin or are concerned with the intricacies and legal ramifications that come into play via Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), just to name two.

In the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that people with depression miss an average of 4.8 workdays and drive 11.5 days in lost productivity in a three-month period. Each year, depression is estimated to cause 200 million lost workdays, costing up to $44 billion annually.

As it turns out, the U.S. is not alone. The World Health Organization estimates that depression and anxiety cost the global economy $1 trillion per year in lost productivity. So, this is clearly a worldwide epidemic.

More evidence continues to show that job stress is linked to depression. Despite some organizations adding elaborate programs, screenings, employee assistance programs (EAP's) and the like, only 29 percent of all persons with depression reported contacting a mental health professional in the past year, and among those with severe depression, only 39 percent reported contact, according to the CDC.

It's estimated that roughly 80 percent of people with depression can improve with treatment. Just like physical health and wellness, the workplace is an appropriate environment to educate individuals and raise their awareness of mental health problems.

This is not something that an employee checks at the door it's something they carry with them all day. Something that is with them when they're interacting with co-workers, their supervisor, your vendors and your clients. We have a captive audience at work and this is a great place to establish a foundation of positive mental health by introducing links to mental health services for treatment or referrals.

Employers can start by looking closely at their EAP. Most companies take advantage of the complimentary EAP that is bundled with their disability coverage.

These programs are usually very limited in the services they provide. Look at the more comprehensive stand-alone EAP's available in the marketplace, like Workplace Solutions or BHS Employee Assistance Program.

In addition to EAP's, there are other great vendors to engage with that provide self-guided exercises and coaching. Apps like Whil, which use a personalized digital training system to improve employee's mental well-being or Headspace where you learn to meditate and train your mind to be happier and healthier. Regardless of which tools and vendors you decide to embrace, implementing any of these is a step in the right direction.

More evidence shows that the best way to impact mental health is to build and maintain a healthy work environment.

You can initiate this effort by identifying local periodicals and websites that rank the best workplaces. They have invested a massive amount of time and money in developing framework that helps define what a best place to work looks like. Therefore, you don't have to hire a high cost consultant to help identify areas of improvement.

By working through their applications, you'll have a road map as to where your gaps are and how you can improve your company in a meaningful way.

Any way you look at it, mental health in the workplace is and will continue to be a source of reduced productivity and more importantly a negative impact on the culture of your company, unless we choose to act at the employer level.

• Paul Bartman is a principal at Assurance with over 14 years of experience. His employee benefits expertise helps clients control health care expenses while increasing employee satisfaction. Paul is also knowledgeable on health care reform and frequently speaks on employer solutions relative to the Affordable Care Act. He performs various analyses on client employee benefits programs and develops long-term strategies that create knowledgeable health care consumers, promote wellness and reduce employee sick days. He can be reached at pbartman@assuranceagency.com.

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