Building a Healthy Workplace: The Vital Role of Employers in Supporting Employee Mental Well-being

For example, about 60% of employees with depression felt their jobs were negatively impacted by their mental health conditions, yet only 5% of workers with depression reported receiving the workplace accommodations needed to help them perform better in the workplace. Businesses are legally obligated to provide reasonable accommodations for all employees to perform at their best and retain employment despite their medical condition, disability status, race, gender, or other identity under the Family and Medical Leave Act and Americans with Disabilities Act.

Workplaces greatly affect employees’ mental health, regardless of mental illness. Supportive workplace policies often lead to higher job satisfaction, productivity, and retention for employees across the board (including those with mental health conditions), and supportive policies offer a return on investment to employers. Conversely, ignoring mental health on the job has a steep price tag for businesses. Workers experiencing symptoms of depression and anxiety are less likely to be engaged at work, which can lead to decreased productivity and high turnover rates. This total expense globally is estimated at $12 billion in working days lost and $1 trillion in productivity lost yearly to depression and anxiety. To promote working environments that support all employee’s mental health and curb future costs, policies that employers can consider adopting are listed below:

5 Steps Towards a More Inclusive Workplace

• Recognize your role in employee mental health as an employer and offer workshops to communicate openly about well-being. 
• Adopt workplace policies such as mental health days, flexible time off, mental health coverage, etc. 
• Create inclusive workplace environments where all employees feel safe and supported.
• Consider offering professional support to resolve personal issues that can hinder work performance through Employee Assistance Programs.
• Promote well-being as part of company culture. Leaders can demonstrate this by leading by example and prioritizing work-life balance.

These resources should help you glean more information about this topic:

• Workforce GPS, "Mental Health at Work”
• Workforce GPS, "Supporting Mental Health in the Post-Pandemic Workplace”
• Justia, "Medical Condition Discrimination in Employment" 
• Workforce GPS, "Working With Mental Health Disabilities: A Guide to Laws, Rights, and Advocacy" 
• Workforce GPS, "How to Support Employees with Non-Apparent Disabilities"
• Workforce GPS, "Workplace Resources for Mental Health" 

• Last Updated:
• Created:
• Resource Publication Date: 2023
• Posted by: Damon Jones
• Posted in: Next Level Now