Mental health impacts every aspect of life, from interpersonal relationships and finances to physical health and job performance. As workers have become more aware of the relationship between their mental health and their job, the number of mental health-related leaves of absence has climbed.
According to ComPsych, the world’s largest provider of mental health and absence management services, the number of mental health leaves of absence was up by 33% in 2023 over the previous year. Zooming out, data shows that absences related to mental health increased by a staggering 300% between 2017 and 2023. Survey results show that this trend is driven by women, who accounted for nearly seven in 10 leaves of absence.
While most employers appreciate the value of happy, healthy workers, this trend can cause changes and introduce obstacles to day-to-day operations. Knowing how to support employees, create a culture that values mental health and encourage open communication can bring significant benefits to employers and workers alike.
Understanding Mental Health Absences
For many people, a physical illness is a valid reason to take some time off work, recognizing that an injury or virus can impact their safety and efficiency at work, as well as the well-being of their colleagues. On top of this, taking time off to rest can speed healing, helping them return to maximum effectiveness as quickly as possible.
Mental health absences are similar. Not only can conditions or events such as anxiety attacks, depression and PTSD affect physical health, but they can also result in cloudy thinking, impaired judgment and decreased effectiveness at work. For some people, taking a step back from work for a day or two can help them return to health and normal functioning faster.
A mental health absence is simply when someone takes time off work due to a mental health condition. In many cases, people living with severe anxiety or depression must take a break from work to undergo professional treatment, adapt to a new medication, or minimize stress for a brief period.
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, employers may be required to provide reasonable accommodations and grant leave requests from employees with mental health issues. This law, which applies to businesses with more than 15 employees, gives employers the right to request medical certification that shows the request is necessary and reasonable.
Impact of Mental Health Absences on Employers
Mental health absences can have a significant impact on employers, resulting in lost productivity, negatively affecting morale, and bringing down the company’s bottom line. While accommodating mental health needs is important, having employees regularly taking unexpected time off can introduce unpredictability and leave companies scrambling to fill shifts. When workers regularly need time off of work to attend to their mental health, employers may face frustrations when it comes to scheduling shifts or accommodating other requests for paid time off.
Creating a Supportive Workplace Culture
The Family and Medical Leave Act requires employers to provide up to 12 weeks of unpaid time off for workers experiencing specific family and medical situations. This law includes provisions for mental health issues, meaning that allowing mental health leave isn’t just a courtesy; it’s legally required in some circumstances. Fortunately, there are several things employers can do to create a supportive workplace culture that supports employees’ mental health while promoting regular attendance.
Providing Resources and Training for Managers
While mental health absences aren’t a new phenomenon – workers have been taking paid or unpaid time off to tend to their emotional well-being for as long as they’ve had the option – heightened awareness of how mental health issues can impact quality of life has made these leaves more common in recent years.
Educating managers on mental health issues such as burnout, depression and anxiety can help them understand how to support their teams. With effective resources and training, managers can help their workers take care of their mental health while reducing the number of unexpected absences.
Some initiatives may include:
- Focus groups
- Regular one-on-one meetings that cover topics such as mental health and burnout
- Facilitation workshops
- Regular performance review meetings
- Staff surveys and forums
Flexible Work Arrangements and Accommodations
For some workers, a mental health absence isn’t a complete absence from work. During the height of the COVID pandemic, many people who worked from offices discovered that they could do their jobs just as well at home as in an office setting. To keep up with deadlines and demands while accommodating mental health needs, many employers continue to offer work-from-home or flex scheduling. For workers living with mental health issues or who are trying to work outpatient therapy or counseling sessions into their schedules, the flexibility working from home provides can help them remain dependable at work.
Promoting Employee Well-being Programs
To be most effective, well-being programs need to be a structural aspect of how a company operates. When it comes to implementing programs to create a culture conducive to mental health, employers have a variety of options, including:
- Employee Assistance Programs: These programs feature confidential counseling and support for the challenges and changes employees face at work and in their personal lives, including mental health-related issues.
- Well-being Initiatives: Employers can organize programs that promote overall well-being, such as workshops that discuss work-life balance and stress management, to help workers learn to manage threats to their mental health.
- Support Groups: Organizing peer support groups within the company can give workers an opportunity to talk about their mental health and find support for issues such as burnout and stress.
- Health and Wellness Apps: Employers can make mental health care services more convenient and accessible to workers by offering subscriptions to apps that provide teletherapy services.
Regardless of the initiatives an employer has in place to support workers’ mental health, it’s important that they run regular communication campaigns to make sure workers are utilizing the programs and services available to them. This could be through seminars, workshops or emails.
Encouraging Open Communication and Stigma Reduction
Particularly in certain industries such as first response, mental health tends to be an off-limit topic. However, open communication about work-related challenges goes a long way in reducing the stigma around mental health issues and helping workers manage job-related stress. Managers can lead by example by openly discussing stressful job situations and creating safe spaces for workers to talk about their own experiences and challenges.
Additionally, those in management can tackle workplace stigma around mental health by hosting training sessions that educate employees about mental health and address common misconceptions.
Supporting Employees Returning from Mental Health Absences
After an employee has taken an extended mental health absence, transitioning back to work can be difficult. Fortunately, employers can provide support by implementing a few strategies.
- Develop Return-to-Work Plans: Work with the employee to create a clear plan that outlines their responsibilities, and talk about initial accommodations that can be made depending on their ability to manage the workload.
- Consider Flexible Work Arrangements: Determine whether you can offer options such as a modified work schedule or work-from-home hours to help them reintroduce themselves into the day-to-day routine.
- Regular Communication: Transitioning back to work can be intimidating, but employers can help workers return to their duties by promoting regular communication during their absence and as they ease back in.
- Make Reasonable Accommodations: As much as you’re able, make reasonable adjustments as the worker is transitioning back to work. This may include allowing for an extra break during the day, providing a quiet room, temporarily reducing their exposure to stressors, or connecting them with a mentor.
- Provide Information on Supports: Make sure the worker knows about the mental health resources available to them through the company, whether that’s mental health services through an app, support groups or Employee Assistance Programs.
Conclusion
Many employers have beefed up their mental health supports in recent years to meet an increased demand from workers. While mental health absences present some challenges for managers, there are steps companies can take to foster strong employee morale and encourage open conversations about mental health. By creating a supportive workplace culture that gives workers tools to manage on-the-job stressors, developing flexible work arrangements and organizing employee well-being programs, employers can prevent worker burnout and encourage reliable performance.
