FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM APRIL 18, 2019 • WELLNESS • THE QUEENS COURIER 31
wellness
Resources for addressing mental health challenges at work
Every year, about 1 in 5 adults in the
United States experiences a mental illness
and 1 in 25 lives with a serious mental
illness that substantially interferes with
or limits at least one major life activity.
Mental illness is a top cause of worker
disability in the U.S. and 62 percent
of missed work days can be attributed to
mental health conditions.
A leader in employee benefi ts, Unum
recently published the report, “Strong
Minds at Work,” on the prevalence of
mental health issues in today’s workplaces.
Th e research revealed just 25 percent
of managers in the U.S. have received
training on how to refer employees to
mental health resources and more than
half of people are unsure how to help a
colleague with a mental health issue.
“Th e development, implementation and
promotion of mental health strategies has
become a top priority for many of today’s
employers,” said Michelle Jackson, assistant
vice president of market development
at Unum. “Creating a workplace culture
that promotes mental health resources
and encourages employees to take advantage
of them helps to destigmatize mental
health issues and can lead to a happier,
more productive workforce.”
Some of the report’s
fi ndings include:
• Fift y-fi ve percent of employees said
their employer did not have, or they
were unsure if their employer had, a
specifi c program, initiative or policy in
place to address mental health.
• Sixty-one percent of employees felt there’s
a social stigma in the workplace toward
colleagues with mental health issues; half
of them felt the stigma has stayed the
same or worsened in the past fi ve years.
• Among employees with a mental health
issue, 42 percent went to work with suicidal
feelings.
“Th e fact that such a high percentage of
employees have come to work feeling suicidal
is troubling,” Jackson said. “While
this is certainly a worst-case scenario and
employers would hope issues would not
progress to this level, it also emphasizes
the need to ensure support and resources
are understood and readily available in
the workplace.”
Th e bulk of mental health resources are
usually off ered via an employer’s health
care provider and can include medical
care, an employee assistance program
(EAP), counseling referrals and fi nancial
and legal counseling. However, employees
oft en don’t fully understand the resources
available to them.
According to the Unum study, HR professionals
said 93 percent of their employers
off er an EAP, yet only 38 percent of
employees were aware of this resource.
More than half of HR professionals said
they off er fi nancial counseling, legal services
and telemedicine services, but a
fraction of employees said they were
aware these services exist.
“Employees should ask their HR department
what mental health resources are
available and be supportive of colleagues
who may be struggling,” Jackson said.
“Off ering support to others and knowing
where to direct them can not only save
lives but also help create a more inclusive
workplace environment.”
To download a copy of the mental
health report, visit unum.com/mentalhealth.
Courtesy Family Features
/WWW.QNS.COM