By Sherry Glied and Richard Frank, Fast Company, October 28, 2021
At the end of May, tennis star Naomi Osaka withdrew from the French Open citing anxiety and depression. A few months later Simone Biles missed a significant portion of the Olympics for reasons related to her own mental health. These cases and others have drawn much-needed attention to the toll mental health conditions exact—for employees and employers—in workplaces that go well beyond high-profile athletics to warehouses, offices, and shop floors.
The evidence is clear that the cost of mental illness in the workplace is significant and widespread, and that it accumulates over a worker’s lifetime. Almost 20% of working adults report significant symptoms of mental illness over the course of a month, and half will experience an issue over their lifetime. Think about that for a moment. That potentially means one in five of your employees could be struggling with significant mental health issues as you read this.
While illnesses vary in severity and nature, symptoms can interfere with productivity in ways that have meaningful consequences for employers and employees alike. Depression, for example, can make small tasks seem daunting and can lead people to be irritable and angry with others. Anxiety can make it hard for people to meet deadlines, participate in meetings, or make presentations. Experiencing symptoms of mental illness can lead people to miss work altogether. In some cases, mental illness symptoms lead people to lose or leave their jobs.
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