More than 57 million Americans face mental illness in some formevery year. Research shows that the direct and indirectcosts of mental health issues can actually have more of an impacton an employer’s bottom line than physical health issues.

Related: Untreated mental health conditions: the staggeringcosts

A primary challenge in combatting mental health issues is theyremain largely hidden. In some cases, employees are not able torecognize their symptoms. In other cases, staff are afraid to ask for help for fear ofbeing stigmatized in the office or losing their job.

For employers, this should be concerning for two key reasons.First and foremost, employees within your company are sufferingsilently. Help is available but, for a variety of reasons, yourteam is hesitant to use those resources. Second, by letting thesehealth issues linger, your company faces increased costs that willonly grow as time passes. Consider these statistics:

• About 6 percent of employees in the average workplace have somesymptoms of depression every year.

• Whether at their desk or at home, these employees can “miss”about 27 workdays per year. About one-third of those days arelogged as formal “sick leave,” but the other 18 are due to lostproductivity while in the office.

• Perhaps most concerning, only a little more than half (57percent) of employees with major depression receive professionalhelp.

• While treatment for depression is not an instant fix, employeeswho did receive help saw an increase in their productivity. In onestudy, employers saw an $1,800 annual return for every $100 to $400invested in treatment.

The positive news is that there are steps every employer cantake to help identify mental health issues and connect employeeswith treatment, favorably impacting the company’s bottom line inthe process.

Know the symptoms

While the term “mental health issues” describes a wide varietyof conditions with distinctive symptoms, there are some commonsigns that an employee is in need of assistance. Nervousness,restlessness, irritability, increased passivity, acting withdrawn,a sudden change in personality or drop in productivity are allsignals that someone may be wrestling with a mental health issue.If you notice this in one of your employees, or if one of yourstaff members raises a concern about a colleague, work with your HRteam to reach out discreetly to offer assistance.

Related: EAPs remain best option for mental health in theworkplace

Encourage treatment

Employees often avoid treating mental health issues out of fearthat they will be stigmatized or criticized for taking time awayfrom work to seek help. As an employer, your first priority must bethe health and well-being of your staff. Establish company policythat supports employees pursuing treatment — such as meeting with acounselor — for these challenges.

Screen for it

As more and more employers offer preventive screenings forphysical conditions like heart disease and diabetes, mental healthchecks are not as common. Work with your benefits provider toincorporate mental health screenings into your employeecompensation package.

Mental health checks are not always automatically included inregular checkups by primary care physicians, so work with yourprovider network to see if this can be encouraged. Most of all, itis critical to engage with your staff to ensure they understand theconfidential nature of these screenings. Many employees may opt outof screening for fear of being stigmatized. Make sure youremployees understand how and where to access support services in aconfidential environment.

Educate your team

Unlike a sprained ankle or the flu, the symptoms of mentalhealth issues like depression can be difficult to identify if youaren’t familiar with the warning signs. Arm your staff with anunderstanding of how depression can manifest itself, and establisha confidential process for employees to reach out for help if theynotice the symptoms in themselves or a colleague.

Related: Employers look for mental health treatmentsolutions

Your organization may also benefit from mental health first aidtraining programs that can help identify mental health issues inthe workplace and connect employees in need of assistance withresources in a safe, confidential manner.

Get moving

While it is not a definitive cure, physical exercise has beenshown to dramatically improve symptoms of depression. Establishinga fitness routine is particularly important for sedentary staffmembers who spend their workday sitting in front of a computerunder fluorescent lighting.

Work with your HR department to establish a variety of fitnessofferings to help employees be active throughout the day. Someexamples could be starting a walking club, hosting in-house yoga orfitness classes, partnering with a nearby gym for daily groupclasses or offering a reimbursement for fitness memberships.

Of course, exercise has even more benefits, as employees who aremore active may see improvement in physical conditions such asobesity, hypertension, high blood pressure or heart disease.

Just as employers have a responsibility to provide support sotheir staff can remain physically healthy, it is equally important,perhaps more important, that we ensure our team members have accessto care and treatment for mental health challenges.