More than 57 million Americans face mental illness in some form every year. Research shows the direct and indirect costs of mental health issues can actually have more of an impact on an employer's bottom line than physical health.

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

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

• About 6 percent of employees in the average workplace have some symptoms 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 are logged as formal “sick leave,” but the other 18 are due to lost productivity while in the office.

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

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

The positive news is there are steps every employer can take to help identify mental health issues and connect employees with treatment, favorably impacting the company's bottom line in the process.