Stress is a killer—of people and of productivity.

The proof is manifold. Today, half of the 550 million working days that employers lose every year from absenteeism are driven by stress-related issues. The Anxiety and Depression Association of America said recently that 40 percent of employees experience a consistent level of stress or excessive anxiety. Meanwhile, the Mind the Workplace report found that 81 percent of employees with stress are also dealing with work-family issues and a 63 percent increase in mental health and behavioral problems.

To be sure, employers—especially HR professionals—are well-situated to help stem this tide and, in the process, burnish their company's reputation as an employer of choice, reduce its overall health care spend, and do the right thing for its employees and their families.

At the outset, it's important to recognize that stress is a substantial health risk and a long-term threat that targets (however unintentionally) colleagues, saps overall team performance, and opens the door for competitors to raid quality talent looking for a change. In other words, good mental health fitness is absolutely a key performance indicator for the organization.

To improve morale, empower employees to recognize their value, and increase retention, it's essential to develop a workplace culture that prioritizes mental health practices. Drawing on Doctor On Demand's national behavioral health care practice, we have identified the following key initiatives that companies can put in place:

Tone at the top

Not surprisingly, high performers are reluctant to voice a need for help, much less a need for mental health. To guide them to action, it's abundantly clear that the creation of a supportive atmosphere — blessed by company leadership — is a necessary prerequisite.

Educate employees about their assistance options

Step one is to learn what the employee health plan covers. This could include free (or discounted) therapy, meetings with onsite counselor group therapy, among other benefits. The inclusion of a virtual care offering that allows employees to access behavioral health care in the privacy of their own home is key. Make sure employees are in the know and schedule regular annual meetings to discuss mental health benefits.

It's also important to take an integrated approach in discussions about the company's physical and mental health offerings, and find ways to educate coworkers about the breadth of services that are available. For example, the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine found that the following approach helped improve workplace conditions and overall mental health for employees, “(1) define health more broadly than just treatment of physical ailments, with special emphasis on mental health; (2) tie improvements in individual, organizational, and community health to the company's business goals; (3) leverage data from an integrated data warehouse to quantitatively demonstrate program impact as well as progress; and (4) in an ongoing and strategic fashion, communicate leadership commitment to establishing and sustaining a culture of health.”

Create quarterly mental health initiatives

Key to the success of such a long-term initiative is the commitment to keep it fresh–and therefore in front of employees. It takes time to build the trust necessary for employees to truly believe that they can access such benefits without penalty. Paired with physical health improvement efforts from hosting weekly company yoga sessions to company walks, building such momentum will help to propel adoption of this benefit forward.

From a management perspective, measure outcomes such as absenteeism and productivity, and evaluate the effectiveness of each program element regularly, at six month intervals. As results become apparent, continue to customize the program offerings — and how they are shared with employees.

Foster a culture of recognition and transparency

In the employee handbook and other employee materials, demonstrate a commitment to hearing employee grievances and encourage employees to discuss their issues openly with their managers. At the same time, public recognition has the powerful ability to support employees and serve as a key building block in a larger program to support mental health. Rewards and recognition of the valuable work employees do will, over time, be an important contributor.

Train managers to be supportive

Managers are on the front lines every day. As such, with the right training they are positioned for critical early intervention and can solve problems and resolve issues when they are small, and before they turn into big ones. Helping managers recognize when negative employee behavior might be a result of mental health issues and arming them with the tools to mitigate workplace stress, is especially helpful.

Workplace stress is never going to go away. With that in mind, managers today have the tools needed to reduce employee stress, create a supportive work environment, and build company-wide initiatives to increase adoption of supportive mental health services. In doing so, engaged employers will boost morale, and help secure the company's valuable talent. Ultimately, this is a challenge that we cannot fail to meet: the consequences are too steep and the rewards too great to ignore.

Hill Ferguson is CEO of Doctor On Demand.

Read more:

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