Three-quarters of employers recognize mental health an issue at work
While the majority of employers recognize that mental illness is an issue in their organizations, more than one-third of the initiatives implemented to address mental health issues at work haven't been effective, according to a new survey.
The survey of 300 employers, conducted by Cambridge, Ont.-based Cowan Insurance Group, found 77 per cent of plan sponsors reported mental illness was an issue in their organization and just 16 per cent said they hadn't done anything to address the issue.
However, of those employers that have implemented initiatives to address mental health at work, 41 per cent said these initiatives haven't been effective or they didn't know if they had an effect.
“These numbers show that work needs to be done in this area,” said Teresa Norris-Lue, vice-president of benefits for Cowan. “When you consider that mental illness is expected to be the leading cause of disability by 2020, we need to be more proactive in addressing this issue and measuring results.”
For organizations that have taken action, initiatives included:
•holding training sessions for managers and HR professionals (17 per cent)
•introducing or enhancing employee assistance programs for employees (44 per cent)
•providing employee information sessions (23 per cent)
The main reported outcomes of mental illness in the workplace included higher absenteeism rates and increased drug costs.
