If compassion doesn’t drive employers to do deal with mental health, numbers will
Few businesses question the wisdom of taking steps to prevent the breakdown of equipment, investing in its rehabilitation when there is a failure, and bringing it back to full productivity with minimal delay.
In a knowledge economy, where information is the most valuable commodity and innovation the source of growth and competitiveness, that same thinking needs to be applied to the mental health of workers. While many employers have made strides in addressing the adverse effect of physical disabilities at work, there is still a lot of work to be done when it comes to mental disabilities.
Psychiatric disorders — such as depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders and schizophrenia — are bona fide disabilities. Just as disability management strategies are necessary for the effective management of physical disability, similar principles should also apply to work disabilities related to mental illness.
Employers have a duty to accommodate workers who have physical disabilities to the point of undue hardship. Employees with mental illness also have a right to work accommodation.
The rising prevalence of mental illnesses, particularly depression, and their impact at work have been documented for several years by Watson Wyatt’s Staying@Work surveys. In 2005, it found mental health claims, including stress, depression and anxiety, were the leading cause of short- and long-term disability leaves.
In 2006 depression became Canada’s fastest growing disability cost, equaling between four and 12 per cent of payroll, according to the Toronto-based Global Business and Economic Roundtable on Addiction and Mental Health. And the leading causes of absenteeism are stress, anxiety and workplace issues, according to a 2004 Statistics Canada study. The strain on finances and productivity is further compounded because the duration of mental health leaves tends to exceed other medical leaves.
From a social and compassionate point of view, there is value to facilitating the ability of people with a mental illness to obtain, retain and return to employment following a period of disability. The importance of work to a person recovering from a mental illness is confirmed by the Ottawa-based Canadian Psychiatric Association.
Employers are an influential group in battling the stigma surrounding mental illness, according to Patrick Corrigan, executive director of the Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation at Evanston Northwestern Healthcare in Evanston, Ill. Employees’ behaviours are significantly impacted by organizational factors, wrote Corrigan in a 2004 article in the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal.
“Two important life goals for people with mental illness are living independently and obtaining good jobs… employers are in the position to influence these goals,” wrote Corrigan.
If compassion isn’t a good enough argument to proactively address mental illness, numbers make a good business case. Nearly 10 years ago, low productivity attributable to mental illness in Canada cost $8 billion annually, and only six per cent of Canadians suffering from depression received proper diagnosis and treatment, found the Global Business and Economic Roundtable on Mental Health.
Last year, Watson Wyatt’s Mental Health in the Labour Force: Literature Review and Research Gap Analysis noted: “Mental health disorders are common among working age populations. Most of the people with mental illness are not diagnosed and are not treated appropriately. This combination of a high prevalence rate paired with a low treatment rate results in cost burdens in the billions of dollars to the Canadian economy.”
There can also be a ripple effect that stretches beyond an employee with mental health problems. The stereotype that a person with mental illness is dangerous can impact the productivity of that person’s co-workers, said Corrigan.
The good news is there are strategies that can mitigate the impact of mental illness on the workplace, to the benefit of all stakeholders. The cost to accommodate an employee returning after a mental disability leave is frequently minimal. Early intervention and targeted return-to-work strategies are also important to minimize both the impact and duration of mental health claims.
“Companies with the most effective health and productivity programs have superior financial returns and productivity improvements (and) are more likely to have lower program costs and incidence rates for short- and long-term disability,” found Watson Wyatt’s Staying at Work: Building an Effective Health & Productivity Framework 2007/2008
The cost effectiveness of workplace mental illness prevention and intervention programs was also supported in its July 2007 publication Mental Health in the Labour Force: Literature Review and Research Gap Analysis.
While there is a small percentage of Canadian employees with mental illness who receive appropriate and timely diagnosis and treatment, most workplace-based interventions for mental illness are effective in restoring higher levels of work function for employees. This results in positive outcomes for all stakeholders, and significant cost savings for the employer.
Tara Hreceniuk is quality and account manager at Crawford and Company in Kitchener, Ont. She can be reached at (519) 578-5540, [email protected] or visit crawfordandcompany.com.
Mental Versus Physical
Mental health disability management similar to physical
So what does disability management of mental illnesses look like? While one can’t simply take models from physical disabilities and apply them to mental health disabilities, there are some common factors that make up both approaches, including the need for:
•evidence-based assessment for an accurate diagnosis (in this case, psychometric testing performed by a psychiatrist or psychologist);
•a holistic approach to treatment, such as a combination of cognitive-behavioural therapy and medication;
•minimization of the duration of absence from the workplace, where possible;
•consideration of a gradual return to duties; and
•a detailed job description that identifies what abilities are needed to perform the job — in the case of mental health disability, this should include cognitive abilities and should note factors such as the degree of interpersonal contact required by the job.
Practical Strategies
What employers can do
Practical strategies for employers to address the impact of mental illness on productivity and the bottom line include:
•teaching managers how to watch for signs of depression or other mental illnesses and offer to make resources available to employees;
•offer more prevention-oriented educational programs and services;
•have company leadership participate in health management and wellness activities;
•enhance EAP programs to offer assessment, counselling and referral to mental health services;
•maintain communication with employees on mental health leave;
•be aware of stereotypes and improper behavioural responses to workers with mental illness, such as withholding help, avoiding or improperly segregating employees; and
•beware of low expectations for returning employees with a mental illness, both in individual work behaviours and systemically in programs.
In a knowledge economy, where information is the most valuable commodity and innovation the source of growth and competitiveness, that same thinking needs to be applied to the mental health of workers. While many employers have made strides in addressing the adverse effect of physical disabilities at work, there is still a lot of work to be done when it comes to mental disabilities.
Psychiatric disorders — such as depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders and schizophrenia — are bona fide disabilities. Just as disability management strategies are necessary for the effective management of physical disability, similar principles should also apply to work disabilities related to mental illness.
Employers have a duty to accommodate workers who have physical disabilities to the point of undue hardship. Employees with mental illness also have a right to work accommodation.
The rising prevalence of mental illnesses, particularly depression, and their impact at work have been documented for several years by Watson Wyatt’s Staying@Work surveys. In 2005, it found mental health claims, including stress, depression and anxiety, were the leading cause of short- and long-term disability leaves.
In 2006 depression became Canada’s fastest growing disability cost, equaling between four and 12 per cent of payroll, according to the Toronto-based Global Business and Economic Roundtable on Addiction and Mental Health. And the leading causes of absenteeism are stress, anxiety and workplace issues, according to a 2004 Statistics Canada study. The strain on finances and productivity is further compounded because the duration of mental health leaves tends to exceed other medical leaves.
From a social and compassionate point of view, there is value to facilitating the ability of people with a mental illness to obtain, retain and return to employment following a period of disability. The importance of work to a person recovering from a mental illness is confirmed by the Ottawa-based Canadian Psychiatric Association.
Employers are an influential group in battling the stigma surrounding mental illness, according to Patrick Corrigan, executive director of the Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation at Evanston Northwestern Healthcare in Evanston, Ill. Employees’ behaviours are significantly impacted by organizational factors, wrote Corrigan in a 2004 article in the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal.
“Two important life goals for people with mental illness are living independently and obtaining good jobs… employers are in the position to influence these goals,” wrote Corrigan.
If compassion isn’t a good enough argument to proactively address mental illness, numbers make a good business case. Nearly 10 years ago, low productivity attributable to mental illness in Canada cost $8 billion annually, and only six per cent of Canadians suffering from depression received proper diagnosis and treatment, found the Global Business and Economic Roundtable on Mental Health.
Last year, Watson Wyatt’s Mental Health in the Labour Force: Literature Review and Research Gap Analysis noted: “Mental health disorders are common among working age populations. Most of the people with mental illness are not diagnosed and are not treated appropriately. This combination of a high prevalence rate paired with a low treatment rate results in cost burdens in the billions of dollars to the Canadian economy.”
There can also be a ripple effect that stretches beyond an employee with mental health problems. The stereotype that a person with mental illness is dangerous can impact the productivity of that person’s co-workers, said Corrigan.
The good news is there are strategies that can mitigate the impact of mental illness on the workplace, to the benefit of all stakeholders. The cost to accommodate an employee returning after a mental disability leave is frequently minimal. Early intervention and targeted return-to-work strategies are also important to minimize both the impact and duration of mental health claims.
“Companies with the most effective health and productivity programs have superior financial returns and productivity improvements (and) are more likely to have lower program costs and incidence rates for short- and long-term disability,” found Watson Wyatt’s Staying at Work: Building an Effective Health & Productivity Framework 2007/2008
The cost effectiveness of workplace mental illness prevention and intervention programs was also supported in its July 2007 publication Mental Health in the Labour Force: Literature Review and Research Gap Analysis.
While there is a small percentage of Canadian employees with mental illness who receive appropriate and timely diagnosis and treatment, most workplace-based interventions for mental illness are effective in restoring higher levels of work function for employees. This results in positive outcomes for all stakeholders, and significant cost savings for the employer.
Tara Hreceniuk is quality and account manager at Crawford and Company in Kitchener, Ont. She can be reached at (519) 578-5540, [email protected] or visit crawfordandcompany.com.
Mental Versus Physical
Mental health disability management similar to physical
So what does disability management of mental illnesses look like? While one can’t simply take models from physical disabilities and apply them to mental health disabilities, there are some common factors that make up both approaches, including the need for:
•evidence-based assessment for an accurate diagnosis (in this case, psychometric testing performed by a psychiatrist or psychologist);
•a holistic approach to treatment, such as a combination of cognitive-behavioural therapy and medication;
•minimization of the duration of absence from the workplace, where possible;
•consideration of a gradual return to duties; and
•a detailed job description that identifies what abilities are needed to perform the job — in the case of mental health disability, this should include cognitive abilities and should note factors such as the degree of interpersonal contact required by the job.
Practical Strategies
What employers can do
Practical strategies for employers to address the impact of mental illness on productivity and the bottom line include:
•teaching managers how to watch for signs of depression or other mental illnesses and offer to make resources available to employees;
•offer more prevention-oriented educational programs and services;
•have company leadership participate in health management and wellness activities;
•enhance EAP programs to offer assessment, counselling and referral to mental health services;
•maintain communication with employees on mental health leave;
•be aware of stereotypes and improper behavioural responses to workers with mental illness, such as withholding help, avoiding or improperly segregating employees; and
•beware of low expectations for returning employees with a mental illness, both in individual work behaviours and systemically in programs.
