Mental wellness in the workplaceJune 4, 2020

Lisa JacobusLICSW, Behavioral Health Consultant

Carrie BibensMBA, CRC, AssociateDirector, VocationalRehabilitation Services

Our presenters

Tammi WorthamVice President, Human Resources

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Today’s objectives

• Importance of mental wellness• Recognizing someone is struggling• Tips for talking to employees who are

struggling• Ways to support needs to stay productive

at work and to return to work• Importance of self care• Available resources• Q&A

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Legal/financial issues and resources

Emotional stress, depression

Marital/family issues

Behavioral health or substance abuse

Work-life needs and resources

Health care navigation

Mental illness on the other hand is:

a recognized medically diagnosable illness that results in the

significant impairmentof an individual’s

cognitive, affective or relational abilities.

What is mental health?

Mental health is a state of well-being in which the individual:

• realizes their own abilities• can cope with the normal stressors of life• can work productively and fruitfully• is able to make a contribution to the

communitySource: APA

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5Source: NIMH and Medscape

More than three quarters (78%) of all antidepressant, antianxiety, and anti-insomnia prescriptions filled through Express Scripts during the week ending March 15 (the peak week) were for new prescriptions (Source: Medscape)

Sales of alcoholic beverages in the United States have increased 55% compared to this time last year

As many as 35 million workdays are lost each year due to mental illness

Untreated mental illness in the workplace costs businesses $105 billion each year mostly due to lost productivity

Why mental health matters in the workplace

The impact of COVID-19 on mental well-being

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• Social isolation and loneliness• Financial strain and job loss• Burnout• Bereavement• Psychosocial stressors• Increased anxiety and fear of

getting sick• Compounds existing health

disparities and inequities

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Hopelessness

Poor self-care

Agitated

Personality change

Withdrawn

Pay close attention to those that say: “I just don’t know how much longer I can do this!”

Change in behavior

Irritable

Signs that a person is struggling

Benefits of mental well-being in the workplace

Increased productivity in the workplace because employees will have the support they need

Employees perform better when they feel better

The mental health stigma will end in the work place and employees will feel more understood and valued

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Create a culture of wellness and positive work environment

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“When we are no longer able to change a situation –

we are challenged to change ourselves.” – Viktor E. Frankl

• Value autonomy and flexibility• Encourage exercise and movement during the work day• Promote an individual’s strengths• Be mindful about recognition• Create opportunities for growth and learning or special projects• Develop policies that support accommodations in the workplace• Talk about mental illness and raise awareness• Lead by example

The role of the manager

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• Be the calm in the storm or vanilla ice cream• Lead with transparency, honesty, and empathy• Acknowledge uncertainty• Be flexible and ask employees,

“What do you need?”• Ask yourself, “What do I need?” and then

model and share with employees• Show empathy and be available• Recognize the impact of isolation and

loneliness• Show compassion by understanding

everyone’s situation is different

Legal/financial issues and resources

Emotional stress, depression

Marital/family issues

Behavioral health or substance abuse

Work-life needs and resources

Health care navigation

Check in regularly

• Hold regular one-on-one meetings

• Meet as a team to stay connected

• Make time to discuss their well-being

• Utilize tools available and support our virtual environment

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Things to ask employees currently working

Things to ask employees returning to work

How are you doing? How has your transition

been working from home/on the front-line?

Have you encountered any particular challenges?

Is there anything I can do to support you?

Is there anything you need? Do you have concerns, or is

anything on your mind you’d like to discuss?

How are you doing? What do you need to

return to work successfully?

Is there anything I can do to support your transition back?

Do you have any concerns, or is there anything on your mind you’d like to discuss?

Prepare for the conversationConsult with Employee Relations for guidance

Describe what you see“I’ve noticed you have been quiet during

huddle, which is unlike you. Are there any concerns that you wanted to talk about or anything that I can help you with?”

“I’ve noticed you’re not keeping up with your work queue. We can talk about anything that I can do to help”

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Be direct while also expressing concerns

Listen

Validate their concerns

Ask questions “what can I do to help support you doing this time?”

Provide resources

Follow-up

Talking to an employee that is struggling

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• Remember that it is not always what you say but how you say it

• Show interest, avoid interrupting and seek clarification

• Listen and show understanding – without stepping into personal territory or offering advice

• Demonstrate that you value and trust the employee

• Assure the employee that meetings are confidential, unless there is a concern for safety

• Document the conversation

• Reach out to Employee Relations consultant for guidance

• Offer a pep talk

• Be accusatory or criticize

• Say “I’ve been there,” unless you truly have

• Try to give a name to the underlying issue

• Ask what “caused” the illness or probe about personal issues or diagnosis

• Make assumptions about how a person is doing or what they can or can’t get done

Identifying struggles in workplace performance

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Performance measures as an indicator

• Productivity decrease • Turnaround in work is slowed• Concentration easily disrupted• Needing to redo work• Errors or mistakes in work

Behavior as an indicator

• Checking on performance frequently

• Inability to stay calm in challenging discussions

• Isolating and not interacting• Not responding in meetings

• Use the communication tips and strategies already discussed to engage the employee

• Gain agreement on ⎻ Where/what is challenging their success at work (i.e.

volume of assignments, timelines on assignments…)⎻ What assistance they need to:

• improve at work; or to• be successful returning to work

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Ensuring success at work

Strategies for supporting stay at/return to work

Flexibility

• Hours of work• Travel needs• Meeting deadlines• Time of day for task completion• Increase frequency of breaks

Attention to detail

• Provide training• Break up large tasks• Reduce/eliminate distractions• Give more instruction• Create checklist• Exchange tasks with others

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Strategies for supporting stay at work/return to work

Decision making

• Identify and address errors

• Use checklist to guide judgment tasks

• Create list for points of discussion in work process

Exposure to challenges

• Educate on potential responses to challenging discussions/situations

• Provide simulation on handling challenges

• Provide increased support for challenges

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Tolerance of stressful situations

• Discuss best way to provide instruction/feedback

• Provide genuine praise/feedback

• Allow reasonable time off for treatment

• Consider work coach/team support mentor

Follow-up with struggling employees

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• Set a time to check back in• Provide appropriate support, resources and

reasonable accommodations if necessary• Ensure confidentiality with your meeting notes,

with the exception of reaching out to Employee Relations for guidance or resources

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HydrateRoutine

PlayNaturePurpose Exercise

Meditation

Chec

k-In

Limit Media

Sleep

Limit alcohol intake

Get

Dre

ssed

Healthy DietStay Connected

Take care of yourself

Resources for employees

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• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)• Stay at Work: Workplace

Accommodations• United Way 211• National Suicide Prevention

Hotline 1-800-273-8255

Key takeaways

• The manager’s involvement is critical in supporting an employee’s mental well-being

• You can help eliminate stigma around mental illness by creating a healthy work environment

• Be prepared to speak openly with your team and one-on-one

• Show that you are flexible and care about the employee’s mental well-being

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Q&A

Updated COVID-19 response site

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• Webinar recordings and white papers

• Legislative updates• Enrollment planning• Special measures we put

in place as a result of COVID-19

• Member specific content

It’s now easier to navigate!

www.sunlife.com/coronavirus

Group insurance policies are underwritten by Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada (Wellesley Hills, MA) in all states, except New York. In New York, group insurance policies are underwritten by Sun Life and Health Insurance Company (U.S.) (Lansing, MI). Product offerings may not be available in all states and may vary depending on state laws and regulations. Sun Life reserves the right to discontinue any service that is not insurance at any time. All products, brands, and names are the property of their respective owners.

© 2020 Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada, Wellesley Hills, MA 02481. All rights reserved. Sun Life and the globe symbol are trademarks of Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada. Visit us at www.sunlife.com/us GGPPT-9466e 6/20 1)

Appendix

References

• https://www.workplacestrategiesformentalhealth.com/employee-resources/working-through-it• https://www.dartmouth-hitchcock.org/about_dh/react-awareness-campaign.html• https://www.changedirection.org/• http://www.mentalhealthworks.ca/how-can-i-approach-an-employee-about-their-mental-illness/• https://adata.org/factsheet/health• https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/• https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/928901• https://lyrahealth.com/coronavirus• https://www.bu.edu/sph/2020/04/28/race-and-income-shape-covid-19-risk/• https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/racial-ethnic-minorities.html

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Additional warning signs

Change in workplace performance or professional image• moving to a position where there is less visibility or supervision• forgetfulness• errors in judgement• deterioration in performance• excessive number of incidents/mistakes• non-compliance with policies• doing enough work to ‘just get by'• sloppy, illegible or incorrect work (e.g. writing, reports, etc.)• changes in work quality

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Additional warning signs

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Psychosocial and personality changes• family disharmony (e.g. how the colleagues speak of family members)

• mood fluctuations (e.g. swinging from being extremely fatigued to ‘perkiness' in a short period of time)

• inappropriate verbal or emotional response• irritability• confusion or memory lapses• inappropriate responses/behaviors• Avoidance of meetings• lack of focus/concentration and forgetfulness• lying and/or providing implausible excuses for behavior

What to do in a crisis

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• Contact local police station for a wellness check

• Contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline 1-800-273-8255

• Contact Human Resources Business Partner or Employee Relations.

• Take care of yourself