About one in four employees has a diagnosable mental health condition, and up to 65% say mental health concerns interfere with their ability to work.
About one in four employees has a diagnosable mental health condition, and up to 65% say mental health concerns interfere with their ability to work.
The economic toll is staggering. In the United States alone, mental health concerns cost over $280 billion annually. Worldwide, that figure reaches an estimated US$1 trillion annually.
Mental health is increasingly being recognized as critical to workplace functioning. Organizations invest substantial resources in wellness programs, mental health training and employee assistance programs. Some even offer on-site therapy sessions at no cost to their employees.
Yet despite these efforts, many employees remain hesitant to seek help or disclose their mental health conditions. This reluctance can leave employees under-supported and contribute to increased absenteeism and turnover. Those who choose not to disclose often miss out on access to workplace accommodations and support, which can exacerbate their conditions and even increase the risk of job loss.
Disclosure can be a gateway to vital support, but questions remain about how to facilitate such disclosures. Our research, recently published as an open-access article, shows the decision to disclose a mental health condition isn’t purely personal and can depend on the broader workplace environment.
Across two samples, we surveyed 1,232 employees from Canada and the U.S. We recruited participants from Qualtrics, an online panel provider, and a large financial institution in Canada that operates across multiple locations. We asked employees—both with and without mental health concerns—to indicate the extent to which they perceived their organization as supportive of disclosing mental health concerns.
Employees with mental health concerns shared whether they had disclosed their condition to their employer, how willing they were to disclose in the future, their levels of anxiety and depression, and a range of work-related attitudes and behaviors.
We found that a work environment that was safe and supported the disclosure of mental health concerns was extremely beneficial for both employees and organizations.
First, employees working in highly supportive environments were 55% more likely to disclose their mental health concerns.
