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Mental health-related absences are on the rise. According to a new study from ComPsych, the world's largest mental health services provider, mental health-related absences will increase by 300% between 2017 and 2023, with a 33% increase in 2023 alone. What's more, the study finds that this increase is primarily driven by women: in 2023, 69% of mental health-related absences were women.
In fact, mental health time off is so important that a Chinese supermarket recently made headlines by introducing a policy that allows employees to take up to 10 “unhappy days” per year. A better solution is to create a culture and attitude towards well-being that mental health time off is not necessary. Until that happens, it’s no wonder that corporate mental health-related leave will continue to rise.
Dr. Richard Chaifetz, leading mental health expert and CEO of ComPsych, discusses the current state of mental health in the workplace, the unique challenges women face, and what companies can do to better support their employees. Let's talk about solutions.
Anxiety surpasses depression as top mental health concern
One of the most interesting insights to come out of the study is the change in the primary reasons people seek mental health support. For the first time, anxiety has overtaken depression, which has dropped to fifth place. Stress, relationship problems and general psychological issues now round out the top five. Dr Chaifetz explained that this shift could be influenced by a change in social perception. “Given the current social climate, people feel more comfortable saying they're anxious. Anxiety is a much more comfortable thing to report.”
The data backs up Chaifetz's hunch: About half of all people are comfortable talking about mental health at work. While that rate isn't as high as it should be, it's a good sign that topics are becoming less taboo in the workplace. One explanation for the increase is that things aren't suddenly getting worse, but rather, people are in a psychologically safer work environment, so they're more able to speak up and take the time they might have been reluctant to ask for before.
“People are now much more comfortable talking about seeing a therapist,” Dr. Chaifetz says. “In fact, it's trendy. How many people do you see at parties talking about therapists or discussing their problems? Even when we talk to clients, they sit in meetings and talk about their ankles. I start talking about my mental health issues as openly as I talk about breaking a bone.”
Another important factor driving increased anxiety may be related to paperwork. Dr. Chaifetz suspects inaccurate diagnostic labels may be involved. “Relationship problems are common all the time and often categorized in different ways, but when you look at the underlying issues, it may be depression or anxiety that is causing the larger relationship problems. It's sexual.”
What is causing the increase in women taking mental health leave?
The dramatic increase in women taking mental health leave likely reflects broader trends in gender dynamics in the workplace that have yet to be addressed. For example, a 2023 McKinsey report on women in the workplace found that women experience microaggressions at significantly higher rates than men, which contribute to feelings of stress and anxiety in the workplace. Additionally, women who experience microaggressions in the workplace are three times more likely to consider quitting their jobs and four times more likely to feel burned out most of the time, the report said.
Another hypothesis is that perhaps women are taking sabbaticals in the hope that they can salvage their work situations by giving them some breathing room, rather than quitting altogether. Deciding whether to quit or stay in a role is always difficult, but often some part of your subconscious mind has already made the decision.
4 ways to improve mental health at work
Employers have a duty of care to improve mental health, given that 83% of respondents in Headspace's recent research said work was the main source of their stress. Dr. Chaifetz pointed to several organizations known for their excellent mental health and wellness programs. “We have an awards program that recognizes companies with the best wellness programs,” Dr. Chaifetz said. “These organizations are leading the way in supporting mental health and demonstrating that it is possible to create a supportive and healthy work environment.” The 2023 winners include NVIDIA, Gallagher, and Bayer. and so on.
1: Ensure your team has the right resources
Most workplace-induced stress stems from unsustainable workloads. Until companies fix that, remaining mental health initiatives will have minimal (if any) impact.
2: Showing the weaker side of the leader
Ask leaders to share their own mental health journeys and encourage others in your industry to share their stories. Host mental health panels where business leaders and others can speak openly about their struggles, the fear of speaking up, the anxieties they faced, and the “aha” moments when they knew it was time to make a change.
3: Normalize talking about mental health
Involve as many people as possible in the conversation. And above all, create a space to share these stories in a way that's unique to your company. For example, a few years ago, Facebook ran a campaign called #OpenUp to encourage people to share their stories. The campaign was based on the image of the butterfly, a universal symbol of hope. Collecting and archiving the stories that surface allows people to view them, help them feel less alone, and encourage them to share their own stories as well.
4: Promote compassion as a core value and part of our culture
Reach out to your colleagues. EY had a famous campaign, “'ru OK?”, that encouraged colleagues to reach out to each other by asking one simple question. Take it a step further and create a list of conversation starters that you can use to reach out to each other. This provides gentle prompts on questions you can ask your colleagues if you want to reach out but aren't sure how to do so appropriately or discreetly.
