Mental Health in the Workplace
Speaker: Susan Helgeland, Executive Director of Mental Health America of North Dakota
Does this sound familiar to you? “We have irritable employees. We miss too many deadlines. We have a lot of workers out ‘sick.’ Productivity is down because of workplace injuries and staff who are stressed.”
Untreated mental disorders impact workforce performance, productivity, absenteeism and burnout. One million employees miss work each day due to work stress. Each year, in a typical office of 20 people, 4 will suffer from a mental health condition. More workers are absent from work because of stress and anxiety than because of physical illness or injury. Individuals who are depressed but not receiving care of the condition consume two to four times the healthcare resources of other enrollees.
95 out of 100 employees know that mental health is important to their overall health. However, employees often do not know the connection between mental health and work. A national survey conducted in July 2007 fro the Partnership for Workplace Mental Health found that 36% of employees said stress affects their productivity and the quality of their work. 33% said stress affects their relationship with their supervisors. Yet workers do not think employers place enough emphasis on mental health.
The seminar provides employees with practical information about the connection between mental health and work. Employees may feel stressed because of what is happening on and off the job. They have to balance work, family, friends, community and self needs. Mental Health at Work addresses important issues related to mental health with a presentation, discussion and interaction. It focuses on the following objectives:
*This program is pending recertification credit approval.
