So many employees are having a hard time working, and that’s ok.
Between a pandemic, an economic crisis and social justice reckonings, a lot has happened this year. Even more than a year into this, people are still struggling to get back to normal. After all, how can you tell your boss that you’re struggling to focus on your work because of the stress of everything going on when you know that they – and everyone else in the office – are going through the exact same thing and seem to be doing just fine?
So what do employees do? They bury it. They suck it up because it seems like everyone seems to be able to handle it. And it doesn’t work.
“What we know is the pandemic has uprooted the daily routines and responsibilities of so many employees in our country and it’s causing anxiety and depression,” said Paul Gionfriddo, president and CEO of Mental Health America (MHA). “The American workplace was unprepared for the COVID-19 pandemic and the effect it would have on workers.”
MHA recently released their 3rd annual 2021 Mind the Workplace report, for which they surveyed more than 5,000 workers across 17 industries, and the results are raising alarm bells in offices across the country.
According to the survey, 83 percent of employees feel emotionally drained, and 99 percent of those surveyed say those feelings are directly related to their work. But even so, 59 percent of employees don’t feel they have enough support from their direct supervisor when it comes to mental health or mental illness.
That’s not only cause for concern for employees’ wellbeing, but for the company as well. As a direct result of these feelings, more than 56 percent of employees have spent a significant amount of time searching for a new job – a sharp 16% increase from 2018.
This is leading to severe burnout, especially as employees are expected to mask their concerns and continue on as normal.
But there are things employers can do to help.
For managers, there are a number of ways you can provide support to your employees struggling with mental health issues. One of the most impactful is providing work-sanctioned opportunities to take care of your physical and mental health through corporate wellness programs, but even something as simple as addressing the issue head-on can also make a significant impact. No matter how someone looks on the outside or how productive they seem to be at work, you never know what’s going on behind the scenes. Creating a work environment that fosters open communication about mental health struggles helps employees feel seen and heard, which is the first step to fixing the issue.
The key message for employees: struggling at work because of your mental health doesn’t make you bad at your job, it makes you human. It’s ok to feel stressed. It’s ok if you don’t focus as well as you did before or if you need to take an extra moment to yourself throughout the workday. A lot has gone on this year, and this idea that we need to continue to be “professional” and go on as if nothing is happening is actually doing more harm than good.
The way to get back to normal isn’t by putting your head down and pushing through – it’s by taking care of yourself first.