Eliminating Mental Health Stigma at Work

More than one billion people globally live with a mental health condition. Anxiety and depression are the most commonplace diagnoses, with women being disproportionately affected.

Costs of lost productivity due to mental health top $1 trillion annually. But the impact would be greatly lessened if there were more systemic access to appropriate mental health services—and if revealing mental health challenges was less stigmatized.

What can organizations do to create more inclusive workplaces for those struggling with mental health?

Leaders are critical for decreasing mental health stigma

In our research, we found that leaders are crucial for setting the tone when it comes to mental health stigma. Ideal-worker norms keep many employees feeling that taking time “off the clock” indicates they might be other than endlessly efficient and effective workers. When leaders show that it’s OK to struggle with mental health, they open the door for employees to reveal their mental health challenges.

The truth is that, whether leaders are aware or not, some members of their team are likely to struggle with mental health. When leaders create a safe environment for employees to disclose mental health diagnoses or concerns, leaders gain information that can be used to formulate appropriate solutions. Without such information, leaders are left in the dark to make assumptions (which are often wrong) about employees’ work behaviors.

In other words, when leaders make it clear that discussing mental health at work is encouraged, they help themselves, too. Being able to collaboratively solve problems together with employees struggling with mental health makes it more likely that any solutions will stick.

How do leaders destigmatize mental health struggles?

First, leaders who destigmatize mental health struggles might, when appropriate, share their own struggles with their team. When leaders experience such struggles, they can role model being more open and forthcoming about the challenges they face.

For example, a manager who battles anxiety might be transparent about the stressful feelings and thoughts they have before a big presentation. While common wisdom might suggest this would make the leader look weak, our research shows otherwise. Instead, employees respect and appreciate that the leader is willing to share their struggles. And they feel relieved that they can experience similar struggles and still succeed.

Second, leaders can make sure not to use stigmatizing language and to help other employees to speak more inclusively as well. For instance, a leader might have an employee on their team who seems moody or negative at times. A leader who refers to that employee as “crazy” when discussing them sends the signal to others that the leader views employees with mental health struggles as erratic or out of control.

Similarly, leaders who describe themselves using mental health diagnoses they don’t have can also trivialize the real challenges others face. For example, a leader might claim that they are “OCD” because they like to be orderly. But, for those who actually live with OCD, such usage might seem insensitive.

Finally, leaders can provide training or resources on mental health challenges and mental health inclusivity. For instance, a team might not realize that all of their get-togethers are alcohol-centric until learning that someone recovering from alcoholism feels uncomfortable or left out. Or they may not realize that asking lots of questions about what coworkers are eating and why might be problematic for someone struggling with disordered eating. As employees learn about how to create a more inclusive work environment, most will want to try their best to bring about such environment.

Conclusions

Taken together, leaders can set the tone for their teams when it comes to mental health awareness and stigma. Odds are that some members of every work team struggle with mental health. Ignoring the problem only does more damage—and makes employees feel even worse about their struggles. Instead, creating open, non-stigmatizing, and more humane workplaces can help employees and organizations to thrive.