In the words of clinical psychologist and author Noam Shpancer, “Mental health is not a destination, but a process.”
This process varies from individual to individual and is directly impacted by environment and personal circumstances. More importantly, it’s not a journey that can always be solved alone—whether in your personal life or at work.
While it is complicated and multi-faceted, it warrants taking the time to understand it in depth.
The Current Definition of Mental Health
Historically, the definition of mental health was myopic in nature. Today, however, it has transformed into something broader. According to the World Health Organization, the definition of mental health is “more than just the absence of mental disorders or disabilities. Peak mental health is about not only avoiding active conditions but also looking after ongoing wellness and happiness.”
Now that we have a more accurate view, let’s take a look at how serious an issue it really is.
What the Stats Tell Us
As they say, numbers don’t lie. Here are some alarming statistics about mental illnesses in the workforce:
- Depression interferes with a person’s ability to complete physical job tasks about 20 percent of the time and reduces cognitive performance about 35 percent of the time.
- Only 57 percent of employees who report moderate depression and 40 percent of those who report severe depression receive treatment to control depression symptoms.
What these facts highlight is that the gravity of this issue is commonly underestimated.
But all is not lost.
The Evolving Role of Leadership in the Business World
When we think of the role of leadership in the corporate world, it’s generally about how it will drive revenue and boost company performance.
This, however, is an outdated concept.
Today, the role of management transcends this. Its role now includes:
- Cultivating an environment of inclusion, support, growth and collaboration.
- Ensuring the professional growth of employees by creating effective succession and workplace plans.
- Protecting the mental and physical health of workers.
- Fostering healthy relationships which promote two-way feedback, open dialog and an employee-first approach.
Given that many leaders are still working towards achieving these goals, it’s critical that they are given the information and tools to do so.
Providing Leaders the Information and Tools Needed to Address Mental Health Issues
To jumpstart the process, we wanted to share our mental health toolkit, and the three resources — all designed to drive high-impact results.
To access your resources, see below:
