Mental health in the workplace – Let our experts help with your stories all month long

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and as we continue to drop the stigmas surrounding mental health and begin to recognize the toll it is taking on families, friends and workplaces across the country – people are starting to talk more openly and engage the concept of mental illness.

Did you know?

• About one in five U.S. adults (44 million) experience a mental illness in a given year.
• One in 25 are living with a serious mental illness that substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities.
• Mental illness is one of the top causes of worker disability in the U.S. and 62 percent of missed work days can be attributed to mental health conditions.

The figures are startling, and recently leading employee benefits company, Unum conducted research among 1,850 U.S. employed adults, 500 working adults with a diagnosed mental health issue, and among 268 human resources (HR) professionals to better understand how mental health issues impact today’s workplace. These findings and additional research and insights are a part of the company’s 2019 Mental Health Report.

Some key findings of the report include:

• 55% of employees said their employer did not have or they were unsure if their employer had a specific program, initiative or policy in place to address mental health
• 62% of employees have experienced a period where they felt mentally unwell
• Among employees with a mental health issue, 42% have come to work with suicidal feelings
• 76% of employees were confident their managers were properly trained on how to identify employees who may be having a mental health issue, while just 16% of HR professionals felt the same.
• 61% of employees feel there’s a social stigma in the workplace towards colleagues with mental health issues and half feel that stigma has stayed the same or worsened in the previous five years.

What does this mean to both employers and employees? How can you learn about mental health resources available in your workplace?  That’s where our experts can help.

Michelle Jackson is the Assistant Vice President, Market Development for Unum, a leading provider of workplace financial protection benefits. She specializes in mental and behavioral health, and workplace issues. She is available to speak with media - simply click on her icon to arrange an interview.