6 Ways to Reduce the Mental Health Stigma in the Workplace
By Allison Secrist
In a 2021 survey, 76% of U.S. workers reported experiencing at least one symptom of a mental health condition. Not only this but 84% of those respondents reported at least one workplace factor that negatively contributed to their mental health. Whether it be burnout, depression, anxiety, or beyond, it’s difficult to go through life unaffected by behavioral health disorders.
Within our own places of work, we may recognize the presence of stigmas our employers or coworkers might have and the lack of healthy work practices altogether. While mental health conversations may have increased over the years, the barrier stigma creates is still present as employees may feel ashamed of their condition, that being open may negatively affect their reputation, relationships, or job position, ultimately preventing them from seeking and receiving the help and support they need. This then creates stress, burnout, an increase in missed workdays, resignations, and much more that only backfires the workplace directly.
These six tips listed below provide a solution to reduce the mental health stigma in the workplace, implementing a safer work environment. This list is for all workers, regardless of rank or job title.
1. Change Your Language and Perspective
Before making significant changes, a workplace must start small. The language we use to discuss or refer to mental health and well-being issues contributes largely to the negative stigma and uncomfortable spaces created. Be conscious of the words you use, avoid using hurtful and discriminatory words such as “psycho”, “unstable”, “freak”, “problems”, etc. These words often discount real threats some may face and continue to carry a negative stereotype by implication that there is something wrong with someone simply because they have a mental illness.
Instead, rethink your language, be mindful of your tone suggesting blame, and rephrase as needed. For example, Health Partners suggests avoiding specific terms such as “mentally ill person” and “schizophrenic”, and alternatively using “Person with a mental illness” and “Person living with schizophrenia” as a more respectful tone. Put yourself in their position and imagine how you would feel if you heard someone speaking like this to you or a loved one.
Remember that people are not their illnesses, they are more than a diagnosis. You may have to shift your perspective in order to alter preconceived notions for the better of those around needing support.
2. Normalize the Conversation at Work
If comfortable, be open with your coworkers, share experiences with a purpose, with a goal of creating a safer place, or simply help a colleague. These conversations don’t need to provide solutions, rather, they’re encouraging for others when you set the example that there is no shame in reaching out for help. Stigmas surrounding mental health can make individuals with mental health conditions feel marginalized and unsupported, but sharing your own experience with a colleague encourages a sense of belonging that provides mutual support but needs to be more accepted. Open and honest conversations create safe environments for people to speak about their own challenges without the pressure or fear of not being chosen for a promotion or certain role.
Conversations don’t have to be in-depth, considering they still need to be work appropriate, starters as simple as “How are you feeling today?” and “I’m here if you need to talk” show you care about their wellbeing. It doesn’t have to be complex, whatever your position or knowledge, you can always show support in conversation through attentively listening without judgment, keeping shared information private (unless otherwise permitted), avoiding making assumptions, and respecting that someone may not want to discuss their own mental health.
If you are in a leadership role, know your capability of enforcing change within your department that will allow employees to feel comfortable coming to you and opening up if they are struggling. Leaders can also set the tone and share their own experiences, to bring a better awareness at work. Structural implementations can be set in place too as I will go over more thoroughly in the next step.
3. Educate Teams and Provide Abundant Resources
While normalizing mental health through conversations is extremely important, increasing effective structures and training at work that educates employees more is also just as important. While it may seem that these implementations can only be controlled by the company itself and those in leadership positions, regular employees can also contribute immensely by knowing how to help their peers and advocating for better resources as well. First, mental health orientations have much value because they allow things to start off on the right foot, letting new employees know that mental health is a priority at their work will enable them to feel supported. Offering mental health benefits such as educational workshops, screenings, mental health days on-site that could consist of massages or volunteer work, or simply choosing a company health insurance that covers mental health care expenses could all create a positive and open culture where employees feel empowered.
Start campaigns and celebrate them, such as September for National Suicide Prevention Week, this can be initiated by a hired mental health team or person. According to Mental Health America, employers should consider establishing a resource group or person that can identify issues with a workplace culture and educate teams. Leaders can also do their own research by exploring the different mental symptoms and distinctive behaviors that may impact work performance and the overall mood of a worker. Sharing findings with a team through a meeting or announcement can eliminate misconceptions that feed into the stigma.
4. Eliminate Discriminatory Behavior
The essence of stigma comes from discrimination and misjudgment, therefore it is only necessary to go over what stigma truly looks like. Stigmas refer to negative stereotypes that continue to exist, for example, some may think that those with mental illness are dangerous, irresponsible, and/or cannot take care of themselves. This makes a person with mental illness more reluctant to seek treatment or speak up due to these stigmas and what others may think. Now take this and apply it to a workplace setting, individuals may feel even more reluctance because of this stigma, causing employees with mental illness to fear that if they’re open about their conditions it will jeopardize their jobs or make them ineligible for promotions because they’re seen as incapable according to the negative stereotypes.
Discriminatory behaviors can seem as small and innocent as a conversation, maybe someone felt comfortable enough to share an experience with their depression and another person responds with “What do you mean you can’t get out of bed? It’s not like your legs don’t work”, this response can come off as insensitive, making the person with depression feel misunderstood. Instead, be mindful of what you say, think, and how you look at a person living with a mental illness. Have more compassion toward them before you judge and avoid terms that could potentially push them further from recovery progress. Never make them feel that they are lesser than you, as an employer or leader, you can make it clear that they should not fear being dismissed if they share their concerns, and reassure them that they still have a good chance for job advancement. Always respond constructively to behavioral performance issues, providing options and/or reasonable accommodations.
5. Treat Mental and Physical Health Needs Equally
Often times we treat mental and physical health with double standards, as if they are two separate things when really they should be treated equally. Many talk freely about their physical health conditions like asthma and diabetes making it a part of a more dominant public, yet when it comes to mental health, it seems frowned upon to talk about which further points out the societal inequities surrounding mental health. Most of the time, physical illness symptoms and injuries are easier to see than mental illnesses, it’s not as though people walk around with a note from the doctors announcing they have an anxiety disorder. Yet, even with a lack of visibility, mental health is just as detrimental as physical.
Both physical and mental health are interconnected, meaning one can affect the other. A chronic pain condition such as arthritis can lead to or worsen a mental health illness such as depression. What does this look like for workers? Glad you asked, both play an important role in employee well-being and productivity and, therefore should be treated the same. In terms of coverage and access to services, employers should offer mental health benefits on par with physical health benefits. Accommodating paid time off to emphasize not only physical but also mental health helps to improve both. Taking time off should be normalized by promoting the use of personal days to address mental and physical health needs without guilt or shame. Similar to how some employees are trained to provide physical first aid, training in mental health first aid should also be required for additional support from coworkers.
6. Create Reasonable Accommodations
To promote an inclusive and supportive workplace, sensible accommodations for employees with mental illness are required. This doesn’t mean workers can come in whenever they feel like it and do less work than everyone else, rather, employers can follow the U.S. Department of Labor's list of possible accommodations that include; flexible scheduling to accommodate therapy sessions or medication schedules, the option to work remotely (if able), extra break time, time off for medical appointments or treatments, etc. Offer work adjustments such as alternative communication methods which could look like the option of email or written form of communication over in-person or phone calls for someone with social anxiety. Allow for sensory accommodations to adjust lighting or temperature and if it interferes with workflow, then allow the employee to wear sunglasses or earplugs if sensory sensitive. Modify job tasks to best match the capabilities of the employee without being unfair to other workers, if someone works in customer service, a suggested modification could be to give the employee a little more time on call with each customer to reduce the pressure of needing to be quick with calls.
The important thing for a leader to understand is that you need to have options that the employee can choose from to feel conducive to their work environment. Before making specific accommodations make sure to meet with the employee who needs it first, and ensure that they feel safe sharing their health concerns without fear, discuss their particular needs, and provide a mutual understanding of each other and the final job expectations with the accommodations, to reduce any misinterpretations. Though these adjustments may seem small, they can increase job performance, and employees' well-being, reduce the risk of burnout, and empower the employees in their positions to feel valued in their workplace.
For a long time, people have stigmatized mental health by associating it with weakness or failings and avoiding the subject altogether. Over time, increased awareness, conversations, research, and resources have all come about. And while things are better than before, stigma still lingers around the public spheres we partake in, such as our places of work.
Begin by changing your language and perspective, and normalize the conversation–normalize being open when appropriate at work. If someone opens up to you, show them nothing but compassion, and guide them to the right resources. Reducing stigma at work can create a safer and more enjoyable workplace that helps those living with mental illness seek the right help.