‘Mental ill health is a key factor in employee absenteeism,’ says expert
Thirteen per cent of employees in the United States reported taking a sick day for mental health reasons in the past year, according to a new report from Unmind.
Among them, 77% said their workplace played at least some role in their mental health condition that pushed them to take a leave.
"Mental ill health is a key factor in employee absenteeism, and it's influenced significantly by the workplace," said Nick Taylor, co-founder and CEO of Unmind, in a statement.
The findings come despite the United States being the most saturated market for Employee Assistance Programmes (EAP) across the world, with around 74.1 million employees having access to EAP, according to data from Spill.
EAPs are workplace initiatives that have been known to reduce absenteeism by nearly 70%, according to a previous study from the Federal Occupational Health.
"Despite the potential of Employee Assistance Programmes and other mental health initiatives to address this crisis, awareness and utilisation among employees remain low," Taylor said.
Unmind's findings revealed that only 29% of its respondents are aware of their company having an EAP.
Only 33% of those who are aware of the service have also used it, according to the report, which found that their experiences were largely positive:
Unmind blamed the lack of EAP utilisation on such programmes being "outdated."
"They're often difficult to find, poorly communicated, and transactional – resulting in underuse and missed opportunities to offer care," the report read.
Improving employee mental health
To improve the quality of EAPs in workplaces, the report outlined the qualities of what are regarded as "today's best EAPs":
"By strengthening these programmes and enhancing their promotion, employers can significantly improve employee well-being and productivity," Taylor said.
In addition to improving EAPs, the report found that other initiatives employers could use to reduce mental health-related absences include:
