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Shira Wilensky Talks to SHRM About Overcoming Obstacles to Address Mental Health in the Workplace

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, around 45 million U.S. adults experience mental illness each year while depression costs the U.S. economy an estimated $210 billion per year.

However, a mere 25% of managers in the U.S. have been trained in referring employers to mental health resources. When it comes to addressing the issue of mental health in the workplace, the initiatives and strategy must come from company leadership. OneDigital’s National Practice Leader of Health & Wellbeing Shira Wilensky shares several practical ways employers and managers can fight the stigma in the workplace in the article, “Employers Fight the Stigma Around Mental Health Care,” published in SHRM. Shira highlights a few approaches that employers can offer or provide that may be less intimidating for employees if they’re not ready to access an Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

Employees are afraid to put themselves in a category of needing assistance. They feel they are admitting weakness, which puts their job—therefore their livelihood—in jeopardy.
 
There are a variety of digital tools on the market to promote mental health, from mindfulness and meditation apps that guide you through breathing exercises and medications on your smartphone, to clinical assessment tools. Make the information accessible in a way that feels more private and can be less intimidating for the segment of the population that is comfortable using technology.
 
Shira Wilensky, National Practice Leader of Health & Wellbeing, OneDigital

Read the full article by clicking here.

Learn what you can be doing at your organization now and check out the recent post: 7 Ways to Support Mental Health in the Workplace.

To find out more about developing a strategy to address mental health issues in the workplace and combat the stigmas reach out to your OneDigital Consultant.

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