A majority of U.S. employers say mental health issues are having an impact on their workers, and just over half report substance abuse and addiction are posing “significant or severe” challenges in the workplace, according to a new study from property and casualty insurer The Hartford.
The survey, which polled 617 employers and 1,005 employees between January and February, also found that a clear majority of respondents — 72% — agreed that a cultural reticence to discuss mental health conditions is likely discouraging some workers from seeking professional help.
“Our new data on stigma is a wake-up call,” said The Hartford CEO and Chairman Christopher Swift. “As the U.S. economy is re-built, we urge business leaders to continue to prioritize employee mental health — fostering stigma-free company cultures, increasing access to resources and encouraging early treatment.”
About 70% of polled businesses said they now recognize employee mental health as an important issue, with 31% stating that mental health problems are having a serious financial impact on their operations. Just over 50% reported “workplace issues” due to substance misuse and addiction.
The study turned up a notable gap between the perception of businesses and employees on the handling of workforce well-being, perhaps indicating that employers are not meeting their workers’ needs as comprehensively as they might imagine.
When asked if their company’s culture has become more accepting of mental health challenges in the last year, for example, 80% of employers said yes, compared to only 59% of employees who said the same. That divide reappeared in responses to similar questions, including whether or not employees feel free to discuss mental health problems in the workplace or have enough flexibility in their daily schedules to seek out and attend treatment.
Major insurers have paid more attention to mental health issues over the last few years as anxiety and depression have become leading causes of lost productivity and disability among working-age American adults. People with anxiety and depression also take longer to recover from other non-related injuries and illnesses than people without those conditions, according to an analysis of workers’ compensation and disability claims by The Hartford.
