Category: Mental Health

Content for mental health topic page

Love and Hope

Posted on by Daniel Golden

An op-ed from NOD President Carol Glazer

 

When stepping into the role of a new manager or leader of an organization, there is always a big learning curve.

With that in mind, I want to pass along the thoughts of someone who assumed her first leadership role at age 55. That’s pretty late in a career to learn about leadership. Some of the lessons I picked up were painful because I learned them the hard way—by making mistakes and then picking myself up afterwards. Doing things wrong before I figured out how to do them right.

Let’s start with the most important challenges facing leaders today, whether in the for-profit or social sector. (My experience comes from the latter.)

We as leaders need to recognize that in many respects, America is hurting.

In these difficult times it’s easy to feel discouraged.  Disappointment, anger and disenchantment are understandable — in some cases reasonable — responses to the challenges we face.

Whether it’s the aftermath of COVID, economic uncertainty, civil unrest, a heightened sense of inequality in our society, we and our colleagues are experiencing trauma.

Today, a third of all workers will face mental health issues, double the number pre-pandemic.

Add to that the fact that 45% of people under age 40 have a negative view of democracy and capitalism.

What does all this mean for us as leaders? Quite simply, our people need us more than ever. And our empathy has never been more important.

We have to tell our staff that it’s OK to not be OK. We have to think about resilience, the capacity to sustain the blows that come with the daily experience of trauma. We have to approach our work with empathy, generosity, hope and love.

That’s right, I’m talking about leadership qualities that include hope and love. These are two small words that have enormous implications:  for our businesses, our communities and our future. This is a big lesson I have learned.

We tend to take hope for granted. We hope our favorite team will win the game. We hope for great vacation weather. We hope we get a great deal when we buy a new car.

But hope is an important steppingstone to resilience, and researchers have found that hope is associated with all kinds of positive outcomes.

Having hope in the face of adversity encourages more engagement in life and problem solving. It’s not a passive feeling but an active ingredient in our wellbeing and the way we interact with the world.

I have spent most of my career trying to build a more just society that includes and values all of us. Most recently I’ve been trying to make the world a better place for the one in four Americans that is disabled.

We are shattering fears, misconceptions and lowered expectations of people with disabilities.

In my youth in the 1960’s and 1970’s, with a strong sense that if we worked at it, we could create massive political and social change, my generation of activists won huge gains for women’s rights, civil rights, voting rights and ending a war we didn’t believe in.

We were strong, we were unified and we were resilient—filled with hope and optimism.   We learned from history that the greatest threat we face is not extreme inequities, nor bitter political divisions, nor an environmental crisis, nor the results of any one election. We understood that according to Darren Walker, one of my heroes and president of the Ford Foundation, “hope is the oxygen that fuels our democracy.”

We know that democracy requires work and when hope leaves, a democratic society will atrophy.

And then there’s love.

My generation of activists also believed in adherence to a common creed that all of us are created equal.  Insistence on the God-given dignity of every human being.  A belief that we are all part of a unified movement to make a more compassionate, kind, just and gentle world.

We believed in the value of love and caring for our fellow humans.  We showed one another empathy and compassion.  We valued personal sacrifice, and we valued one another, in common cause.

A quote comes to mind from another one of my heroes, Bobby Kennedy, as he addressed a crowd on the night of Martin Luther King’s assassination in 1968.  He said, quoting the ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus, “Even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget, falls drop by drop upon the heart until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God.”

Kennedy then delivered one of his best-remembered remarks: “What we need in the United States is not division; what we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence or lawlessness, but is love and wisdom, compassion toward one another, and a feeling of justice towards those who still suffer within our country.”

Important words.

They make me consider how things have changed in our workplaces. When I was moving up in the business world, being a good leader meant being competitive, tough as nails and not letting down your guard around co-workers.

But those days are over. Those leadership values are no longer relevant, dog eat dog has been replaced by empathy.  In my personal experience, leading with empathy has made my organization not only more resilient and collaborative, but more productive.

But our powers for hope, love and empathy are constantly being tested.  We as leaders must affirm the conviction that love will conquer hate and hope will conquer fear.  And as change agents, we must remember that progress is not measured by a straight line. Incremental steps are important and praiseworthy. That’s what makes a good leader.

What ‘Ted Lasso’ Did for Mental Health, Hollywood Should Do for Disability

Posted on by Daniel Golden

You can’t expect a disabled actor to break down barriers if they aren’t hired for roles, or if film sets remain inaccessible.

Danny Woodburn, a native of the Philadelphia area, has appeared in more than 30 films and 150 TV shows.
Danny Woodburn, a native of the Philadelphia area, has appeared in more than 30 films and 150 TV shows.

Season three of the popular comedy Ted Lasso airs Wednesday, and given all that show has done to destigmatize mental health, I’m sure it’s no coincidence the finale is in May, the last day of Mental Health Awareness Month.

As a veteran actor, I am proud of what the show has done to elevate this important issue as it explores the title character’s panic attacks after years of bottling up trauma. But when it comes to on-screen representation, we are still so far behind.

I’m not just a veteran actor, who you may have seen on Seinfeld, along with more than 150 other TV shows and 30-plus films. I’m an actor with disability, which remains woefully underrepresented on screen.

A recent study of content from one streaming service found that disability remained the biggest representational hole, and fewer films included disabled characters in 2021 than in 2018.

When it comes to access and opportunity, we still often place the burden on the performers (people) with disabilities, and not on the system, access, laws, or the employers. And you can’t expect a disabled actor to break down barriers if they aren’t hired, or if film sets remain inaccessible.

Throughout my career, working with pioneers like disabled actor Robert David Hall (from CSI: Crime Scene Investigation), organizations such as the Ruderman Family Foundation and ADA Lead On (with Tari Hartman Squire), and festivals such as the ReelAbilities Film Festival, I have tried to change this — to eliminate prejudices, erase tropes, change the rhetoric, and ask that policies and creators include artists with disability.

Expanding Hollywood’s representation of disability isn’t just a moral imperative, it’s a business imperative. Roughly one out of four people in the U.S. lives with a disability; there is an immediate, positive response from audiences when we get this right. And negative consequences when we don’t.

It’s been more than 30 years since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and I can count on one hand the number of years our industry has attempted any serious engagement with the disability community.

Meanwhile, progress has been made in other areas — traditionally marginalized groups such as women, people of color, and LGBTQ people have been gaining equal opportunity and access to on-screen roles and the writers’ room, as well as producing and directing jobs.

To make the same changes with disability, the industry has to begin engaging with people and trying to eliminate fears and stigma.

Ted Lasso is one recent example, focusing attention on disabilities related to mental health. In another positive step, the popular IMDb database of actors has created a “self-identify” section, which lets all actors and craftspeople indicate if they have a disability. This will further help to reduce stigma by showing just how many of us are working with a disability.

Major changes won’t happen until studio executives make a true commitment to hiring more people with disabilities for their productions.

Not long ago, I met with my old costar, the wonderful actor Bryan Cranston, to discuss some of the backlash he received from the disabled community for his turn on The Upside, in which he played a quadriplegic man.

I said that our community — actors with disabilities — cannot achieve his level of success until we increase the opportunity and have equal access. So I’ve been asking him and other people in power to make a change to commit to casting three disabled actors in speaking roles each time they take a role from a disabled actor. Three to one. I call it the Woodburn Ratio. This would have the added benefit of forcing a production to make sets accessible.

These are hard changes and may come with hard conversations. I tell studio executives that they shouldn’t worry about asking the wrong questions of disabled actors. Just ask them. Especially the most important question: “What do you need from us so that you can do your best work?”

Imagine if every leader asked that question in workplaces all across the country, and not just in Hollywood.

Danny Woodburn, a graduate of Abington High School and Temple University’s School of Communications and Theater, is perhaps best known for his role as Kramer’s friend Mickey Abbott on “Seinfeld.” He is a consultant to the National Organization on Disability.

 

Originally posted at https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/commentary/ted-lasso-finale-mental-health-disability-hollywood-20230531.html

Mental Health Issues Affect Corporate Bottom Line

Posted on by Daniel Golden

Chris Collingwood | May 24th, 2023

Addressing mental health in the workplace can save a company money through productivity and retention of trained employees.

While there are no clear measurements, presenteeism can impact the bottom line, said Demetrios Marousis, director of behavior health, Highmark Health.

“Many employees are suffering, not only themselves but with family members,” he said. “They show up for work, but they are not present and that, along with time away from the job, are important variables for employers.”

Karen Young, founder and president, HR Solutions, agreed.

“If you are not operating at 100 %, you aren’t producing 100%,” she said.

A report from the World Health Organization (WHO) said 15% of working-age adults were estimated to have a mental health disorder in 2019. Carol Glazer, president of the National Organization on Disability, said, “We know that has at least doubled since COVID.

According to a study by Health Canal LLC, untreated workplace mental illness costs the U.S. $3.7 trillion each year. Pennsylvania ranks fifth in the nation with $149 billion.

The report says too, the annual spending on mental health treatment in the United States is $43 billion, which is only 1.1% of the cost of unmet workplace mental health needs.

According to data supplied by the American Psychiatric Association, employees with unresolved depression experience a 35% reduction in productivity, contributing to a loss to the U.S. economy of $210.5 billion a year in absenteeism, reduced productivity, and medical costs.

And Glazer said 62% of missed workdays are attributed to mental health.

To improve workforce productivity, Young said the overall culture of the company must be one of caring.

“Supervisors, managers and leaders should know their workforce,” she said. “That way, they can ask how things are going when they see a change in behavior or a change in productivity or attitude.”

Young said trained leadership can open a dialogue to see what is going on with the employee but must be careful so as not to move into disability accommodation discussions.

“Just being on track with where they are can open the door to find out if the issue is work related or lifestyle related,” Young said. “And you have to be empathetic.”

Glazer agreed.

“There is an increasing emphasis on the importance of empathy among top management,” she said. “The platinum rule is to do unto others as they want you to do.”

Glazer said employers have to get past the stigma to help employees get through their issues. They can offer things like flexible hours or make sure they are taking their paid time off to tend to their needs.

“Let them know you think they are number one,” she said.

“Employees showing up without being present and time away from the job are important variables for employers,” Marousis said. “Employees will put off treatment, saying the issue will pass and don’t identify that it is treatable. When they do seek care, often they are challenged as to where to find it.”

Marousis said there is still a stigma attached to mental health issues which makes finding care difficult. He said people talk about the care they receive for medical issues and will recommend a doctor, while people being treated for mental health often keep it to themselves.

“Innovative employers promote providers and ease of access,” he said. “That makes it less of a stigma.”

Employers need to look at what it costs to recruit, train and retain employees and offer care versus the cost of turnover when an employee is unable to perform the job, Marousis said.

“Companies should have Employee Assistance Programs. They are so inexpensive,” Young said. “Human resource personnel are trained in mediation and listening, but when a serious issue arises, the employee needs a professional.”

Crisis counseling, she said, can help get to the issue quickly, usually in three to five sessions.

Marousis agreed, citing a program called Mental Health First Aid which trains people how to create opportunities to talk, reduces stigma and judgement, and engages the employee more quickly.

He also cited virtual providers who can offer employees private consultations at their convenience which makes getting care easier.

Employers, Marousis said, can help promote access to treatment by putting out information on what mental health disorders look like and provide access to providers that can help.

“We’re seeing more and more employers doing this through email campaigns and posters in the workplace which is translating to more people seeking help,” he said.

The increased interest is cost driven. Marousis said the total cost of care if mental health is not treated is three times what it would be. He cited an example of someone with diabetes and depression. If someone is depressed, he is more likely not managing his diabetes and that increases the cost of care.

“Leaders are responsible for productivity, but they have to be nice to their employees,” Young said. “That doesn’t mean they have to accept emotions, but they need to be empathic. That way, the employee is more likely to open up.”

If the employee is having minor issues that can be solved short-term with lightening the workload or taking a day off, the supervisor should work with that, she said. “It demonstrates that you hear them and care.”

However, Young said supervisors should get human resources involved when more significant issues arise because, as managers, they don’t want to get involved in medical issues.

“Human resources can discuss corporate programs that are available and outline benefits,” she said. “And they can look at formal accommodations if it is a long-term issue.”

Employers are starting to recognize the importance of treating mental health issues, Marousis said. When someone is not performing, access to care gives them permission to get treatment.

“There is still an expectation of productivity,” he said. “Letting employees know if they are not okay, gives the company the chance to help them get treatment.”

 

This article was originally published at https://www.cpbj.com/mental-health-issues-affect-corporate-bottom-line/.

Disclosing a Disability to an Employer: Your Rights

Posted on by Daniel Golden

Elana Gross, Monster contributor | Wednesday, March 16th 2022

 

Black and white headshot of a smiling woman with shoulder length hair wearing glasses

 

If you’re among the 12.7 percent of Americans that have a visible or invisible disability, you may have some questions about disclosing a disability to an employer in your resume, cover letter, or during the interview process—especially if you know you will need accommodations at some point during the hiring process and/or when you start work.

But do you have to disclose your disability by law? Should you? If you do mention your disability, when is the best time to bring it up?

You’re busy applying to jobs, so we did the research for you and spoke to experts to address some of the questions you may have.

By Law, Do You Have to Disclose Your Disability to an Employer?

No. You are not legally required to mention your disability while you’re being considered for a job. You do not need to disclose your disability on your resume, cover letter, or other application materials, or during an interview.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) enforces The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which prevents eligible employers from discriminating against qualified job applicants and employees if they have a disability. (The law applies to state and local government employers and private employers with 15 or more employees.)

Under the law, someone is considered to have a disability if they have, have a record of having, or are perceived to have a “physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity” such as walking, hearing, seeing, speaking, learning, or completing manual tasks.

Reasonable Accommodations

To be protected under the ADA, a candidate must meet the job requirements and be able to complete the “essential job functions” with or without a “reasonable accommodation.”

A reasonable accommodation is a change or modification to the work environment or way things are done that makes it accessible. For example, you could request for the employer to modify the hiring process by hosting the interview in an accessible space, providing an American Sign Language interpreter or reader, or offering you written materials in accessible formats.

You are not required to self-identify a disability on a job application or during an interview, even if you later disclose that you need reasonable accommodations.

An employer is required to provide reasonable accommodations unless they can show that it is an “undue hardship,” meaning there would be a “significant” difficulty or cost. However, they can’t refuse to provide a requested accommodation if there is some cost involved, and they must provide an alternative accommodation.

How Does the ADA Apply to the Hiring Process?

The law prohibits employers from asking “disability-related questions” or requiring medical examinations until they have made you a conditional offer. However, if you disclose that you have a disability or have a visible disability, an employer can ask for more information, but there are limits.

Employers are prohibited from asking invasive questions about your disability and should only ask questions about the accommodations you need and whether you’ll be able to complete the essential job responsibilities.

In those instances, the employer can ask you whether you can complete the essential job responsibilities with or without reasonable accommodations and for you to demonstrate or describe how you’d do it. Employers can’t refuse to hire you if you can’t complete nonessential job responsibilities.

There’s a Disability Question on a Job Application. What’s That About?

If you see a disability question on a job application, that’s not entirely unusual. Some companies have Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) survey questions at the end of an application to collect data that they are required to submit to the EEOC. The survey typically asks about the applicant’s gender, race, and whether they have a disability. The form should say that it is voluntary and provide you an option to decline answering.

Should You Disclose Your Disability to an Employer During the Hiring Process?

You know you don’t have to disclose, but should you? Granted, this might not be a choice for everyone. If you require a reasonable accommodation during the hiring process, the employer can ask why you need an accommodation and what you need. The employer may ask for “reasonable documentation.”(Check your state’s laws to see how much information employers can request.)

Jinny Kim, the director of the disability rights program at Legal Aid at Work, says the nonprofit legal services organization counsels clients to only disclose a disability:

  • if you need a reasonable accommodation during the hiring process, such as when you are invited to an interview
  • when you start the job
  • at any point during your time at the company

Legal Aid at Work recommends that clients consider the potential benefits and downsides of disclosing. The benefits include receiving necessary accommodations and gaining support and, depending on the workplace, downsides may include a risk of stigma and harassment and a loss of privacy.

What Are the Best Practices for Disclosing a Disability to an Employer During the Hiring Process?

Typically, you only need to tell the employer that you have an ADA-protected disability and share the reasonable accommodations you are requesting. Some states may allow employers to ask you or your medical representative for a specific diagnosis.

Eve Hill, a disability rights attorney at the law firm Brown, Goldstein and Levy, says to explain to the employer how you’ll do the job, your past accomplishments, and that the accommodations you need are not difficult to implement.

What Are Some Ways to Tell If an Employer Is Inclusive?

Moeena Das, the Chief Operating Officer of National Organization on Disability, a nonprofit that increases work opportunities for people with disabilities, suggests checking whether the company website is accessible and includes an accessibility statement. Similarly, she recommends checking whether the company has an employee resource group (ERG) focused on disabilities and whether they have partnerships with disability organizations.

Start the Hiring Process with a Free Resume Review

Now that you know more about your rights and the process of disclosing a disability to an employer, you’re ready to begin preparing for the job search. Want some help with that? Start by polishing your resume with a free resume review from Monster. We can show you how to improve it so that you have a better chance of getting interview requests. It’s quick and easy (and did we mention free?) and can really make a difference.

This article is not intended as a substitute for professional legal advice. Always seek the professional advice of an attorney regarding any legal questions you may have.

Originally Posted at https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/disclose-disability-on-resume

This Year’s ADA Anniversary Marks A Time to Make Certain We Are Not Losing Ground | Blog by Merrill Friedman, Sr. Director, Disability Policy Engagement, Anthem

Posted on by Amber Cecil
Governor Tom Ridge, Merrill Friedman of Anthem, and Carol Glazer of NOD smiling and holding an award
Merrill Friedman receives NOD’s Leading Disability Employer award on behalf of Anthem, with NOD Chairman Governor Tom Ridge and President Carol Glazer

By Merrill Friedman, Sr. Director, Disability Policy Engagement from Anthem, Inc.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

I had planned to pause in 2020 to honor the ADA, thinking about what it has meant for people with disabilities and, of course, what work needs to be done to continue moving forward. I looked forward to the flurry of events, seeing people from across the country, and setting some expectations for the next 30 years. Then, we saw the onset of a pandemic, COVID-19. While I, and others here at Anthem, will absolutely include activities to mark this milestone, I find myself thinking that instead of so much focus on gaining ground, we need to worry we don’t lose any.

Exposure to COVID-19 for people with disabilities has several implications, including the threat of health care rationing, restrictions on loved ones having advocates to support them in the hospital, their DSPs and PCAs not being considered “essential workers,” or not having equitable access to PPE. This, along with the staggering unemployment rate, means we need to make sure people with disabilities do not lose the progress hard-won since the ADA was passed 30 years ago.

People with disabilities are more than twice as likely as those without disabilities to experience unemployment. And they are often among the first to lose their jobs when the economy sours; as the economy turns around, it is not necessarily those same workers who get hired back.

There are 60 million people with disabilities in the United States, and those numbers will only grow because of COVID-19. Many survivors will have lasting physical and mental health conditions, which means the unemployment figures could rise even further.

What is frustrating is that high joblessness does not have to be part of the story for people with disabilities. Given their life experiences, they can lead the way for all of us on working effectively from home. They have advocated long before the pandemic that given support, flexibility, and access to equipment and broadband, they can thrive like other employees. This has been our experience at Anthem.

We started preparing for COVID-19 early and with great thoughtfulness. By the time the pandemic was overwhelming the public and shelter-in-place orders were rolling out, 99 percent of our employees were in the process of being supported to work remotely with the tools they needed.

We made sure everyone had the resources necessary to be successful. I am very proud of what the company has done and continues to do. If an employee with a disability requires an accommodation while working from home, we provide it as we would if they were in the office. We have also ensured focus and precision in supporting people with disabilities who access their health care through Anthem plans so they can maintain access to critical supports like their providers, food, and other services.

Mental health support during the pandemic is also critical for all of our associates, who in addition to coping with stress and uncertainty in their own lives, internalize the stress and anxiety that our members share when we speak with them. We recognized that our health care services needed to be easily accessible to both associates and members and expanded telehealth and increased the options for physical, mental health, substance use, and social supports through this platform.

During Mental Health Awareness Month in May, we created #MeMinutes, a reminder for employees to think about their own self-care and to take time for themselves for the purpose of individual health and wellbeing and to better support other people. We know that we only move through this challenging time if we work together.

What has been so interesting is that many of the practices we have adopted recently have been recommended by our colleagues with disabilities for years, showing how important it is to listen to the experiences of people with disabilities.

My hope is that we continue to build on the knowledge and practice gained during this time of crisis and consider when recruiting people with disabilities that they know how to adapt to different work environments effectively with the right supports. Let’s not lose what we have learned as we have navigated the pandemic so we can continue to level the playing field toward true inclusive employment, realizing the promise of the ADA. If that happens, we will all have reason to pause and celebrate this year.

Anthem is a longtime member of the NOD Corporate Leadership Council and a sponsor of NOD’s Look Closer awareness campaign. For its exemplary disability employment practices, NOD has recognized Anthem as a Leading Disability Employer Seal every year since the award’s inception in 2016.  

 

 

 

 

NOD Corporate Leadership Council Members Address Mental Health In The Workplace During The COVID-19 Pandemic

Posted on by Amber Cecil

NEW YORK (April 16, 2020) – The National Organization on Disability (NOD) today hosted a Webcast for its Corporate Leadership Council members entitled “Mental Health Disabilities in the Workplace: Moving from Conversation to Action”. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact our world, an increasing number of employees may be facing mental health challenges ranging from social isolation to the stress and anxiety, caused by not knowing when this health crisis will end. This timely and important discussion focused on how employers are working to combat the stigma associated with mental health disabilities in the workplace.

“The National Organization on Disability works alongside global corporate leaders to create diverse and inclusive workplaces, including breaking down the mental health stigma,” said NOD President Carol Glazer.  “This unprecedented health crisis requires us to collectively take action and openly talk about mental health disabilities. If employers fail to create more inclusive cultures that allow employees to feel comfortable asking for accommodations and supports as they cope with this pandemic, they will be doing a disservice to their workforce and to their brand more broadly.”

A recent poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation revealed half of Americans believe COVID-19 is impacting their mental health, which is impacting all aspects of life – work included.

The webcast, moderated by Karen Brown, Global Diversity & Inclusion Executive Consultant, Bridge Arrow, featured an esteemed line-up of corporate and civic leaders including:

  • Anupa Iyer, Policy Advisor, Office of Federal Operations, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
  • Craig Kramer, Mental Health Ambassador and Chair, Global Campaign for Mental Health, in Neuroscience External Affairs at Janssen R&D, a Johnson & Johnson company
  • Mark Riley, GM for Innovation, Dow Jones

These leaders spoke about the importance of promoting safe environments so employees have the confidence to speak up about their mental health and, in turn, managers can provide accommodations and supports. They also shared systemic changes companies can make to increase productivity in the workplace and have a healthier organization overall.

Corporate Leadership Council Members: See more video and access exclusive resources in the Members’ Only Portal.

Not a member of the Council? Find out about the many benefits of joining today!

The U.S. is One of the Most Stressed Countries in the World: Do you know if your colleague’s mental health is okay?

Posted on by Amber Cecil

NOD and DiversityInc Recognize Mental Health Awareness Month

By Jayme S. Ganey, Senior Writer, DiversityInc, and Carol Glazer, President of National Organization on Disability

A recent Gallop poll reported that the US is one of the most stressed nations in the world. More than half of Americans (55%) reported feeling stress during a lot of the day, 45% said they worried a lot, and 22% said they “felt anger a lot,” Gallup reports.

Some might say, “Why care?” But you only need to look at productivity at work, sick time, disengagement, and the myriad companies under fire for mistreatment or lack of protection of workers to understand why this is important.

While many workers are merely debilitated by the stress in the workplace, others are actually experiencing mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder or post-traumatic stress. Since May is Mental Health Awareness Month, we’re shining a light on one of the most prevalent, but still taboo health conditions in the country.

Employees Hold Back, And It’s Costly

The reality is one in five people has a mental health condition, making them the single greatest cause of worker disability – and lost productivity – in the U.S., with costs exceeding $193 billion, according to NAMI[JA1].

NAMI research shows 62% of missed work days can be attributed to a mental health condition. The same study shows that in the case of depression, the disorder is linked to an average absenteeism rate of 2.5 days per month, resulting in average costs of $3,540-$4,600 per year, per employee.

“Mental illness will account for more than half of the economic burden of all chronic diseases, more than cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases combined, according to another NAMI study. We’re talking about trillions of dollars, mostly in the form of lost productivity and unplanned absences.

According to a report that the National Organization on Disability advised on for the WMI, employees with invisible disabilities (many of them mental health conditions ) are less engaged than their counterparts with visible disabilities, likely because the latter workers access the accommodations they need at higher rates. Given the stigma associated with mental illness, it’s natural that workers will hold back on disclosing, and getting the accommodations they need.

And without the right supports, there can be dire consequences for employees—including increasing symptoms, loss of a job, loss of home, incarceration, self or other harm and even suicide. These issues certainly (and profoundly) affect families and communities; but they also significantly impact workplaces, because the majority of Americans spend one-third of their adult life at work.

Who Could Be In Need?

While celebrities like Taraji P. Henson, Dwayne the Rock Johnson, and others have gone public and encouraged people to get the help that they need, what about the everyday person? If you are sitting in a room with four other people at your office, one of you on average is dealing with a mental health condition. “

Mental illness manifests itself in as many ways as the human psyche is complex. It affects housewives, corporate executives, world-class athletes, and caregivers without discrimination. As we’ve reported previously if you’re a caregiver of a child with chronic medical issues, your risk increases by orders of magnitude. Roughly 27% of U.S. children live with chronic health conditions; and nearly half of their mothers have symptoms of anxiety, depression, PTSD, or all three.

One of this article’s co-authors, Carol Glazer, has told her story of caregiving for a son with chronic medical problems and how that contributed to her diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

“I became a different person. More cautious, more prone to worry. At times impatient. Or angry with the wrong people. Fear is a constant din in the background… Clearly and unmistakably, through my son’s many life and death surgeries, related complications and repeated hospitalizations, I’d experienced trauma. I would come home exhausted from work only to have to then check in with the caretaker, doctor, and therapists. And I acknowledge that as a middle class working professional, I had supports that others do not.”

The S Word

It’s clear that mental health struggles are not selective in who they impact. Moreover, more than half of the people diagnosed with mental health conditions will seek treatment, even though the monetary costs of treatment are negligible.

The reason people don’t seek this treatment has to do with the stigma of mental illness, which is alive and well in our society and workplaces. Stigma is not exclusive to individuals who don’t understand mental illness. It’s practiced by parents and family members, teachers, the media, health insurers, and even healthcare providers and policymakers.

When you add it all up, in the coming decades, mental illness will account for more than half of the economic burden of all chronic diseases, more than cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases combined….

We’re talking about trillions of dollars, mostly in the form of lost productivity and unplanned absences.

And with 10X as many people with mental illness in prisons as in psychiatric facilities, this is a public health crisis of tsunami proportions.

While mental health is becoming a more prevalent conversation in the media than ever before, the unsensational stories that fuel the staggering statistics are still not helping the conversation become normal in everyday life without stigma.

Particularly in the workplace, where stigma is a known barrier, people often don’t ask for and receive help because they don’t feel they have permission or safety to speak up. And coworkers are similarly afraid of the unknown. So while an employee would no more watch a colleague trip and fall without asking whether they are OK, they should not be afraid to ask a co-worker whom they suspect is depressed or over anxious or overstressed, if they are OK.

Millennials are more apt to talk about it as they grew up with conversations about it, but navigating the discussion across generations and at work is still a challenge. Generational ideas, cultural ideas, as well as one’s own self-awareness can impede sharing.

So How Do You Start the Conversation?

We would call on people to practice empathy—putting yourself in others positions and think about how you’d want to be treated if that were your situation.

Felicia Nursmen, managing director of employer services at the National Organization on Disability, said: “Recognize your own bias. Focus on people. And increase your exposure to bias,” she said. “What’s most important is that we ask the right questions and that we’re having the right conversations.”

And while employers generally cannot ask someone if they have a disability or the severity of one, you can ask if they whether they need an accommodation to get their jobs done.

NOD’s Corporate Leadership Council has companies who are working to create spaces so that employees are less reluctant to share their stories, thus allowing their managers to create more inclusive workspaces, and benefit from their diverse talents and perspectives. They produced guidelines: 6 Key Tips to Address Mental Health in your Workplace, from the NOD Corporate Leadership Council.

And there are companies leading the pack that you can learn from, including health care company and DiversityInc Hall of Famer Kaiser Permanente, whose “total health” perspective is a model for other companies.

EY, another DiversityInc Hall of Famer, birthed “R u ok?”, an ERG movement out of a Mental Health Summit they attended in 2015. It works through trainings and conversations to open conversations about mental health among employees.

Lori Golden, EY America’s Talent Team abilities strategy leader, discusses the initial outcome of EY’s ability to talk about mental health openly and frankly: r u ok? is “caring about people as well as achieving business goals.” Most rewarding for Golden is that so many people are saying they are grateful that “my organization has the courage to do this.”

There is a protocol covering how to go about asking “R u ok?”: (1) Notice signs of change in the individual who needs help. (2) Ask “r u ok?“ to start the conversation, and see whether this opens up the topic for further discussion. (3) Listen for key information that helps you gain perspective about the situation; this includes what is not said. Finally, (4) act to remedy matters by involving EY Assist or firm leadership to foster a conversation in a responsible way and get the individual/team the help they need. The role of anyone who leads the conversation is not to diagnose but rather to express care and concern when someone has shown a pattern of change in behavior.

So how will you start the conversation this month?

 

Originally published on DiversityInc.com

What do the Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain Suicides Mean in the Workplace?

Posted on by Amber Cecil

How many of your employees or colleagues at work are struggling with mental health issues? Do you know? Have you even considered it?

Photographs of Kate Spade at left and Anthony Bourdain at right

June 20, 2018 | By Carol Glazer, President of the National Organization on Disability (NOD)

The tragic and untimely deaths by suicide of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain should serve as a reminder that even the most talented people, who appear to be holding it all together better than many of us, also can be affected by mental illness, a leading cause of suicide.

How many of your employees or colleagues at work are struggling with mental health issues? Do you know? Have you even considered it?

Mental health conditions are the single greatest cause of worker disability in the U.S., with costs exceeding $193 billion, according to NAMI.

Yet while the costs of mental illness left untreated are high, pharmacological advances and new therapeutic techniques have dramatically reduced the costs of treating mental health disorders — like anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder (the latter of which affects one out of every five veterans  of the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan) — in the workforce.

According to a report that NOD advised on for the WMI, employees with invisible disabilities (such as mental health issues) are often less engaged than their counterparts with visible disabilities, likely because the latter workers access the accommodations they need at higher rates. Given the stigma associated with mental illness, it’s natural that workers will hold back on disclosing, and getting the accommodations they need.

From an employer’s perspective, the need for a successful strategy to deal with mental illness in the workplace is clear. And accommodations for someone with a mental illness are often simple — and inexpensive, such as flexibility in scheduling to accommodate medical appointments.

You can get started with these 6 Key Tips to Address Mental Health in your Workplace, from the NOD Corporate Leadership Council. And there are companies leading the pack that you can learn from, including health care company and DiversityInc Hall of Famer Kaiser Permanente, whose “total health” perspective is a model for other companies.

Today, revealing and accommodating a mental illness is a win-win for the employee and the employer. I found it incredibly helpful to share my own story related to mental illness. My hope is that more employers will take the steps to create a culture where more employees can do the same, in part by starting the conversation. Take care of your employees, because some are suffering from mental illness and the results can be catastrophic.

Read on DiversityInc

Five Questions with Dr. Ronald Copeland of Kaiser Permanente on Addressing Mental Health in the Workplace

Posted on by Amber Cecil

Kaiser Permanente’s focus on reducing mental health stigma for consumers and members also applies to its own employees. The National Organization on Disability caught up with Ron Copeland, MD, to understand how to best create a supportive and inclusive workplace for people who are experiencing a mental health condition.   

Ronald Copeland, MD, FACS, is senior vice president, National Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity Strategy and Policy and chief equity, inclusion, and diversity officer at Kaiser Permanente. Dr. Copeland has been a practicing physician and surgeon within the Kaiser Permanente health system for 25 years and since 2013 has championed Kaiser Permanente’s equity, inclusion, and diversity agenda as a critical element of the organization’s overall strategic goals.

Dr. Copeland joined the NOD Board of Directors in 2015, and in 2016 Kaiser Permanente became a President’s Circle member of the NOD Corporate Leadership Council, a group of 50+ companies committed to advancing disability inclusion in the workplace. Because of Kaiser Permanente’s exemplary employment practices for people with disabilities, NOD named the company a 2017 Leading Disability Employer™.

Dr. Copeland served as a panelist at an NOD Corporate Leadership Council roundtable dedicated to starting a dialogue and challenging outdated thinking on mental health in the workplace. NOD asked Dr. Copeland five key questions to find out why employers shouldn’t overlook mental health in the workplace, how to reduce stigma and improve employee engagement, and what Kaiser Permanente is doing to build an inclusive culture.

Dr. Copeland speaking, alongside two panelists, at an NOD Corporate Leadership Council event

1. Why is it as important to focus on mental health in the workplace as physical wellbeing?

Mental health conditions are on the rise globally. An estimated 350 million people worldwide suffer from depression, and the World Health Organization has predicted that by 2020 depression will be the second-leading cause of disease globally. Depression and other mental health conditions are a leading cause of workplace disability in the form of lost productivity because of how common they are–1 out of every 5 people are suffering from a mental health condition at any given time–and because they tend to occur when people are young. Three-quarters of mental health conditions arise before the age of 24. While these statistics seem daunting, it’s important to remember most of these conditions are treatable.

However, mental health too often is treated as separate from physical health. One of Kaiser Permanente’s core beliefs is that total health is more than freedom from physical affliction — it’s about mind, body, and spirit. It’s the philosophy we live and breathe. Part of our mission is to achieve total health for our employees, members, and the communities we serve. With respect to our employees, we know it’s difficult to reach their full potential if they are experiencing physical or mental challenges. If we are committed to our employees achieving total health, we must treat mental health as importantly as we treat physical health, by creating an environment where people feel supported and psychologically safe, and where they have access to mental health services. There are resources available. There is hope.

2. Why is there still a stigma about mental health? Are you seeing a cultural sea change at all?

Stigma about mental health, driven by fear and misunderstanding, occurs because people often view conditions such as depression as character flaws instead of as treatable illnesses.  Stigma has been largely absent from the dialog about how the health care industry and society overall should address the mental health epidemic. The stigma around mental health has led to harmful and biased ways of describing people with mental health conditions, and feeds the stereotypes that people living with mental health conditions are less than whole, abnormal, or dangerous.

As part of our “Find Your Words,” public health awareness campaign, which is designed to help people start conversations around mental health issues, Kaiser Permanente conducted the first national consumer poll focused on stigma to assess attitudes and perceptions toward mental health. It uncovered some interesting contradictions: While 70 percent of respondents said people are more open about discussing mental health conditions compared to 10 years ago, more than half the respondents felt a family member or friend was struggling with a mental health issue, but not telling them.

As health care providers, we must make it safe and routine to talk with patients about mental health. It is as relevant as talking about chest pain or a broken limb. It is part of a patient’s total health.

3. What does the research show about prioritizing mental health and inclusion?

Among the reasons employers can no longer afford to remain silent about mental health in the workplace is the direct connection between employees’ mental health and the organization’s bottom line. Research demonstrates that employees struggling with mental health conditions directly impact workplace productivity and performance:

  • Mental health conditions are the single greatest cause of worker disability in the U.S.
  • 62% of missed work days can be attributed to mental health conditions.
  • Employees with untreated mental health conditions use non-psychiatric health care services 3 times more than those who do get treatment.
  • Depressed employees are 20% to 40% more likely to become unemployed because of their condition.
  • People with depression have a higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.

But, again, we want people to understand there is hope. Treatment for depression and mental health conditions works – but people who feel the need to keep their depression hidden are far less likely to seek help. That is why we want to reduce the stigma around mental health conditions, so those who could benefit from treatment aren’t afraid to seek it out.

4. What is Kaiser Permanente doing to make the workplace inclusive for people with disabilities, including mental health issues?

Creating an inclusive environment in the workplace helps employees feel safe and supported. If we’re interested in the total health and wellness of our employees and patients, we must have the same level of empathy about a person’s mental health as we do for their physical health. One of the ways we do this at Kaiser Permanente is through training and education around equity, inclusion, and diversity. Our Leading Inclusively program provides leaders and their teams the opportunity to gain knowledge, adopt attitudes, develop skills, and modify behaviors that contribute to Kaiser Permanente’s goal of continuously becoming more inclusive.

Additionally, assessment and measurement play a significant role in how Kaiser Permanente approaches making our workplace culture more inclusive for people with disabilities, including mental health conditions. We participate in benchmarking and undergo several external assessments to identify improvement opportunities and effective workplace inclusion practices we can implement.

Specific to mental health conditions – our commitment to advancing the conversation on mental health and wellness runs throughout our organization and beyond. Our Chairman and CEO  Bernard J. Tyson is actively leading a global dialogue about mental health, leading a panel on the topic at the 2018 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and participating in a discussion at Brainstorm Health 2018 on ways to reduce stigma around mental health issues, integrate mental and physical care, and build resilient communities.

Kaiser Permanente is piloting a Mental Health First Aid training course to empower employees and the community to respond compassionately to someone experiencing a mental health challenge.

And as part of our Find Your Words campaign, Kaiser Permanente partnered with national oral history project StoryCorps. We asked for volunteers – both inside and outside our organization – to share their personal experiences with mental health conditions. The conversations are powerful, and everyone who participated said they did it because they wanted to help others. Sharing these conversations builds awareness and empathy around mental health conditions and the hope is listeners will be inspired to step out and share as well.

5. What are things we all can do to create a more inclusive environment for those struggling with mental health issues?

We all can show compassion and empathy for those with mental health conditions. We can also talk more openly about mental health by sharing personal stories, which help those struggling with mental health issues feel less isolated. We can also reduce stigma by learning and sharing facts about mental health conditions and being mindful of the words we use to avoid reinforcing stigma and causing harm. By raising awareness about the mental health epidemic and making it safe for people to seek help, we can move toward achieving total health for all.

How Is Your Company Addressing this Trillion Dollar Issue? 6 key takeaways from NOD’s Corporate Leadership Council Roundtable on Mental Health

Posted on by Amber Cecil

Ignoring mental health in your workplace can affect productivity and the bottom line

On November 1st, the National Organization on Disability held our Corporate Leadership Council Fall Luncheon and Roundtable. Hosted at Sony’s New York offices, the event centered on the topic of mental health in the workplace.

Members of our Board of Directors and executives from nearly 40 companies held a candid conversation, heard from business leaders, and participated in an insightful Q&A where successful strategies were discussed to accommodate and support employees with mental illness in the workplace.

Thought bubbles reading: "1 in 5 adults has a mental health condition"; "It's time we talk about it"; National Organization on Disability logo

“Mental illness is the single biggest cause of disability worldwide,” said Craig Kramer, a panelist at the event and Chair of Johnson & Johnson’s Global Campaign on Mental Health. “One out of four people will have a clinically diagnosable mental illness at some point in their lives,” he continued. Another 20 to 25% of the population will be caregivers to loved ones with a mental illness.

The costs are staggering. “In the coming decades, mental illness will account for more than half of the economic burden of all chronic diseases, more than cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases combined…. It’s trillions of dollars,” said Kramer.

From an employer’s perspective, the need for a successful strategy to deal with mental illness in the workplace is clear. But what are the most effective ways to confront this challenge? Roundtable participants discussed a wide range of ideas and success stories aimed at de-stigmatizing mental health and incorporating the issue into wider conversations around talent, productivity, and inclusion.

6 Key Takeaways on Mental Health in the Workplace:

How Is Your Company Addressing this Trillion Dollar Issue? 6 Key Takeaways to address mental health and boost productivity. 1. Be Empathetic; 2. Tell Stories; 3. Model from the Top; 4. Communicate Peer-to-Peer; 5. Be Flexible; 6. Build a Trustworthy EAP

  1. Be empathetic. “The most important workplace practice [with respect to mental health] is empathy,” said NOD President Carol Glazer. Empathy is critical for normalizing conversations about mental health, but also for maximizing productivity. “A feeling of psychological safety is important,” said Lori Golden, a panelist and Abilities Strategy Leader for Ernst & Young; and this sense of safety requires the empathy of colleagues to flourish.
  2. Tell stories. “Nothing is more activating of empathy than for people to share their powerful stories,” said Dr. Ronald Copeland, NOD Board member and Senior Vice President of National Diversity and Inclusion Strategy and Policy and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer for Kaiser Permanente. Copeland’s organization partners with the renowned nonprofit, Story Corps, to capture the stories of Kaiser Permanente employees, and also provides a platform on the company intranet for employees to communicate in a safe space. Both Craig Kramer and Lori Golden also shared examples of how their companies provide opportunities to share their stories and “start the conversation, break the silence,” as Kramer put it.
  3. Model from the top. Carol Glazer received a standing ovation at the luncheon for her account of her own experiences with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This type of executive-level modeling sends a powerful message that a company is committed to improving mental health for all employees. Lori Golden shared how EY had experienced great success with a program where top-level managers host office-specific events and share stories of mental illness or addiction that they are personally connected to – either about their colleagues or loved ones or, in a surprisingly high number of instances, about themselves. Senior leadership setting the example conveys that this is a forum in which employees can feel comfortable sharing.
  4. Communicate peer-to-peer. “We all know that there’s greater trust of our own peers than there is of the organization,” said Lori Golden. So to build trust, EY “took it to the grass roots,” creating formal opportunities for employees to have conversations about mental health and asking other ERGs to co-sponsor these events. Craig Kramer also noted that Johnson & Johnson had simply folded mental health issues into their global disability ERGs, eventually building the world’s second-largest mental health ERG by piggy-backing on existing infrastructure and leveraging existing connections.
  5. Be flexible. Accommodating [the fact that people live busy, complex lives] gets you better buy-in…and keeps production pretty high,” suggested Dr. Copeland. A representative from one Council company concurred, explaining how their company has recently instituted a new policy of paid time off for caregivers on top of federally-funded leave. “Being in a culture in which we measure what you produce and not whether you show up in person all day, every day, and where if you can’t be there, you negotiate how the deliverables will get done and in what time frame…is immensely helpful to people who themselves have mental illness issues or addiction or are caring for those who do and may need some flexibility,” summarized Lori Golden.
  6. Build a trustworthy Employee Action Plan. Many employees do not access or even trust their organization’s internal resources. According to Craig Kramer, the percentage of calls placed to most company Employee Action Plans (EAPs) regarding mental health is “in the low single digits,” while “if you look at your drug spend, you’ll find that around 50% is [related to] mental health.” The people answering those calls must be trained in mental health issues, and employees also need to be assured that EAPs are truly confidential.

While revealing and accommodating mental illness remains a massive challenge in the workplace and beyond, a number of successful strategies are emerging for tackling this challenge – many of them pioneered by companies in NOD’s Corporate Leadership Council.

Engage. Advance.

Login to the new Corporate Leadership Council Members’ Only Portal to access exclusive resources and toolkits about mental health in the workplace.

Click the LOG IN button on NOD.org to get started! Need help logging into the Members’ Only Portal? Contact us at [email protected].