Overview
Employers are seeing more mental health issues in their workforce than ever before. COVID enhanced mental health concerns even more. Each year 1 in 5 adults is stricken with a mental illness (National Institute of Mental health), making mental illness an everyday reality for many of your employees.
Yet only 1 in 3 people seek help with their illness. The ADA, HIPPA, FMLA and most states’ human/civil rights department dictate how employers deal with employees with mental health problems. Privacy laws create challenges for employers to determine how serious a situation is and whether an employee poses a danger (though those with a mental illness pose no more risk of violence than those without a mental illness).
Examples of the most common psychological disorders include major depression and dysthymia, bipolar disorder, anxiety, schizophrenia, and an array of personality disorders. Those individuals with depressions have 2.5 times the risk of on-the-job injury. Workplace depression results in 200 million lost days annually. The disease is common, debilitating, and the number one cause of disability worldwide. Employers lose an estimated $52 billion annually in loss of productivity and insurance payments.
Why you should Attend
Uncertainty is the very essence of mental health in the workplace. How does stress impact employee mental health and what should employers do to prevent or minimize stress and how to intervene to help employees’ mental health. Because managers and HR doubt their knowledge and skill in addressing employee mental health, they sometimes fear for the health and safety of their environment.
Areas Covered in the Session
- To examine the role workplace stress plays in employee mental health
- To differentiate mental health from mental illness
- To discuss the most frequent mental health conditions with emphasis on depression, anxiety, and personality disorders
- To identify the demographic groups most at risk for mental health issues
- To examine the myths of mental illness
- To list signs of possible mental health issues in the workplace
- To explore the costs of mental illness to U.S. businesses
- To list prevention strategies to enhance employees’ mental health
- To discuss management’s role in both the prevention AND intervention strategies to deal with mental health in your workplace
Who Will Benefit
- CEO
- COO
- CFO
- Directors
- Managers
- Supervisor
- HR
- Risk Management
- OSHA Professionals
- Occupational Health Nurse
Speaker Profile
Dr. Susan Strauss is a national and international speaker, trainer, consultant, and recognized expert on workplace and school harassment and bullying. She conducts harassment and bullying investigations and functions as an expert witness in harassment and bullying lawsuits. Her clients are from business, education, healthcare, law, and government organizations from both the public and private sectors.
Dr. Strauss has conducted research, written over 30 books, book chapters, and journal articles on harassment, bullying, and related topics. She has been featured on television and radio programs as well as interviewed for newspaper and journal articles. Susan has a doctorate in organizational leadership. She is a registered nurse, has a bachelor’s degree in human services and counseling, a master's degree in community health, and a professional certificate in training and development.
Instructor
Dr. Susan Strauss