As awareness of workplace issues increases, employers offer more health care | Health

And Community Mental Health has set up “peer discussion groups” via Zoom for staff to share their concerns with outside therapists.

Many state employers have added health care services or strengthened existing programs as employees struggle with stress and isolation during the coronavirus pandemic.

The changing world has led to a greater emphasis on mental health in the workplace.

“The reality is that COVID has had a tremendous impact on public health,” said Susan Stearns, director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness-New Hampshire.

Stearns called the outbreak “a tragic public event.”

“One thing isolation has really reinforced is that we are human,” Stearns said. “Most interactions happen at work, don’t they?”

The pandemic changed the way workers completed their tasks and interacted with each other.

About one in five working people in the US rated their health as good or poor in a Gallup poll conducted last summer – and they don’t take time off work often.

“On a 12-month basis, workers who are in good or frail health are estimated to have an average of 12 unscheduled absence days per year compared to 2.5 days for the rest of the workforce,” Gallup said.

Missed jobs cost the U.S. economy an estimated $47.6 billion annually in lost jobs.

Four out of 10 US workers reported that their work had a significant (7%) or negative (33%) impact on their mental health, Gallup reported.

At Riverbend Community Mental Health in Concord, management even rented out a washing machine several times to give 400 staff members a break.

Jaime Corwin, vice president of human resources, said: “It made people feel that they are giving up half an hour of their day to take care of us. “This has been so popular, we’re going to try to do it twice a year.”

Work-related mental health problems are not limited to any one generation.

Sandy Demarest has seen older workers experience stress, anxiety and fear during the pandemic.

“Because of the stress of returning to work, many older workers think they prefer to work remotely,” said Demarest, a retired middle school teacher at Demarest Directions in Milford.

“On the other hand, loneliness and isolation are very dangerous for those in the future,” he said. “So by working remotely, the value of connecting to work takes on a whole new dimension.”

Some employers are challenged to find the right way to keep employees safe, healthy and engaged, he said.

Some older workers have changed course.

“Many of my clients have retired early and are looking for new business opportunities,” Demarest said. “While there may be risks, he believes there are also risks in staying at a company that does not address the challenges above. With people living longer and working longer, an assessment of employers and employees is important to ensure the best way forward.”

Young workers also struggle with loneliness.

The organization Stay Work Play, which works to attract and retain young people living in New Hampshire, has data that even before the pandemic, 21% of young Granite Staters reported that they were “lonely, saying they don’t have friends or family close by,” they said. Will Stewart who is the head of the group.

“Loneliness and isolation seem to be on the rise during this pandemic as domestic work has spread,” Stewart said.

Younger people, however, seem more comfortable seeking professional help.

“We’re definitely hearing younger workers talking more about mental health in recent years. There seems to be less discrimination between Millennials and Gen Z especially not only in publicly discussing their mental health issues, but also in seeking professional help through therapy,” said Stewart.

“More and more employers are acknowledging the mental health needs of their employees, but many are still trying to figure out how best to support them,” Stewart said.

“I don’t see a lot of employers who have put in place assistance programs,” said Stewart, who hears from people who are having trouble getting access to medical care. “I think that younger workers can discuss their problems with their peers in person or on social media, but that peer support diminishes with age.”

Advocates encourage many people to seek professional help.

But, “It makes the system more difficult because we have a lot of people who want care,” NAMI’s Stearns said recently.

“The reality is that before COVID we had a mental health crisis on our hands and it only got worse,” Stearns said. “I’m saying this because we had a workforce shortage before COVID. COVID has made it worse.”

Corwin at Riverbend agreed to the news.

“There are waiting lists across the state for health care, but I think there’s a lot of variation in wait times, so I can’t say what the average would be,” Corwin said.

Employers may offer time off to employees who may need a day off due to stress or anxiety.

“We’re seeing more and more employers saying that paid time off can be used as a ‘health day,'” Stearns said.

This will “help eliminate stigma,” he said.

Stearns said he’s seeing more employers reaching out to his organization for training on how to respond to employees who “think their employer has a role in solving mental health problems.”

Fidelity, which hired more than 7,000 workers in New Hampshire as of October, has set aside two “quiet rooms” for display at its Merrimack facilities, spokesman Stephen Austin said.

Some employees are also eligible to work with a health coach for free.

The financial services company also added more walking paths and a bike-sharing program to its wooded campuses.

“Fidelity recognizes that the mental health landscape has changed significantly over the past few years, and as such, we continue to monitor the changing offerings to ensure we are providing the best possible service to our friends and loved ones,” Megan Bourque, Fidelity’s head of benefits, said in an email.

The mental health of workers was the most important subject for the federal government to report on.

The “US Surgeon General’s Framework for Workplace Mental Health & Well-Being” said the epidemic has changed the way work is done and the way employees work.

“The pandemic has re-invented the thinking of many workers who no longer see sacrificing their health, their families, and their communities at work as an acceptable risk,” the report said. “Organizations are also becoming increasingly aware of another trade-off: when employee health suffers, so does productivity, productivity, and retention.”

Stress can increase the risk of diabetes and other chronic diseases. Chronic stress is also associated with a higher risk of developing diseases such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, obesity, cancer and autoimmune diseases, according to the report.

It gave the idea of ​​more autonomy to employees in terms of working conditions, increased access to paid vacation, offered a living wage and built a culture of gratitude and recognition.

Hypertherm, which employs 1,100 in the Upper Valley and 1,900 around the world, saw the number of employees using its employee assistance program triple from 2019 to 2021. as an opportunity to get additional resources to help other businesses.

“This may be due to lack of additional resources, or perhaps there is greater awareness, therefore, greater acceptance of access to services for issues such as depression, anxiety, and substance abuse,” said Jim Rowe, director of HR. Centers of Excellence at Hypertherm.

“We see that people are looking for help and services as good, and we are happy to have formed strong partnerships with the beneficiaries and community organizations that provide these important services,” said Rowe.

Psychotherapist Stacey Freedenthal knows about people who have suicidal thoughts.

He attempted suicide twice about 30 years ago when he was in his 20s.

“My mind was in a bad place,” Freedenthal said during an interview from Colorado, where he lives. “I really thought that my parents would be relieved.”

Today, Freedenthal is known nationally for her expertise in helping people struggling with mental health and suicidal thoughts.

“I think it’s given me an insight and compassion for the suicidal situation that I wouldn’t have had (otherwise),” Freedenthal said.

She is the author of a new book out this month: “Loving Someone Who Has Suicidal Thoughts: What Family, Friends, and Partners Can Say and Do.”

“One of his biggest messages is being able to listen without trying to talk to someone too quickly or impress them or change their mind,” Freedenthal said.

“We know that people with suicidal thoughts are more likely to talk to friends and family than to see a psychiatrist,” Freedenthal said.

“Some people may disagree with me on this, but I think you shouldn’t call the police unless you have to,” he said.

“I think this can be very harmful. It can prevent the person from confiding in others going forward, so I would recommend it only if the person is about to take steps to end their life or has already done something like, for example, taking too many pills, unless they are right there. Dangerous, I think that dialogue is important.”

Freedenthal, the mother of a grown son, said she worries about today’s youth.

“Their life is more difficult than it was when I was a child and I wanted to kill myself.”

“Heads Up: A Year-long Mental Health Awareness Tour” is funded by Dartmouth Health.