A global psychological pandemic is on the way

We spoke to David Woods Bartley, TEDx speaker and member of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (davidwoodsbartley.com) to seek his advice to wellness officers regarding mental health of employees in the COVID-19 scenario, kind of changes to safety and health norms are anticipated in large organizations post COVID-19 and the role he foresees for law-enforcing agencies for the greater common good of employees.

Interviewed by Adeesh Sharma

What is your advice to wellness officers regarding mental health of employees in the COVID-19 scenario?

It is important to first accept the reality that there is a global psychological pandemic on the way. Put another way, a tidal wave of mental health related problems, in EVERY sector of life, including work, will soon crash upon the global shores.

Beyond the human toll, and tragic loss of life by way of suicide, there is a very real cost in terms of dollars and cents when it comes to business. The economic impact in terms of absenteeism, presenteeism, loss of productivity, and employee turnover is staggering. Specifically, the WHO (World Health Organization) estimates that India will suffer economic losses of more than $1 Trillion dollars because of mental health disorders (between 2012 and 2030).

The fact is, the storm was already brewing, but COVID-19 and its companions, forced isolation, social distancing, and disconnection, has whipped the disturbance into a negative force of nature.

And yet, we do not need to stand frozen on the shore and wait for the wave to crash down up us. Yes, the problem of mental illness is significant and complex. But the truth is, the solution is simple and best yet, at hand. Even as simple as ABC.

More specifically, in the current age, the number one priority of every wellness officer must be the active creation of a culture of Acceptance, Belonging and Connection. In terms of a process and the associated steps, it works best in this order:

Step 1 is to educate all levels of employees about the reality, causes of types of mental health disorders. Step 2 is to then train the same on specific ways to navigate away from mental “hellness” and to the place of mental wellness. And step 3 calls for the business to create a mentally safe workplace, a place where an employee can step forward, share their troubles, and ask for help, and in doing so, a company has normalized the conversation of mental health.

What kind of changes to safety and health norms are anticipated in large organizations post COVID-19?

With the realization of the devastating force of mental illness, measured by its impact on an employee’s physical and psychological wellbeing, and their level of contribution and productivity, the mental health of a company’s employees will now shoot up the ladder of priorities in most every business.

In the past, given the stigma and lack of both awareness and education, mental health as an employee concern was nonexistent for all but a few companies. Thankfully, this is now changing, and businesses are being called upon to create a new internal climate that includes robust mental health programs.

These programs, and changes in the way companies view the mental health of their employees, will soon become a human resource staple, indeed a mandatory requirement. So important that I foresee a time in the not too distant future where a company will be held criminally liable if a lack of mental health support causes an employee to become mentally ill, or worse, end their life if their conditions at work become more than they can bear.

Do you foresee an enhanced role of law-enforcing agencies for the greater common good of employees?

Absolutely yes. And, in concert with what I shared above, the visibility of law enforcing agencies will change. HR, Accounting, and other admin functions typically take a back seat to the more visible foundation of sales and production.

However, given the magnitude of the cost of mental illness, and it’s bleeding impact to the bottom line, businesses will soon realize that making these once hidden company asset t the forefront, can be one of the easiest and cost effective ways to reverse the course

Consider this, Deloitte did a study in 2017 that included calculating the ROI related to mental health investments. The results were extraordinary and worth highlighting. In the report, Deloitte calculated that when a business had a positive reactive response to an employee’s mental health crisis, by way of programs and other resources in place, the ROI was 5:1 (for every dollar of program cost there was a $5 return in terms of productivity and profitability).

But it gets better. When a business had a proactive/anticipatory response to an employee’s mental health needs, the ROI was 6:1. And, best of all, when the culture of a business as whole supported the mental health of its employees, by way of a safe culture, and associated programs, the ROI was 8:1!