Have you ever had a colleague who you knew was having mental health issues but you weren’t sure what to do? Earlier in my career when I worked in investment management, I had a beloved co-worker who was clearly struggling with substance abuse. At client events, conferences and social activities, he almost always ended up dangerously intoxicated on alcohol or drugs. We all knew about it and worried about him, but — as was common at that time — leadership dismissed his behavior or made jokes about it.

Finally, I confronted my colleague about his behavior and asked if he needed help. Not surprisingly, he deeply resented me approaching him and told me to mind my own business. But later, when he did seek treatment for alcohol and drug dependency, he told me I was the only person at work who had reached out. He was surprised that our company’s leaders turned the other way when he clearly needed help and support.

In those days, discussions of any type of mental health were rare, largely due to a lack of understanding and because of stigma surrounding the topic. Mental health issues — which can range from mild to serious and include addiction, depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia and other illnesses — were for many years considered strictly personal issues, not to be brought up at work. Today, there is more awareness that mental health issues affect not only one’s personal life but also professional relationships and the ability to cope or perform their roles.

But the question remains: Whose job is it to address mental health in the workplace? The short answer is that addressing mental health is everyone’s job — employees must be able to share information, and leaders must play an active role in the discussion. 

Fortunately, following the pandemic, the topic of mental health in the workplace has become much more common. In recent years, the expectation among workers that their employer and leaders should play a role in addressing mental health has increased. A new survey by the National Alliance on Mental Illness indicates that more than three-quarters of employees say their senior leaders, HR leader or direct supervisors should be responsible for helping employees feel comfortable discussing mental health at work. 

That same survey reports that 83% of employees agree mental health and well-being training is important in creating a positive workplace culture and report that “various types of mental health training would be helpful for mental health support at work. Unfortunately, 70% of senior-level employees in the survey say they have not received workplace training about how to talk to their team about mental health.

Is it your role as an employer to tailor individual jobs based on employee feedback or make accommodations in response to mental health discussions? Ultimately, each person is responsible for his or her own mental health and decisions about the kind of support they need. But as it relates to an employee’s work experience — either the effect of the job on a person’s life or the effect of mental health on productivity — talking about mental health needs to be on the leadership agenda. 

It’s important to recognize that mental health, stress and anxiety are not one-size-fits-all. Sometimes leaders can adjust or address roles or workplace issues that are compounding stress or strain on mental health or provide time or support for various situations. But sometimes employees need outside professional help. And, sometimes, a certain job or company culture or industry will not be the right fit for every employee. It is not always possible, realistic or even appropriate for leaders to make unlimited accommodations, especially when those affect other employees as well. But assessing these types of needs and situations must begin with dialogue between the employee and HR or the employee and their leader.

Supporting leaders with training is key, but it is equally important to encourage leaders to take their own mental health seriously. An article in Psychology Today asserts that prioritizing mental health and well-being is crucial for effective leadership and that emotional stability and psychological resilience are as important as strategic thinking and decision-making skills.

“According to research, leaders with strong mental health are better equipped to handle stress, communicate effectively, make sound decisions, and inspire their teams,” says the Psychology Today article.

Mental Illness Awareness Week, which runs from Oct. 6-12, is a perfect time to assess your own mental health and bring up the topic to your team. While ideally all employers are discussing mental health as a part of overall health and employee engagement regularly, this week provides an opportunity for all stakeholders to talk about what needs to be done to support mental health issues in the workplace.

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What can you do as a leader to support or address mental health in your workplace? 

• Talk openly about the topics of both physical wellness and mental health at work to normalize the conversation. 
• Be aware of your own mental health, including stress levels and coping behaviors that are out of the norm; course correct or seek help as needed.
• Do not be afraid to talk about your own experiences with wellness or mental health issues while recognizing and respecting that mental health issues, stigma and access to support may be different for everyone.
• Review your employee benefits and support for mental health needs and communicate those resources regularly to employees. 
• Provide training to leaders to help them navigate conversations about workload, deadlines, work stress or personal issues that are affecting workers’ attention, engagement or productivity. 
• Integrate regular questions about employees’ wellness, mental health and engagement into routine conversations, such as one-on-ones or other check-ins.
• Do not ignore colleagues who appear to be struggling or who express that they’re experiencing challenges thinking that the issues will resolve themselves.
• Be thoughtful about conversations about mental health or behaviors that are obvious or particularly sensitive. Find the right time and place to talk, use active listening and respect the amount of information or details that a person is able to give.
• Make changes or accommodations as appropriate, but if you are unable to do so for business or legal reasons, explain those factors clearly and work together to find support for the employee.
• Invest in mental health benefits for everyone, including leaders.