The pandemic continues to present endless challenges for the healthcare industry.

Many of the same essential workers who helped keep organizations afloat, or found themselves unemployed are now feeling depleted or overwhelmed. While mental health affects many different people, it’s no surprise that the past year and a half have created a worrisome picture for frontline healthcare worker’s mental health. While this is an unsettling reality to confront, consider using this May Mental Health Awareness Month as an opportunity to shed light on challenging issues and improve the lives of your team members.

From June-September 2020, Mental Health America (MHA) surveyed healthcare workers to help support their mental health as they continue to provide care. The responses collected from over 1,000 healthcare workers surveyed indicated that they are:

• Stressed out and stretched too thin: 93% of healthcare workers were stressed, 86% reported experiencing anxiety, 77% reported frustration, and 76% reported exhaustion and burnout.
• Worried about exposing loved ones: 76% of healthcare workers with children worried about exposing their child to COVID-19, nearly half worried about exposing their spouse, and 47% worried that they would expose older adult family member(s).
• Emotionally and physically exhausted: Emotional exhaustion was the most common answer for changes in how healthcare workers were feeling over the previous three months (82%), followed by trouble with sleep (70%), physical exhaustion (68%), and work-related dread (63%).
• Not getting enough emotional support: 39% of healthcare workers said that they did not feel like they had adequate emotional support.

Mental Health Awareness Month can act as a catalyst for starting hard conversations and effecting lasting change.

Start conversations about how the pandemic is affecting work; communicate clear expectations; anticipate behavior changes, (such as irritation, anger, increased sadness, or trouble concentrating) and ensure that there is a system in place to identify and provide mental health services to those in need. Did you know the productivity costs of health issues due to decreased performance cost U.S. employers $1,685 per employee per year? It’s not too late to support your team, increase morale and productivity, and ultimately prevent a tragedy. To pave the way for a healthier, happier work environment, consider integrating the following approaches:

Oversee focus groups of 10-15 people who represent critical groups within the company and perform in-depth interviews with key influencers like HR directors, safety directors, and others.

Teach coping skills for life’s challenges from new employee onboarding, to supervisor training, to executive coaching, to ongoing wellness workshops – these skills help employees at all levels integrate mental health into their lives and break down stigmas about seeking help. In-person or digital workshop completion can be incentivized as part of a wellness contest among teams or to meet health insurance engagement goals.

Develop a “buddy check program” that encompasses more than just physical safety. A formal peer support program is one of the best ways to promote a caring culture. In fact, many military and first responder communities have discovered this type of program is the key to building a link in the chain of survival.

Social stigmas perpetuating the notion that these workers are supposed to be tough, and remain calm during a crisis creates a perfect storm for workers to fall victim to this silent epidemic.

Dangerous stereotypes can leave healthcare workers ill-equipped to seek help before it’s too late. A common aspirational safety culture goal is “Zero Incidents,” but ironically, few have paused to consider mental wellness. Often, our reluctance to discuss mental health issues stems from fear. Providing accessible educational opportunities can help to replace fear with a sense of community and hope. Start conversations to help employees feel supported, and comfortable sharing personal challenges. Distributing materials like the MHA Frontline Workers Resource or this list of resources from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration can be a first step in the right direction. Another suggestion? Openly encourage employee participation in training courses like Mental Health First-Aid which covers issues related to mental health and substance abuse. At RBT, we pride ourselves on assisting healthcare professionals to build more sustainable organizations with our comprehensive services. But most importantly, we aim to pass along useful, relevant information to help our communities succeed, grow and prosper. As we continue to dedicate time and resources to help our healthcare clients achieve success, we look forward to connecting with you and your team.

Sources: Youth, Salley Spencer-Thomas & Cal Beyer, FDA, MHA, CDC