Two years ago, I was asked to facilitate a workshop at the federal agency about how to deal with mental health disorders in the workplace. The training was mandated after a critical incident between a supervisor and an employee who suffered from posttraumatic stress disorder. The agency, trying to avoid the case getting to court, initiated a mediation process.

Part of the settlement was an agreement to train the agency about mental health disorders. I was warned that employees were upset about sacrificing working time. Before the training, I could sense participants’ resistance. I decided to begin the presentation a little differently. I asked the participants if they believe having a retirement plan is a good idea. They were surprised by my question. I told them this training is about their personal retirement plans.

I stated that statistically speaking about 23% of the people in the room, workers and managers, will or have received a diagnosis of depression at some point in their life (Miles, 2010), and 33% suffers or suffered from an anxiety disorder (Bandelow & Michaelis, 2015). I explained that creating a safe environment for people that suffer from a mental health disorder is an investment in their emotional and mental retirement plan and is equally as important as saving for retirement.

All of us suffer from loneliness, depression, anxiety, or stress at some point. The participants started talking honestly about their feelings at work. By the end they all agreed that it is crucial for their quality of life to make the effort to create a supportive work environment, share feelings, and reach out when their peers seem unengaged.

In many companies there is a clear emphasis on hard skills, teachable and measurable abilities, and there is much less focus on soft skills, like communicating, collaborating, leading, and connecting. Soft skills can have a significant influence on productivity and profit. The World Health Organization (2019) stated that depression and anxiety have an estimated cost of 1 trillion US dollars in lost productivity to the global economy. The good news is that for every US dollar put into mental health treatment there is a return of 4 US dollars in improved health and productivity.

Vivek Murthy (2020), former surgeon general in the US, stated that loneliness is a public health crisis. We have a universal need to connect. Loneliness is a core experience of both depression and anxiety. It can present as a symptom, the cause, or as a major contributor to mental health disorders.

Loneliness can also result in a reduction in physical health. Feeling lonely means that you feel left out, unheard, unseen, and disconnected from others. Loneliness in the workplace can cause employees to be less motivated and committed to their work.

As we worked on writing Connect (Lubitsh & Lubitsh-White, 2020) we interviewed many managers. The conversations had a similar dynamic to the participants at the federal agency with participants reporting, “I don’t feel lonely and I don’t think that in my company there is a problem related to loneliness.”

After sharing the statistics and opening the gate to heartfelt conversations, participants reported, “I feel lonely and lost often”. While we cannot prevent the experience of loneliness and its effects on our productivity to occur, we can do a lot that can be done to prevent loneliness.

Steps to decrease managers and employees’ sense of loneliness.

Awareness - The first and most important step is to increase awareness of loneliness. If you are a leader in your company, start the conversation by sharing a personal experience or conduct an anonymous survey asking about feeling of loneliness in the workplace. Clearly prioritize connections.

Commit to create a safe environment- It takes a lot of courage to talk about emotions in the workplace. It is a huge risk to be vulnerable in an environment of shaming and blaming. The main reason we feel loneliness, is that we are afraid to reach out and connect. Be mindful and implement small changes.

Create a culture of kindness- Encourage and reward pro-social behaviors. Lead by example, be curious about the people you are working with while maintaining respectful boundaries. Help develop a language of consent by giving your employees tools to reach out and incorporating kind acts into your schedule.

Have an established protocol to resolve conflicts- It is beneficial to have established protocol to help people deal with grievances in a productive way rather than hiding those feelings. Allow time and space for reflection because it give us the opportunity to connect internally.

In an evolving world, investing in connection is a safe bet with a high probability to be profitable. A big part of this investment is not in time or money, it is in intention. Make the decision to reach out and make your workplace better.

Dr Guy Lubitsh and Dr Tami Lubitsh-White are the authors of Connect: Resolve Conflict, Improve Communication, Strengthen Relationships (available now, published by Financial Times Publishing, priced £14.99).

References:

Baldwin DS, Allgulander C, Bandelow B, Ferre F, Pallanti S. An international survey of reported prescribing practice in the treatment of patients with generalised anxiety disorder. World J Biol Psychiatry. 2012; 13:510-6.

Lubitsh, G., & Lubitsh-White, T. (2020). Connect: Resolve conflict, improve communication, and strengthen relationships. London, UK: Pearson and Financial Times.

Miles, M. (2010). Survey of U.S. Workers Reveals Impact on Productivity from Depression. Retrieved November 01, 2020, from http://www.workplacementalhealth.org/Mental-Health-Topics/Depression/Survey-of-U-S-Workers-Reveals-Impact-to-Productiv

Mental health in the workplace. (2019, August 09). Retrieved November 01, 2020, from https://www.who.int/mental_health/in_the_workplace/en/

Murthy, V. H. (2020). Together: The healing power of human connection in a sometimes lonely world. New York, NY, US: Harper Wave, an imprint of HarperCollins.