Mental health and substance abuse are major issues at virtually every business or organization not only here in Rhode Island, but throughout the world. The Surgeon General’s latest report suggests that this year alone one in five people will suffer from some form of mental illness. Other reports suggest that the leading killer worldwide is depression.
In this week’s executive poll we ask our participants whether their companies or organizations are involved in employee assistance programs, what level of responsibility the employer has for someone suffering from addiction (alcohol or substance), and whether substance abuse is grounds for firing if it impedes an employee’s ability to perform his or her job. The answers are mixed.
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But what’s not mixed were the answers to the final question, which was how many days are lost at work by employees suffering from mental or addiction related problems. Every single respondent, no matter how small the organization, indicated that some days are lost. And that’s only the days of which they are aware. We can only imagine that for every sick day taken for an apparent mental or addiction related problem, there are minimally two or three others that are related.
Our interview this week and next is with A. Kathryn Powers, director for the last eight years of the state Department of Mental Health, Retardation & Hospitals. Interestingly, as we conducted the interview with a few people in the room, every person had a personal story of a mental illness or addiction problem among family members or co-workers that had a dramatic impact upon their lives.
It is difficult to cope with situations in a workplace where emotional instability affects productivity by a single worker and maybe others with whom the worker interacts. It is also difficult sometimes to understand that we as employers have a responsibility to help those who are troubled.
Conversely as employers we are often too timid to take a chance on someone who might be in treatment, part of a program that Powers describes in this week’s interview, that can provide valuable workers with a strong support system.
Mental Health Month serves as an excellent time for us to reflect upon our workplaces and policies, upon our support systems and understanding.
