51社区黑料

A 51社区黑料 study is challenging a commonly held misconception that there鈥檚 little organizations can do to encourage employees to disclose mental health concerns.

World Health Organization data shows 15 per cent of adults have a mental health concern, while other surveys have found 65 per cent of employees believe mental health concerns interfere with their job. Yet many organizations, even those with mental health supports and programs, see disclosure as a personal decision they have no influence over. 

鈥淭hat鈥檚 just not what we saw in the data,鈥� says Zhanna Lyubykh, assistant professor at Beedie School of Business and lead author of the . 鈥淥rganizations can do a lot to help employees disclose. Much of it comes down to employee perceptions of how disclosure is going to be handled, which is absolutely within an organization鈥檚 control.鈥�  

The study found people were 55 per cent more likely to disclose mental health concerns to their employer when they perceived their organization as supportive. Beyond feeling they won鈥檛 be discriminated against or stigmatized, Lyubykh says a supportive workplace means people feel truly supported and that they鈥檒l benefit from accessing organizational supports and programs. 

This is where employers can step up, she says. Her research revealed the presence of social supports 鈥� the subtle environmental cues people pick up on 鈥� is the most significant factor that impacts an employee's willingness to disclose. 

鈥淧eople notice things and log them, sometimes consciously and sometimes not,鈥� she explains. 鈥淒id they see someone who recently disclosed get passed over for a promotion? Are open, understanding conversations about mental health encouraged and happening among co-workers? Did it take six months and 100 forms for a co-worker to actually get access to the supports they were entitled to? And when that person received those supports, were they really beneficial?鈥� 

It鈥檚 a classic example of actions speaking louder than words (or policies).  

Lyubykh鈥檚 research included two survey-based studies. The first study parsed the difference between employees鈥� willingness to disclose and actual disclosure rates and looked at factors that influenced employee decision-making. The second study examined the connection between organizational support for mental health and wellbeing and absenteeism.  

Researchers found low disclosure rates and poor employee perceptions were linked to higher absenteeism, increased anxiety, and lower productivity and performance. But the opposite was also true: The benefits of a supportive workplace touch every level of an organization, from people to paper, says Lyubykh.  

鈥淐ompetent people don鈥檛 want to stay in an unsupportive or toxic environment. Now you have the attrition of high performers on top of other costly problems,鈥� she adds. 鈥淚f an organization cares about the bottom line, they should really care about the environment they鈥檙e creating, because that鈥檚 going to be their competitive advantage.鈥�  

With so much of an organization鈥檚 success resting on their employees鈥� perception of a supportive environment, Lyubykh hopes organizations adapt existing workplace surveys to ask specific questions around how comfortable people feel talking about mental health concerns in the workplace.  

鈥淭hat will give organizations a solid benchmark, help them track perceptions over time,鈥� she says. 鈥淥rganizations have the responsibility and power to change things. And change starts at the leadership level.鈥� 

AVAILABLE 51社区黑料EXPERTS

ZHANNA LYUBYKH, assistant professor, Beedie School of Business
zhanna_lyubykh@sfu.ca 

CONTACT 

ROBYN STUBBS, 51社区黑料Communications & Marketing 
604.376.0971 | robyn_stubbs@sfu.ca

51社区黑料 
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778.782.3210

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