The Covid-19 pandemic made us all vulnerable, and many of us are struggling to keep our mental health. In the U.S., the percentage of adults with recent symptoms of an anxiety or depressive disorder increased from 36.4% to 41.5% from 2020 to 2021 — so much so that the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an expert panel managed by the Department of Health and Human Services, recommended that doctors screen all adult patients under age 65 for anxiety. The Lancet also estimated that the pandemic caused an additional 53.2 million cases of major depressive disorder globally and an additional 76.2 million cases of anxiety disorders globally.
How to Respond When an Employee Shares a Mental Health Challenge
Be prepared for the next conversation.
November 16, 2022, Updated November 18, 2022
Summary.
What should you do if your employee comes to you with a mental health challenge? While you will have to have a conversation that may feel intimate and discomfiting, it’s also not your job to be the office therapist, and you don’t need to have all the solutions when a team member is struggling. First, make sure you’ve prepared for such conversations in advance, including knowing where to point people for resources within your company. Second, set boundaries to ensure people can get help without depleting you or the team. Finally, remember that the most important thing you can do is show up and make the conversation about them — not you.
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Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Stress Management. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.
How to build resilience at work.