How to Accommodate an Employee with Depression and Anxiety

According to the World Health Organization, research conducted five years ago concluded that the number of people experiencing depression had exceeded the 300 million mark. A half-decade down the line, depression is now ranked as the single largest contributor to global disability, with anxiety ranking at number six.

So, if your employee looks a little down in the dumps, you might want to consider the fact that it might be more than just boredom or burnout.

Why Companies Should Care

On average, people spend 900,000 hours of their lifetime at work. It stands to reason that if a person is spending hours in one environment, it will affect their physical and mental health.

Situations such as forcing employees to work long, inflexible hours, limiting their control over their work, making problems when communicating, not taking workload into account, being apathetic to people’s needs and wants—all these factors can negatively impact their mental well-being, and can prompt their depressive symptoms, leading to anxiety. It, in turn, can affect workplace engagement and productivity, which can lead to a drop in quality.

If business owners want their companies to succeed, they must take steps to ensure that their employees are working in a comforting, positive environment.

How Companies Can Help

Identify their Behavior

Educate yourself on depression and anxiety and learn about the conditions before you take any further steps. Misinformation or limited information will lead you to make inappropriate decisions. Instead of taking the situation head-on, and making pointless recommendations to your employee, learn what the disorder causes, how uncomfortable it can be, and then think about your strategy in approaching it.

Respond Appropriately

Unfortunately, mental health has been a taboo for quite some time. So, most people don’t have the training to respond to a situation where mental health is concerned. But here’s something you should know:

• DO NOT employ the tough love strategy. Not only is it tone-deaf, but it also trivializes the person’s experience.
• Do not suggest getting a hobby. Mental illness cannot be pushed to the side, or solved, by getting a hobby or distracting one’s self.
• Be open to their experience. Depressive symptoms are different for different people. Just because a person doesn’t feel sad all the time, doesn’t make their depression any less severe.
• Implement an open-door policy. Even if your employee isn’t comfortable with sharing their problems, let them know you are there to hear their concerns with no judgment. Show them that you think of them as more than a cog in the corporate machine.

Make a Plan

The job is not done yet. Keep in mind; you can’t absolve someone from their anxiety or depression in a day, a week, or even a month.

If you want to take an active part in giving your employees the support they deserve, make a plan to create a better workspace. Discourage other employees from creating an unpleasant or cluttered environment. Add simple touches to the physical workspace to make it brighter and sunny. Use positive language when speaking and be empathetic to people’s requests.

And be patient. Your employee is experiencing a mental illness, not a bad mood. Allow them to work through it.

Offer Support

At Advanced Hypnotherapy in Naples, we urge our business clients to provide paid time off and therapy options for employees who may need help.

As a result, we’ve received plenty of clients who have used hypnotherapy to manage their depression and anxiety.

So, if you want to invest in your employee’s future, get in touch with us. We offer anxiety treatments and stress management therapy in Naples, FL.