By the numbers: The connection between mental health and productivity at work

Around World Mental Health Day on October 10, you’ll see lots of social media posts by organizations touting their mental health and wellness initiatives. But it’s important for companies to go beyond the surface-level positive sentiments, and communicators can help validate the important work of wellness pros in the minds of leaders with a “business-first” mindset.

This requires drawing a correlation between mental health and business health. According to the 2024 NAMI/Ipsos Workplace Mental Health Survey, over half of employees (52%) surveyed reported feeling burned out at their jobs, while 37% stated that their mental health made it difficult to be productive within their roles.

The data also showed an interesting relationship between burnout and productivity. Thirty-three percent of survey respondents reported that their productivity suffered because of their mental health, while 36% said their mental health was suffering due to high work demands. There were also many issues of trust at play in terms of who employees felt they could confide in.

Tom Corfman of RCG outlined a few in a piece last month. They include:

• Assess the burnout. As with tackling almost any problem, the first step is getting a fuller perspective on it. A typical workplace survey might not address specific points of stress for employees, but communicators can collaborate with HR to figure out what policies, procedures or pain points might be causing issues. From there, they can use information-gathering methods like focus groups to find a way forward.
• Talk less. In many instances, barrages of emails or meetings can serve as a major burnout inflection point. Be more mindful in your employee comms and try to say in one email what normally goes out in five.
• Train your managers. Managers are the closest employees get to an organization’s leadership, and will often be the first to hear about burnout issues. If they know the proper structures and methods to help report employee mental health issues, longer-term problems can be avoided.
• Bring it back to the purpose, mission, and values. Working toward a collective common purpose can help employees see where they fit in. Communicators can form the connective tissue that informs employees of their purpose — and seeing that they’re an integral part of the team can help with feelings of meaning and value. 

Show your employees that the organization cares.

According to the Diplomatic Courier’s “Human Wellbeing in the Age of AI” report, just one in four American employees feels that their company cares about their mental wellbeing. Additionally, one in five employees globally report feelings of isolation at work. The report also dove into the dynamics of employee perception of how well employers focused on wellbeing.

Dani Veira, founder and CEO of Minerva’s Legacy, said that these numbers contrast with an increased desire by today’s workforce to feel a sense of belonging in their roles. However, with the help of communicators who can collaborate with other departments, the gaps and patches in well-meaning companies need repair can be fixed.

• Work cross-functionally. “Communicators have to work cross-functionally to do their jobs well, so they tend to be what I call “culture warriors” in their organizations,” Veira said. “They notice lack of collaboration, they notice burnout in their colleagues, and they notice when stress leads to working in silos or lost productivity.”
• Get managers involved. Veira said that through managers, communicators and leaders showing that they care, employees can better bring their best selves to work. That means knowing that there are resources and people who care when times are mentally tough. “The data doesn’t lie — managers matter most to employee wellness,” Veira said. “I urge HR departments and leadership teams to invest in building a coaching culture within your organization.
• Coach people up. Veira added that proper training for top brass will drive the authenticity of wellness initiatives home. “Make leadership and executive coaching a core part of professional and personal development for your employees at every level,” she said, “because it directly impacts employee mental health and wellbeing.”

Sean Devlin is an editor at Ragan Communications. In his spare time he enjoys Philly sports and hosting trivia.