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We’re more aware of mental health problems than ever.
Whether it’s workplace wellbeing initiatives and resources, or social media discussion, the conversation around mental health has grown over the past few years. The United Nations has reported that whilst the pandemic increased the prevalence of mental health issues, it also drove momentum around awareness and accessibility, with a more open and destigmatized dialogue about the impact of mental illness. The likes of GenZ - who are more candid and open about mental health – entering the workforce has helped this cause.
This is undoubtedly positive news, but, with this unrelenting crisis and growing awareness comes an unexpected risk within organizations: The armchair psychologist manager.
Adam Hickman Ph.D., VP of Learning, Organization, and Cast Development, at Partners, a Walt Disney Company Affiliate, argues adopting the psychologist role is an overstep for managers.
“Their job is to spot items such as burnout, stress, and anxiety and know the resources within the company to guide them to it and support their efforts,” he says.”
But when managers attempt – albeit with positive intentions in mind – to offer mental health support, coaching, or advice without the correct qualifications, training, or experience, they risk further endangering the mental health of their employees.
These managers, argues Tim Green, Chief Operating Officer, TeamUp, may overlook symptoms of mental health issues, leading to delayed support for the affected employees. “It’s crucial to remember that mental health is a complex field that requires professional understanding and handling,” he says. In turn, this can impact the mental wellbeing of employees as well as their productivity.
The role of managers in employee mental health
The U.S. mental health crisis described by the likes of Bernie Sanders remains ongoing. The number of U.S. adults who now report symptoms of depression or anxiety has tripled since 2019 to roughly a third of the entire population.
There is an argument to suggest that greater awareness leads to an increase in the reported rate of mental health conditions. But regardless, the impact of the U.S. mental health crisis is inescapable. NBC News reports that more than 50,000 people in the US lost their lives to suicide last year. That’s more than any year on record.
Employers certainly have a duty of care to protect employees against mental health. Beyond the financial costs of lost productivity or sick leave, it is workplace stress and demands that cause many workers to struggle with their mental wellbeing.
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Managers do play an important role in role in this process. “If you fear the conversation about your employee's overall wellbeing, you shouldn't be a manager,” says Hickman.
“Managers should applaud employees for sharing their emotions, feelings, and how they experience their work in these terms,” he continues. “At one point in our era of work you were told not to. Now employees are sharing, the next step is knowing how to coach and guide your employees.”
Working with employees, HR, and business leaders, managers are a vital go-between to understand what processes and workloads need redesigning or reallocating. Their position uniquely allows them to feedback on potential causes of burnout or other sources of mental illness to HR. This is a practice HR should undoubtedly encourage.
Managers should also know their employees better than anyone. They are in a critical position to spot when staff show symptoms of mental health issues – this could be unexpected changes in output and productivity or personal behavior.
However, to be able to correctly take on these responsibilities, and avoid becoming armchair psychologist managers, they need the right training. Managers without the right skills or qualifications pose several risks to employees and the organization, including:
Misdiagnosing employees with mental health issues they do not have
Labeling employees with mental health issues resulting in marginalization
Misdirecting employees to incorrect or improper resources
Neglecting employees whose symptoms go unrecognized
Creating an unsafe space for employees who are dealing with mental health issues
Armchair psychologist managers risk overestimating simple unexpected or unfamiliar behaviors such as mental health issues or underestimating the suffering of employees who are struggling. This can lead to misdiagnosis of mental health issues, “exacerbating the individual’s condition and potentially leading to a toxic work environment,” says Green. “It can also contribute to the stigma around mental health, making employees less likely to seek help when they need it.”
HR teams must provide better, formal, certifiable training for managers to equip them to support their employees appropriately and avoid practicing armchair psychology. Failure to do so not only creates the risk of further genuine harm to an employee’s mental and physical wellbeing but also poses legal and financial risks.
This is the solution to tackling the mental health crisis in the U.S. It can also tackle another major issue in the U.S. economy, argues Hickman: The trillion dollar disengagement problem. “Mental health in the workplace is the past, current, and future pandemic,” he explains.
“The antipode is great leadership and managers. Those who invest in their leaders and managers from a sense of engagement will see the returns that excite their customer engagement scores.”
Our workplaces need outstanding, well-trained managers; not more armchair psychologists.
