Mental health has been a focus for so many since the pandemic, and the job market is seeing massive changes as burnout triggered the Great Resignation.
News 3 is shining a spotlight on mental health in Hampton Roads.
In this Community Conversation, we're hearing from professionals on how to battle burnout and improve workplace mental health.
You can watch the entire episode in the video player below.
PART 1
PART 2
PART 3
The U.S. Surgeon General released a new framework in 2022 for mental health and well-being in the workplace. It said that 76% of U.S. workers surveyed in 2021 reported at least one symptom of a mental health condition such as anxiety or depression.
That's an increase of 17% in two years. It also said that 81% of workers reported they will be looking for workplaces that support mental health and 84% reported at least one workplace factor that had a negative impact on their mental health.
According to the World Health Organization, the COVID-19 pandemic triggered a 25% prevalence in anxiety and depression worldwide. Doctor Vanessa Jenkins, the Executive Director of Health and Wellness at Norfolk State University, said some stress comes from the return to work after the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The support systems for a lot of people have gone, you know, some of them have lost family members, daycares have closed, so it's forcing them now to show up and not having anyone to care for their children. So this support system is going down. And then when you get to work, you may be now carrying a double job because someone else's position is not filled anymore.”
Tanetta Hassell is a licensed clinical social worker at Western Tidewater Community services board and is the director of prevention and recovery.
“We've got to consider some of the systemic pressures, too. People were forced in the height of the pandemic to choose between paying for groceries or staying at home with their kids," Hassell said. "They had to really find a new way of life. And so now we're asking them to return to work, you know, they're making the tough choices, and they're saying, you know, I want to continue to prioritize my wellness and my family.”
According to the job search engine and review site Glassdoor the phrase "mental health" in company reviews jumped 91% from 2019 to 2022. "Burnout" mentions were up 42% at that same time.
In November 2021, the nation's "quit rate" reached a 20-year high. This period of time has been referred to as the Great Resignation.
Dr. Jenkins said, “I think there was a group of people who may have said, you know, I'm going to take care of myself. I'm not going to get to the point where I am suffering from mental health challenges.”
In reference to the Great Resignation, Doctor David Spiegel, the chair of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at EVMS, says the pandemic got people thinking about mortality and their lives.
“I think people start to review their life and what they want out of it. I think people want more of a family life balance,” Dr. Spiegel said. “I think people want more flexibility. I think some people want more guidance, I see some people want less guidance. And I think, very important, moving forward is going to be the leadership in organizations. They're going to have to not only know how to give out work, they're going to now have to read the strengths of their workers. It's going to be their job to not only integrate what has to be done at work, but also with the temperaments and personality of our workforce, or they will resign and find something else and find a job that does.”
Mental health struggles also impact our local military community. According to police, four sailors assigned to the USS George Washington have died by suicide in the last year. The aircraft carrier has been docked in Newport News since 2017.
Dr. Spiegel spoke about the struggles of service members seeking help due to the stigma surrounding mental health. “I think many of these young men and women think that if I'm in the military, I can't really show quote, unquote, weakness and mental health has always been equated as a weakness,” Dr. Spiegel said. “I think the stigma has got to be broken.”
Hassell said she thinks it goes beyond just the culture.
“I think the military, beyond just shifting some of the culture, one thing they could do is get better with contracting with outside agencies,” Hassell said. “I know at Western Tidewater, we have a regional program now, where we actually send licensed clinicians on board to do some of that counseling where it's a little bit safer. So they don't have to worry about their command finding out, you know, what they're sharing about their mental health challenges. And the more we do that, as we also work to shift the larger culture to be more understanding and accepting of mental health challenges, I think that could be a good start.”
All three experts spoke about the different ways we can help reduce workplace stress and burnout.
Hassell said, “I think the number one way is increased self-awareness. The more time you spend paying attention to your thoughts, how your body responds to your thoughts in your environment, the more prepared you can be with your self-care plan, with putting healthy boundaries in place, getting better at your work-life balance. I think that is where I would recommend anyone to start.”
Dr. Jenkins said, “With my staff, one of the things we start off with, whenever we have meetings, we start off with a mindfulness moment. And even as an adjunct professor, I may say, you know, we just came into classes to take a minute, let's just brush some of the stuff off, and it just puts you in a different space. That moment that we don't take advantage of. That's so important.”
Dr. Spiegel said, “I think from an employer viewpoint, I think allowing people to know it's okay to have emotions, right? They have to understand that the employer will support them, should emotional problems arise.” Dr. Spiegel went on to say, “I use a lot of cognitive behavioral therapy and cognitive therapies, it's really helping a person understand how their thoughts affect their emotions. If they think negatively, that's going to bring on an emotional state,” Dr. Spiegel said. “They have to learn to do physiological activation, otherwise known as mindfulness, relaxation exercises, change your lifestyle.”
There have been several studies that prove the benefits of a four-day workweek.
A study in the U.K. tested a four-day workweek and found 71% of employees felt less burnout. They saw a 39% decline in stress. And a 65% reduction in sick days. Hassell spoke to why she thinks they’ve been successful. “I think the four-day workweek assumes that people will do their job and having that, you know, authority to say I can manage my time without feeling the pressure or stress of an authority, or my boss coming in to punish me,” Hassell said. “I think that is probably where you're getting a lot of those positive results from moving to a four-day work week.”
But Dr. Jenkins and Dr. Spiegel warn that you have to work on yourself, not just reduce work hours if you want to see results.
“You’ve still got to deal with yourself. You still got to know how to manage yourself,” Dr. Jenkins said. “If you're not practicing coping strategies, you’re still going to end up in the same situation.”
Dr. Spiegel said, “If you incorporate a mental health day, if you're still going back to the same work environment, and you're not working on yourself, all you've given them is a hiatus for a day.”
There are also resources out there for anyone experiencing mental health concerns.
Hassell highlighted that there’s a local community behavioral health organization in each city that provides counseling. She says they usually accept state-level care or underinsured individuals.
There’s also the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, just dial 988 to reach it.
For service members, there’s theU.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Mental Health.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services offers help through theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
You can also find help from theAmerican Psychiatric Association.
