Case Managers are the professionals who ensure quality care for everyone – but are their own care needs being met? October 10 is World Mental Health Day, and it’s an ideal moment to consider how your team supports mental health and where you can improve even more.
Extensive research has shown a clear link between work and mental health.
39% of employees say their work environment has had a negative effect on their mental health,[1] and 81% of employees say that support for mental health is an essential factor when making decisions about accepting a job or remaining in one.[2]
The healthcare sector has experienced a particular level of burnout, indicating insufficient support for the physical, mental, and emotional toll of jobs like Case Management and other medical professionals. Research found that around half of all healthcare workers are experiencing burnout, with the highest rates found in nursing staff (56%) and other clinical staff (54.1%).[3] In particular, work overload – driven by insufficient staffing and high demand – is one of the most significant contributing factors: overloaded healthcare professionals had 2.2 to 2.9 times the risk of experiencing burnout and 1.7 to 2.1 times the risk of leaving their jobs within two years.[4]
Organizations looking to address mental health and well-being must approach this on multiple fronts: providing financial and tangible benefits like health insurance, addressing cultural issues and the relationship between mental health and DEI, and handling the root causes of burnout, from workload to pay and more.
No one aspect of mental health can be viewed in a vacuum; they are all intertwined. That’s why they must also be addressed in an interconnected way. The U.S. Surgeon General offers a five-part “Framework for Workplace Mental Health and Well‑Being” that focuses on five key elements (protection from harm, connection and community, work-life harmony, mattering at work, and opportunity for growth). All are then centered around a single, ore idea: “worker voice and equity.” Not all options for reducing stress are available to all fields, and strategies must reflect that. While some sectors, for instance, might introduce remote work – a popular solution – that is not possible for most healthcare workers. Instead, the focus might be on adequate staffing levels and developing a stronger culture of teamwork to ensure an equal “sharing of the load” and avoid burnout. Whatever your choices, the most important thing is ensuring employees feel the impact and understand that you are genuinely invested in their well-being.
Fortunately, the positive effects of investing in mental health and well-being are becoming even clearer for employees and employers. 71% of employers report seeing ROI from their investments in this area – a significant increase, compared to 23% who said the same in a 2019 survey.[5] This shouldn’t be surprising – employees who are less stressed and have the support they need are much more likely to be satisfied, loyal, engaged, and productive at work.
At Healthcare Recruitment Partners, we know that taking care of one another is critical to ensuring quality patient care and long-term retention of top talent. This World Mental Health Day, let’s not just spend one day considering these concerns, but get motivated to ensure all employees can succeed and contribute to continually-improving care every day.
[1] Novotny, Amy. “Why mental health needs to be a top priority in the workplace.” American Psychological Association, 21 April 2023, https://www.apa.org/news/apa/2022/surgeon-general-workplace-well-being.
[2] “Workers appreciate and seek mental health support in the workplace: APA’s 2022 Work and Well-Being Survey Results.” American Psychological Association, 2022, https://www.apa.org/pubs/reports/work-well-being/2022-mental-health-support.
[3] “Doctors not the only ones feeling burned out.” The Harvard Gazette, 31 March 2023, https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2023/03/covid-burnout-hitting-all-levels-of-health-care-workforce/.
[4] Berg, Sara. “Work overload triples the risk of burnout in health care.” American Medical Association, 18 April 2023, https://www.ama-assn.org/practice-management/physician-health/work-overload-triples-risk-burnout-health-care.
[5] “2023 Global Survey: Workplace Health and Wellbeing Priorities.” Virgin Pulse, https://community.virginpulse.com/global-survey-workplace-health-and-wellbeing-priorities.