Employers Want Workers to Help Colleagues in Crisis

Some U.S. employers are supporting "mental health first aid" initiatives to train employees to help co-workers in need, reports Bloomberg . The National Council for Behavioral Health (NCBH) calculates that about 40 employers have trained more than 1,300 people over the last two years, and this year it plans to train 6,000 employees via company-sponsored courses. "There's a growing recognition that mental health and addiction problems are having an impact in many ways, driving up healthcare costs and absenteeism," notes NCBH's Betsy Schwartz. "Companies know that's true." Aetna, George Washington University, Lendlease Group, Cerner, and Netsmart Technologies have sponsored workshops for their workers. More than 25 percent of employees reported some level of depression or anxiety in a 2015 poll by the American Psychological Association (APA), but the most common workplace solution — employee assistance programs — is highly unpopular. "That challenging piece is really creating a culture where the organization is tuned in to employee well-being," says David Ballard, who directs the APA's Center for Organizational Excellence. In one course, instructors teach an acronym called Algee, a mnemonic device intended to help trainees assess risk, listen non-judgmentally, give reassurance and information, encourage people to get appropriate professional help, and encourage self-help and other support strategies.