- Employees report being anxious and depressed but worry about
privacy and are reluctant to seek help at work
- The Hartford partners with National Alliance on Mental Illness
to break down stigma and encourage support and treatment
New data from The Hartford found a majority of employers (68%)
believe they foster an open and inclusive work environment that
encourages a dialogue about mental health, but less than half (42%)
of U.S. workers agree. Only 44% of working adults feel they have
flexibility in their schedule to get the mental health help they
need, compared with 71% of employers who believe they offer the
flexibility.
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Today, The Hartford announced a new partnership with the
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), which is the nation's
largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building
better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental
illness. Together, The Hartford and NAMI will help employers and
employees understand how to reduce stigma in the workplace and
encourage those with mental health conditions to seek support.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated the mental health
challenges facing the workforce and cannot be ignored by
employers,” said The Hartford’s Chairman and CEO Christopher Swift.
“Together with NAMI, we hope to further a national dialogue about
mental health and inspire leaders to embrace a stigma-free culture
within their companies and communities.”
The Hartford’s 2020 Future of Benefits Study: Mental Health in
the Workplace, which polled U.S. workers and human resource
professionals in early March and mid-June, revealed a majority of
employers (59%) believe mental health conditions, such as anxiety
and depression, are a significant workplace issue. While 64% of
employers feel prepared to address their employees’ mental health
conditions, more than half of workers (56%) said they have privacy
concerns about sharing mental health information with their
employer/co-workers.
The pandemic affected employees’ mental health:
- Nearly half of employees (48%) reported their anxiety level has
increased since COVID.
- Approximately one quarter (24%) of employees said they
struggled with depression or anxiety on a daily or weekly basis in
June, a slight increase compared to those surveyed in March
(20%).
- Gen Z and younger Millennials (1995-2002), were nearly three
times more likely to experience struggles with depression or
anxiety most days or few times a week than workers who are
considered Boomers (1955-1966).
“NAMI applauds The Hartford’s effort to survey the mental health
concerns of employees and help employers address the issues
highlighted by creating an inclusive workplace environment,” said
Daniel H. Gillison, Jr., CEO of NAMI. “Especially during these
difficult times, treatment can make a positive impact on anyone
struggling with their mental health. We know that reducing stigma
and getting help early makes a difference. We call on fellow
business leaders to join us in creating a new standard for employee
benefits that include mental health resources which not only
improve the lives of employees, but also the overall success of the
company.”
To help cultivate an inclusive workspace, NAMI recommends
employees and employers:
- Learn the facts about mental health conditions. Even though one
in five U.S. adults experiences some form of mental illness each
year, misconceptions linger about those who live with a mental
illness;
- Use respectful and first-person language to talk about mental
health conditions, such as “people with mental illness” instead of
“the mentally ill” and
- Offer support if you think someone is having trouble. The NAMI
Helpline at 800-950-NAMI provides information on resources.
Additionally, if someone is in a crisis, text "NAMI" to 741741 for
24/7 support via text message.
NAMI also suggests employers:
- Offer mental health education for managers and employees, which
should include information about mental health conditions,
potential warning signs, and how to protect privacy;
- Provide access to Employee Assistance Programs that help
employees handle stress and emotional pressures; and
- Communicate often about mental health benefits so that
employees know what resources are available to them and their
families.
Mental health conditions are among the top five reasons for U.S.
workers to file a short-term disability claim, according to The
Hartford’s disability claims data.1 Mental illness can prolong a
person’s recovery from an injury or disease, an analysis of
workers’ compensation and disability data revealed. 2 A person
diagnosed with a primary injury or illness, along with the presence
of psychological factors, such as anxiety or depression, takes two
to three times longer to recover than someone with similar injuries
or illness and no additional psychological factors.
“As a leading group benefits and workers’ compensation provider,
we are in the business of underwriting human achievement – helping
thousands of workers each year return to active, productive lives
after an injury or illness,” Swift said. “We are committed to
eradicating stigma that threatens human achievement so that more
people can prevail.”
In their new partnership, The Hartford and NAMI will hold a free
webinar on Tuesday, Oct. 27 at 3 p.m. with new details about the
national research, as well as solutions for employers and employees
in order to bridge the mental health divide. During the virtual
event, NAMI’s Chief Medical Officer Ken Duckworth, M.D., will
outline how to foster stigma-free company cultures during this
challenging time. The Hartford’s Claims leaders will talk about the
connection between mental health and employee productivity. The
webinar is open to the public, but registration is required.
In addition, NAMI experts will speak at virtual events this year
for The Hartford’s employees, as part of NAMI’s StigmaFree Company
program.
Methodology
The Hartford’s 2020 Future of Benefits Study was an online
survey fielded in two waves. The first wave was fielded from Feb.
27 – March 13, 2020, just before the pandemic escalated in the
United States, and included 761 employers and 1,503 employees. The
second wave was fielded from June 15 – June 30, 2020 and included
567 employers and 1,038 employees. The employers surveyed were
human resource professionals who manage/decide employee benefits,
and employees surveyed were actively employed. The margin of error
is employer +/- 4% and employee +/-3% at a 95% confidence
level.
About NAMI
NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is the nation's
largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building
better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental
illness. www.nami.org | www.facebook.com/nami |
www.twitter.com/namicommunicate |
www.instagram.com/namicommunicate
About The Hartford
The Hartford is a leader in property and casualty insurance,
group benefits and mutual funds. With more than 200 years of
expertise, The Hartford is widely recognized for its service
excellence, sustainability practices, trust and integrity. More
information on the company and its financial performance is
available at https://www.thehartford.com. Follow us on Twitter at
@TheHartford_PR.
The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc., (NYSE: HIG)
operates through its subsidiaries under the brand name, The
Hartford, and is headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut. For
additional details, please read The Hartford’s legal notice.
HIG-E
Some of the statements in this release may be considered
forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We caution investors that these
forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future
performance, and actual results may differ materially. Investors
should consider the important risks and uncertainties that may
cause actual results to differ. These important risks and
uncertainties include those discussed in our 2019 Annual Report on
Form 10-K, subsequent Quarterly Reports on Forms 10-Q, and the
other filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
We assume no obligation to update this release, which speaks as of
the date issued.
From time to time, The Hartford may use its website and/or
social media outlets, such as Twitter and Facebook, to disseminate
material company information. Financial and other important
information regarding The Hartford is routinely accessible through
and posted on our website at https://ir.thehartford.com, Twitter
account at www.twitter.com/TheHartford_PR and Facebook at
https://facebook.com/thehartford. In addition, you may
automatically receive email alerts and other information about The
Hartford when you enroll your email address by visiting the “Email
Alerts” section at https://ir.thehartford.com.
_____________________________ 1 Top five reasons for STD claims
for last four years, excluding pregnancy, were musculoskeletal
injury, cancers and other neoplasms, digestive conditions, and
mental health conditions 2 Analysis of four years (2014-2018) of
The Hartford’s workers’ compensation and disability claims data
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201015005972/en/
Media: Kelly Carter 860-547-2122
Kelly.Carter@thehartford.com
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