A recent study shows workers who are aware their co-workers are using employer-provided mental health benefits may also be more likely to use them, according to Safety+Health magazine.
A team of researchers from the London School of Economics and Political Science studied 2,400 workers at a Swiss multinational pharmaceutical corporation that had a peer-to-peer mental health support program.
The researchers randomly assigned the workers to watch an overview of the program. Some workers read a “mild” story about a co-worker using services to help with stress and anxiety at work while others learned about a more “severe” case in which a co-worker sought services while experiencing depression outside of work.
Findings show the workers were 8% more likely to sign up for mental health services after reading about the “mild” story and 6.6% more likely to do so after learning about the “severe” story.
The researchers wrote the findings “illustrate the power of storytelling in encouraging seeking mental health support” and recommend employers normalize seeking help for mental health concerns by taking steps to destigmatize the process.
The research reportedly is ongoing and has not yet been published.
