During the latest Lincoln Absence Advisor webinar, A New Focus: Mental Health, Disability and the Whole Employee, we received many questions on which accommodations work best for mental health and how to handle such a sensitive subject with your employees.
For episode 9 of this Lincoln Absence Advisor podcast, we hone in on these questions with product lead Annie Jantz, and vocational consultants Melissa Michuda and Emily Mathies. We discuss elements of the Americans with Disability Act (ADA), accommodations we’ve seen used for mental health needs, and various processes and perspectives that employers should consider on this subject.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
© 2021 Lincoln National Corporation. All rights reserved. LCN-3659595-070621
During the latest Lincoln Absence Advisor webinar, A New Focus: Mental Health, Disability and the Whole Employee, we received many questions on which accommodations work best for mental health and how to handle such a sensitive subject with your employees.
For episode 9 of this Lincoln Absence Advisor podcast, we hone in on these questions with product lead Annie Jantz, and vocational consultants Melissa Michuda and Emily Mathies. We discuss elements of the Americans with Disability Act (ADA), accommodations we’ve seen used for mental health needs, and various processes and perspectives that employers should consider on this subject.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
© 2021 Lincoln National Corporation. All rights reserved. LCN-3659595-070621
One of the best parts of Lincoln Absence Advisor podcast is that we get to answer questions from you, our listeners. In today's episode, we address some of the questions we received during our most recent webinar, a new focus, mental health, disability and the whole employee. Not surprisingly, we received a lot of questions around accommodations and mental health. So I've asked a few of my colleagues who know much more about it than I do to answer some of these questions. Annie Jantz product lead for Lincoln's leave management services and Lincoln's vocational consultants, Melissa Michuda and Emily Matthies, dive into what accommodations may be needed for a variety of mental health reasons and how to approach such a sensitive topic. I hope you enjoy today's conversation. Hi, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me, on Lincoln Absence Advisor. How are y'all doing today? So we recently hosted a webinar called the new focus. And in it we dove into mental health, how it can lead to disability about the importance of the whole employee and within the workforce. And a big focus of that conversation was like additive stress how it can all add up and lead to certain situations for the employee, how the employer can help with that additive stress. And of course, not surprisingly, some of the questions that we received were about accommodations and mental health. So that's really why I have you all here today to kind of dive into some of those questions and have a conversation on that topic. But before we jump into those questions, I wanted to ask, what changes have you seen over the last year or two, when it comes to accommodations with mental health? Is there a renewed focus? Is there more attention to it? Has it changed at all just knowing how many people are talking about this topic?
Annie Jantz:What I've been seeing and just reading a lot about is the focus on mental health. And I think it's always been there, but it definitely has increased, you know, especially with everything that's happened over the past year and a half, but there's just a lot more focus on it. And employers are asking a lot more questions about what they can do for people to help them. And there's a lot of questions about how do you accommodate an employee? You know, what does that mean? What do you do in the workplace? How do you support the employee in the workplace?
Melissa Michuda:Yeah, I agree. I think just like in the last webinar, where Dr. Berube, and Dr. Pransky spoke about work related stress, a lot of it is very situational these days. And it all results in stress. And a really do feel that because of things that have happened with COVID, and everything else that people have had to really shift their their energies, their workspaces, they're they're now in situations that they weren't in before with family, possibly around them during the day when they're working children childcare issues. So I do feel there, there's a lot of situational stress related to everything that's happened over the past year or so.
Emily Matthies:I also think that employers are starting to see it more, because they may be experiencing it themselves and trying to help their employees, because it's not something that most people talk about all the time. But given the past year and a half, it's definitely been on rise between employers, employees, your average person, and even now with different changes of being work, burnout, I believe, is now an actual diagnosis that, you know, it's something that's been highlighted a lot for a lot of individuals and employers.
Karen Batson:Now, would you say that attention to that topic and need will continue from here? Is that a positive and having conversations?
Emily Matthies:I think this is just the beginning with it.
Melissa Michuda:I feel like everything else, like once it's brought to the forefront, and people are now starting to talk about it. I think there's probably a pool of people that didn't talk about it before. It wasn't, you know, it wasn't considered appropriate or, you know, it's a personal issue. I don't want to share that. But I think people are becoming more open with so many different things and and mental health is one of them, which professionally as you know, speaking as a as a counselor, like yes, that thank goodness, that's coming to light now, I think we have years to go before things are seeing it, you know, in a in a positive light. But...
Annie Jantz:Right.
Emily Matthies:I think that stigma, hopefully, with everything that's been happening will start to kind of decrease and people will feel a little more comfortable bringing it up, because they're seeing employers are being more flexible with certain things. And they're understanding more. So hopefully, you know, fingers crossed, and the start in the right direction.
Annie Jantz:Well, Emily, I think something that you said really struck me because I think it's so true that everyone is kind of experiencing this, like employers themselves are experiencing it. And maybe they did before to that doesn't mean that they did it but I think everyone has been impacted to some extent by what's happened over the last year and a half. And so I think it good or bad, you know, the way that this kind of played out it does kind of help in that situation that people might be more sensitive to understanding what's going on with other people. And so again, letting somebody come forward and talk about it. So yeah, I definitely think that raises that awareness that much more more people have experienced something.
Karen Batson:So let's dive into some of the technical questions that we saw about this. So under the ADA, what protection if any do employees have when mental health impacts their work?
Melissa Michuda:As far as the ADA and ADAAA are concerned, mental health, it doesn't have like a separate requirement or qualifying category, it really is that whole umbrella of an impairment that impacts the person's ability to perform activities of daily living, whether it be work, what have you, it's just having that condition or impairment that really precludes them from from doing something without an accommodation. So as far as like the division, there really is no division, it falls all underneath the one large umbrella of disability per se.
Karen Batson:So mental health, is it defined under the ADA? To your point, if it falls under disability? How do they describe it?
Emily Matthies:Well, a disability under the ADA is a medical condition that impairs a person's ability to do X, Y, or Z. So it's not necessarily defined as, a mental health condition is this. It's like Melissa was saying it falls under the umbrella of a disabling condition under the ADA.
Annie Jantz:And I think that's really it. That's an important piece of that, right, that mental health is seen as any other condition, you still, you know, you're going to get some information, you need to understand what the accommodation need is how long that would last, but it's a condition like any other physical condition that needs to be viewed that way. And I think sometimes that's a hard concept, which goes along with the stigma and and some of the other things that, you know, we find difficult on the topic.
Melissa Michuda:And I think to it speaks to just like the difference between the ADA and ADAAA and how that all came to light, I mean, truly, that ADAAA broadened that definition of disability to make it purposely harder to pin down. So that individual right, you know, employers would have you couldn't try to disprove disability if you will.
Annie Jantz:Right, yeah, yeah, I completely agree.
Karen Batson:Now, what are the most common mental health conditions we see when it comes to accommodation requests coming in? And is there a range to it?
Emily Matthies:I mean, from my position, I've seen everything from schizophrenia, to anxiety and stress, to depression to bipolar, it all basically depends on what an individual is needed for their accommodation. Lately, we've seen a lot more of the anxiety, depression, the stress, the burnout, with kind of what's been going on. But I mean, you do see all of the other types of mental health conditions get thrown in there as well. So I don't think that there's a most common, I think it's who feels comfortable coming forth and saying, hey, I need some help. And it's accommodations.
Annie Jantz:Yeah, that's a good point.
Karen Batson:Going off of that, how, and knowing there's a stigma, and not everyone wants to talk about how do employers identify that need? If there is an accommodation that could benefit the employee? How do they identify that and help move it forward?
Melissa Michuda:I feel like in the process of you know, when when an employee is requesting, like an ADA, accommodation, a lot of that, that ownership does fall upon them. However, I do feel that as an employer, if you have an employee, who is maybe all of a sudden, calling in sick, quite often, maybe has all of a sudden a difference in productivity and performance. And maybe they are not to the standards that they usually uphold, or maybe even just acting differently, I do feel it is okay for an employer to ask, like, Hey, how are you doing? I just noticed you seem very different at work. Is there anything I can help with just to get that conversation started? And it can be just as simple and innocent as that, and maybe that employee will then let the employer know that, yes, I'm having, you know, a difficult time doing, you know, this portion of my job, or I'm under some stress, and I'm really having a hard, you know, hard time focusing, and then that would open the door for that larger interactive discussion that happens when an individual requests an accommodation.
Karen Batson:And when you mean interactive discussion, you mean the interactive process? Do you mind giving us a little definition? Because I feel like we really like to emphasize that when we're talking about accommodations?
Melissa Michuda:Yes, we do. And that that would definitely be the conversation between the employee and the employer to really find out what might be going on with that individual, how it does affect them, performing those those essential duties of their job and discussing it almost like a plan, if you will, of what things might help that individual be able to continue to work do their job with hopefully, just some minimal changes
Karen Batson:Now. I'm sorry. Go ahead, Annie.
Annie Jantz:I was just gonna say I mean, I just think that conversation is so crucial and the employee, again, we say this, you know, with all accommodations regardless if it's mental health or if it's a physical condition, but the employee can offer so much on what it is that they need what might help them. And sometimes it may be something very simple. And I think that education and training for employees and employers like the manager supervisor on how to talk about this is really important because it can be a difficult topic, if you're maybe a little bit more leery to have the conversation.
Karen Batson:Well, that ties back also to the webinar we went through when we're talking about the additive stress and the different elements that can add up. If you focus in on one element, it can be a really simple solution, especially if you're having that conversation, you're digging into that point throughout the interactive process. Right, it was kind of very interesting to hear throughout the webinar, what are some of the solutions that you seen instituted for mental health that have made a difference, maybe some small ones, maybe some large ones, to kind of show a scope of tools that have been helpful to employees.
Emily Matthies:So some of the different types of accommodations. And when, when I talk with employees, I don't use the word accommodation, I use tools, because basically, it's a tool to help you do your job. So some of the tools that you know, some of these employees have, you know, requested or just asked for some assistance with or just, I just need some extra breaks during the day, I am too overwhelmed, I've got so much on my plate, I got little kids running around, I'm helping with this, I just need to be able to step away from the computer, you know, every hour for five minutes, I need to just just be able to go walk outside refresh and come back. So it's little things just like that, that employees that we're seeing that employers are approving and allowing employees to do, we're also seeing things of flexible schedules, ability to be able to work from home because you can control your setting, right, if you're in a call center, and it's super loud, and there's bright fluorescent lights everywhere, and there's tons of commotion, being able to work from home, you can control your lighting, you can control the noise, you can control kind of what's going on around you which can help with your productivity, your own mental health, I mean, being able to control your environment plays a big role within any type of work productivity, accommodation tool type thing, you know, we were just seeing a lot. And it's all based on that individual and their job and what they're, they're really looking for and what they're struggling with.
Melissa Michuda:It can also be something on the lines of how they interact with their their manager or supervisor, especially now if someone is very stressed, they're having a hard time focusing, they might possibly benefit from a few additional check ins with their manager and make sure that they're they're on track, you know, that maybe they have a checklist. And for those types of positions, that maybe working in an office is an essential part of that job, possibly just a more private work area where the individual can, you know, get some space be able to focus a little better, which may sound counterintuitive sometimes. I mean, as we were talking and listening, I thought oh, my goodness, someone could really take that as, we're ostracizing that individual. But that's really not the case. The case is what works for that individual on that. That's what they requested. So that back to what Annie had said earlier, I think there's also education on the side of the employer and the managers that would be really helpful, so that they can maybe understand a little better why some of these types of requests they may be seeing would be beneficial to that individual.
Karen Batson:Do you think because mental health is such a big topic? And I think people are learning a lot right now. Do you think from an employer perspective, they realize how simple some of these accommodations can be? Is there an expectation that they might be bigger accommodations?
Emily Matthies:I could see both from some of the employers that we've worked with some employers that I've personally worked with are like, Oh, yeah, we can do this, like, do you think this would work? Let's do this for the employee, and then they implement it throughout the entire workforce for everyone. And then some others are like, well, this is gonna cost me so much money, or this is gonna be such a burden to this team, if we were to do this for the individual. So I think, you know, having that education piece with the employer to explain, you know, sometimes these accommodations are just real simple little, give this person an additional five minute break here and there. So they can kind of rejuvenate themselves versus this person needs an hour break after every hour, you know. So I think having that explanation with an employer also helps with educating.
Karen Batson:Very good point.Now we talked about I think, in the beginning, it being a sensitive subject. So there's some questions around sensitivity of information. How does an employee bring the needs up to a manager supervisor? Or more importantly, how can a manager or supervisor identify that need in a respectful way? And I think we addressed this a little bit, but can we dive in a little bit more?
Annie Jantz:Yeah, I think this is a really important question or topic because I think it can be really scary to bring up a concern. It's, it's hard, even if it's a physical condition, sometimes for people to talk about it. So mental health is definitely it's scary. And so I think it's important that, you know, the employee feels like they're in a safe environment that they can bring this forward, they could talk about it. And one of the things I ran across this survey that you know, asked employees, what, you know, what do you feel would help you to feel more comfortable. And it was really pretty simple it. I mean, obviously, there's a lot more to it, and training and education that goes into it. But some of it was just saying, you know, if my manager would check in, just ask how I'm doing. Sometimes it's just all that stress. And some, you know, especially when you're have people working from home, you're more isolated at home, and maybe you're not feeling that team connection. Or it could be that you already have an underlying mental health condition, and maybe there's something going on, but it was really those check ins. And you know, only about 47% of the employees that were surveyed said their manager checked in with them on a regular basis. So, you know, I think that there's room there. And they also had a study that showed in that same same survey that there was a correlation between those employees feeling more comfortable. So definitely, you know, I think having those open lines of communication, providing that education and helping managers to feel more comfortable and how to talk to somebody who says, I have this issue, you know, because that On the flip side, it's scary for the employee, it can be scary for that employer to try and talk to the employee who's saying I have this this issue that's going on. And you know, you don't know what that person might share with you. So I think it's being able to help them have the tools to address that and know what to do from there.
Melissa Michuda:Yeah, I agree. And I think it actually, I think that's a beautiful segue into like something bigger, just all around employee satisfaction. And really I mean, really, it kind of just goes hand in hand. So...
Karen Batson:Now a common question from an HR perspective that was submitted, how much information needs to be divulged by the employee about a mental health need in order to get an accommodation?
Melissa Michuda:I'll be quick to answer that just information that's related to the accommodation request. It's it's not an entire medical record of someone's treatment from birth to now. And it's truly just to focus on, you know, the request for the accommodation. And what relates to that.
Emily Matthies:I think that's key is that it's only the condition that's needed for the accommodation, you don't have to disclose anything else.
Karen Batson:Well, it's interesting, I think, kind of going back to Annie's point. Education on that's the fact that's all you need to know, I almost feel like you don't know what to ask and how deep you're supposed to go into that question. And that's part of what makes it uncomfortable from a manager or an employer perspective. So understanding that it's it's purely what's in the situation is an important fact, I think, to educate everybody on. Now, do you think there is a population of employees who don't bring forward their needs or even know that they can?
Emily Matthies:I think everybody in anybody. I mean, it takes it takes a lot to ask for help. We all know that. Yeah, I'm sure we've all experienced, we don't want to ask for help, we can do it ourselves, we'll figure it out. So when an individual is ready to ask for help, whether it's a physical condition or a mental health condition, I think that's when it's going to happen. I don't think that there's any particular one that's harder than others, I would say, you know, maybe those hidden disabilities, such as mental health can be because people don't see it. But I think in general, it's just always hard to ask for help.
Melissa Michuda:Yeah. And I think too, like, by the time someone does ask for help, it probably really is to the point where Yep, there's going to be some sort of intervention needed at this point. They've probably tried what they can and tried to figure it out on their own. So when they really do bring something like this to the forefront, it is time to figure out good solutions.
Emily Matthies:Definitely.
Annie Jantz:That's a good point. Yeah.
Karen Batson:What is the benefit for the employer to provide accommodations around mental health conditions?
Emily Matthies:It can be utilized throughout the entire workforce, or their entire company, I mean, little accommodations can provide great benefits to not only just that individual, but the company in general, I've worked personally with some employers who had one person come and say, Hey, I need an accommodation for this. And then two months later, everybody at the company is getting the exact same type of accommodation, but it's not an accommodation at that point it's been worked into the company policy for all employees to be able to utilize this tool to help them. I think it's it benefits everybody.
Melissa Michuda:I think it also demonstrates to the employee that you know, this is my employer's invested in me and they do care. So they really does show support, and then to, you know, to flip it to maybe, I don't know if this is like the scarier side, but the more legal side, I mean, there isn't a legal obligation that employers have to make sure that they're they're looking at it from all angles and in creating what they can barring that undue hardship.
Annie Jantz:Right. That's a good point too. And I think there are some You know, some other benefits that an employer can realize by being more open how, you know, being it being flexible, like adding it into a policy, right so that it kind of accommodates or helps everyone who may be dealing with something. But it can also result in fewer missed workdays for an employee, right, feeling less stressed out, it helps with the employees morale, and that might even help them with the rest of the team's morale. And especially if co workers can, you know, sometimes they see things or they know something's going on, and they see the employer helping this individual or, you know, I think that helps to kind of build that culture in the team and helps the employer to maybe retain those employees, it can help to reduce stress at work, it can help to, you know, improve their productivity, when that person may struggle to focus, when they have all of these issues going on, you're helping to accommodate it, taking maybe some of that away and helping them to be more productive, that employee then on the flip side, is able to stay more connected, you know, they can come into work feel like they're being productive. And so I think it really benefits both. But that is a great benefit to the employer, because they're getting that employee, they're retaining an employee, they don't have to hire, train all of those other things that go with it, or have somebody who's, you know, calling in sick or taking leave, which sometimes is appropriate, too. But you know, there's just a lot of benefits that go into really helping an employee stay at work through accommodations.
Karen Batson:Now, last general question for you all, on the topic of accommodations with mental health, what would be the one important fact that maybe we talked about today, you'd want to leave our listeners with?
Emily Matthies:I would say that it's okay to ask for help. It's okay to ask for the accommodations. And it's not something that you should be ashamed of.
Annie Jantz:That's great. Yeah, I like that.
Melissa Michuda:And my message would be to the employers use that employee as a resource. They know themselves in their condition better than anybody else, they really will have some good ideas and suggestions on how to to solve for this.
Annie Jantz:I think both of those are great and so important. And I guess I would add that it's important, you know, for the employer to always remember, each employee is going to be different, they could have the same condition or diagnosis, that doesn't mean that they are going to need the same accommodation. So just remember it from that perspective that you know, each individual is going to be unique and what they need.
Karen Batson:Well, thank you all so much. This conversation flew by. I appreciate all of your time.
Annie Jantz:Yeah. Thank you.
Emily Matthies:Thanks for having us.
Karen Batson:Thank you, everyone for listening. And a special thank you to Annie Jantz, Melissa Michuda and Emily Matthies for joining me today. We hope you liked today's episode and will tell us by rating us sharing the episode or following Lincoln Absence Advisor on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Disclosures:The information contained in this podcast is for general use and is not a substitute for the advice of an attorney or your human resource professional. Lincoln Financial Group is the marketing name for Lincoln National Corporation and its affiliates. Affiliates are separately responsible for their own financial and contractual obligations.