Posts by Espyr
30 Years of Change in Workplace Mental Health. What Do Employers Need to Be Doing Now?
October 2019 will mark Espyr’s 30th anniversary. Over those 30 years, we’ve witnessed significant changes in attitudes toward mental health, both by society at large and in the workplace. We’ve evolved as well, changing from EAP Consultants, a company focused primarily on comprehensive Employee Assistance Programs, to Espyr, a leading provider of behavioral health solutions…
Read MoreCelebrities Step Up To End The Stigma of Mental Health
In a recent National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) article, national director of strategic partnerships Katrina Gay told of her difficulties finding a celebrity to speak at a 2006 press event. She went through many weeks of attempts and rejection, finally securing Oscar and Emmy-winning actress Patty Duke. “Why are so many celebrities refusing to…
Read MoreWe Need To Redefine The Meaning Of Wellness
According to a recent report sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, over 80% of companies in the US with over fifty employees offer some sort of corporate wellness benefit. The latest Aflac WorkForces Report (conducted in 2015) found that close to half of the 1,977…
Read MoreSeven Steps To Avoid Or Reverse Burnout
In our last post we defined burnout, described the causes of burnout and provided a do-it-yourself quiz to help you know whether you may be suffering from burnout. We’ve all heard colleagues or friends talk about “feeling burned out.” You may have felt that way yourself from time to time. Medical researchers have studied burnout…
Read MoreSuffering Burnout? 8 Questions To Help You Know
Earlier this year, the World Health Organization officially recognized burnout as a legitimate medical diagnosis. Burnout has received more attention over the past few years amid a flurry of reports documenting increasing occurrences across various occupations. A recent Gallup study of nearly 7,500 full-time employees found that 23% of employees reported feeling burned out…
Read MoreMental Health Disorders: Recognizing And Helping Those With PTSD
For many people, PTSD is hard to understand. Why does it happen to some people, but not to others? Does occurrence of PTSD indicate a weakness or some other mental health issue ? Are millennials more prone to mental health disorders like PTSD since we’re hearing so much more about it now than with previous…
Read MoreWhat Employers Need To Know To Prevent Workplace Violence
By now, less than a week later at the time of this writing, the deaths of 12 people from workplace violence in Virginia Beach, VA is no longer in the news. Our society has become so inured from school shootings, workplace violence and other senseless acts of violence that we’re no longer shocked when they…
Read MoreThe Surprising Role of Comorbidity In Chronic Disease Cost
Most people wouldn’t be surprised to hear that chronic health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, obesity, arthritis and cancer are major drivers of healthcare cost for employers. What may be a surprise is how frequently those chronic physical health conditions are comorbid with mental health disorders. In a nationally representative epidemiological survey 29% of…
Read MoreIt’s Time To Address Mental Health Stigma
If you’re an employer, the mental health of your employees may be costing you a lot more than you think. In fact, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services, mental health disorders are the most costly medical condition, costing businesses about $200B per year in healthcare expenditures, plus an estimated $225B in…
Read MoreService With A Smile? I Think I’ll Need A Drink With That.
The customer is always right. Service with a smile. Those lines, or something similar, are a staple in employee training for many businesses. Turns out that putting on that smiling face might be detrimental to employee health. A new study published in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology and reported on in MarketWatch, states that…
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