Employees are struggling with pandemic PTSD

The trauma of the pandemic isn’t about to fade away for your employees.

Post-traumatic stress disorder is on the rise among employees, according to the most recent Mental Health Index by Total Brain and the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions. Risk of PTSD has increased 36% since February, and 55% since the start of the pandemic.

Symptoms of PTSD typically manifest six months after a traumatic event and can include decreased productivity, a drop in performance and frequent work absences, according to the American Psychiatric Association. While employers are ready to bounce back to normal, the trauma associated with prolonged stress and disruption may be here to stay.

“The environment of the past year will have a lasting impact on the emotional well-being of our organizations and our people,” Michael Thompson, CEO of the National Alliance, said in a release. “All of us are beginning to adjust as the workplace opens up, but we will never be the same.”

Read more: COVID mental health is a disaster for Gen Z and millennial employees

Despite positives surrounding the pandemic — like increased vaccination rates and lowering case numbers — workers are still distracted by the continued stressors of the past 15 months. Employee focus has dropped 24% since April and is 59% worse than pre-pandemic levels, the index found.

Additionally, stress, anxiety and depression continue to creep up, especially for female employees: women have reported an 18% increase in stress and a 14% increase in depressed mood since March’s index findings.

“This pandemic has been an especially traumatic event and has brought about a real sense of uncertainty regarding when it will end,” says Melissa Oliver-Janiak, senior director of benefits at insurance company, The Standard. “If we can arm employees now with the tools and support and encouragement, we’ll be better for it not just from a business standpoint, but from a societal standpoint.”

Read more: Managers are getting personal when it comes to mental health

Employers and employees have differing opinions about the support that’s needed and if it’s actually helping workers succeed: 65% of employers believe they have the benefits and tools to support employee mental health, but just 51% of employees agree, according to data by McKinsey. While 70% of employers continue to expand their mental health offerings in 2021, McKinsey found that 10-15% will reduce or stop support due to the high cost and low utilization rates by their workers.

In order to encourage employees to utilize benefits like telehealth, flexible time off and other offerings, dialogue around mental health must be open, consistent and empathetic, Oliver-Janiak says. It’s not enough to simply offer a benefit buried within an EAP — rather, employers must speak openly about the challenges and ensure employees know what’s available to them.

“The number one task for employers is to cultivate workplace cultures that normalize conversations around mental health and put resources in place for those who need support,” she says. “This is going to take a new level of communication with employees and ensure that information is easily accessible to them, communicated often and is backed up by a workplace culture that destigmatizes these issues.”