Linked: Better support needed for employees returning to work after mental health absences
This doesn’t surprise me at all. Does it surprise you?
Research being presented found that current resources available to employees and organisations only cover the absence period itself, and there is a lack of guidance available to support a successful return to work.
This research is UK and EU based, but anecdotally in the US, I know that even if an organization offers support for a leave of absence for treatment, they really have no clue in most cases of how to handle that person coming back to work. It can actually be one of the most stressful times. I’ve written before about how lucky I was in one case, but it wasn’t always that way for everyone. I’ve heard far too many horror stories.
Managers need to have better training to understand how to allow for someone coming back from a mental health related absence to mix back into the workplace. Too often they are simply unaware of what the issues are, and miss an opportunity to get a good worker back.
