HANCOCK COUNTY, Ohio — While it has been easier to talk about issues while in the workplace in recent years, it could still be hard for some.
The Hancock County Chamber of Commerce co-sponsors a Safety Council Program, hoping to educate the business community about healthy work environments. The topic for Thursday's meeting was mental health in the workplace.
A topic that Dionne Neubauer with the Chamber of Commerce says is important inside and outside the workplace.
"Mental health is something that's very important, not only in our professional lives but personal lives," Neubauer said. "And it's important that we take care of each one."
With workers in human resources and safety representatives gathered, workers learned the impacts of mental health in the workplace, seeing the signs of troubled employees and tips to reduce the impact.
ProMedica's Marsha Drees says the goal is to help those struggling with mental health to still be able to work.
"What we strive to do is help people have coping strategies so they can manage and they can still work very effectively," Drees, an EAP professional with ProMedica said. "I think there's a lot of myths about once you have a mental health issue, you're always going to have it. That's not necessarily true."
In a 2023 American Psychological Association Survey, when it comes to mental health support, 43% of people reported worrying bringing up mental health issues brings a negative impact to work. A stigma healthcare professionals hope to break.
"Especially when we talk about the mental health in the workplace, people don't want to be treated differently, they don't want to draw attention to themselves," Drees said. "Of course, we all want to protect our livelihood. So we try to work with employers to break through that culture to create more of an open culture."
Experts said not every day is perfect and it's OK to take a mental health day. If you are someone who is struggling with mental health issues, you can contact the 24/7 suicide hotline by dialing 988.