Expert Interview with Azizi Marshall: Mental Health at Work Trends

You know, we're hearing a lot in the workplace now around how mental health is becoming more normalized, which is I think, a good thing in the workplace. But I think it's become more normalized because the trends aren't really looking so good in terms of burnout and loneliness and all of that. So what are some of the trends that you're seeing, good and bad?

I think the biggest trend that we've seen pre pandemic the statistic was one in five adults will be diagnosed with a mental illness within each given year. Since the pandemic, that ratio has changed to one in four. And this is just what's being reported and just what's being diagnosed. So in my experience, I've seen more in that 1 to 3, 1 to 4 ratio because of people that just don't have the knowledge of, oh, this is actually anxiety, but it's showing up as anger or this is depression, and it's showing up as just this hypermanic kind of situation. So people, the more information that they're getting, I see that that stigma is being broken down even with the younger generation. Probably my favorite thing is at the bus stop with my kids and I'll hear the kids saying, oh, can we do a play date today? No, I have therapy today, but I'll do it tomorrow. Oh, that's when my therapy session. What are you guys doing in your therapy session? It's just they talk about it as just a normal, taking care of them self type of conversation. And it started go more into adults.

I have to agree with you on that one. I think so. So much of the work around inclusion and belonging at work with mental health and resilience being a dimension of diversity that we care about. And I know like, DEI has been under a lot of pressure, but I'm like not worried at all because that next generation is bringing this into the workforce because that is all they know. So really quick example about. And I love the example of at the bus stop. So I experienced that with my own kids who are solidly gen zers. But my youngest, who is 17, this was probably like five years ago, he was still in maybe middle school, it was a Tuesday, and he woke up, he goes, mom, I'm just tired. I need a mental health day. And I was like, what is that? Like, I had never heard those words. And he explained it to me. And of course my reaction being Gen X is that's what the weekend is for. Get up and go to school. But the fact that they've talked about mindfulness meditation, mental health. These are not foreign concepts. These did not even enter my lexicon until well into adulthood. And even then, because they were new, I felt uncomfortable mentioning them at work because it's not serious. And so when they show up, they just know no difference. So my oldest son, who's 23, was entering for his real jobs after graduating from college, and he told me one of the questions he asked is, are mental health days included with your pto, or do you have to take it off on your own? Or how do you accommodate for that? And he's going in investment banking. And in my mind I'm like, oh, never ask that. But they don't know. So I love the fact that they are immersed in this. They grow up, they enter the workforce, and this is what they expect. So bravo, young people, saving us. Yes.