10 Things Employers – And Employees – Should Know About Mental Health At Work
When Gabe Howard was 25, he was diagnosed with a serious illness. At the time, he was a successful employee in a competitive industry. When he returned to the office after his initial hospitalization, though, he wasn’t welcomed with balloons and cards. Instead, he encountered whispers and sideways looks. As his treatment required increasing time away from work, things got worse.
“Any time I was off, the rumor mill would start all over again,” Howard said. “People would say, ‘Well that’s a great scam, Gabe says he’s sick and he gets six weeks paid vacation.’”
If Howard had cancer, this reaction would appall most people. But his diagnosis is a heavily stigmatized one: bipolar disorder. Though his first experience dealing with a mental health crisis in the workplace was awful – and ended with his termination – it was his employer who ultimately missed out: it lost a valuable young talent. The employer also lost countless hours of productivity to the drama that its lack of support caused.
Howard, however, went on to have a successful career in the nonprofit sector, and now he writes and speaks about bipolar disorder full-time. Howard’s story shows that it’s possible to be a healthy and productive employee while managing a severe and persistent mental health condition.
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