From anxiety and sleep issues to depression, mental health disorders have been on the rise in recent years, lifting the lid on a subject that has long remained taboo. However, a recent survey reveals that such matters are still insufficiently addressed in the workplace.

Only 58% of employees surveyed in the latest study by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, based in the United States, say they are comfortable talking about their mental health at work. Yet, nearly three-quarters think it’s an appropriate topic of conversation in the workplace.

Many are reluctant to open up about the psychological difficulties they go through, as they fear risking their jobs or future prospects if they confide in their colleagues, especially their superiors.

Managers also feel ill-prepared to talk about this subject: seven in 10 senior managers say they have received no specific training on how to discuss mental health with their co-workers. This is hardly surprising, given that managerial culture traditionally separates private life from professional.

Increasingly, however, working people want their employers to take an interest in their personal circumstances so that they can offer adjustments if necessary. Still, the trend towards this new management style is not always without its difficulties.

Talking about mental health in the workplace requires a certain amount of tact. It’s important to create an environment conducive to trust, sharing and dialogue, without encroaching on employees’ private spheres. The idea is not for employers to solve their employees’ psychological problems, but rather to take them into consideration.

Indeed, mental health has a direct impact on work ability and performance: a third of employees surveyed say their productivity is affected by psychological issues. Conversely, 36% of respondents said their work takes its toll on their mental wellbeing.

It is, therefore, essential to talk more freely about mental health in the workplace, and companies would do well to break the taboos surrounding this subject, both from an human-resources perspective and a financial point of view.

In fact, the World Health Organization estimates that every US dollar invested in treating depression and anxiety yields a return of US$4 in the form of improved general health and work output.