EPLI: Should Your Clients Put More Focus on Employee Mental Health?

EPLI: Should Your Clients Put More Focus on Employee Mental Health?

What is mental health? Many employers hear this term and automatically think “mental illness”, which makes them apprehensive about discussing the topic, wanting to avoid the stigma around the issue. However, mental health issues, such as stress and fear of failure, should be very real concerns for employers, as they can drastically affect how your client’s employees perform. Is it time for your clients to rethink, and put more focus on mental health? Doing so could potentially reduce their risks of facing a financially devastating Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI) claim.

According to the Partnership for Workplace Mental Health, one-in-five adults will experience a diagnosable mental illness in any given year. This doesn’t mean your clients are in charge of figuring out if their employee has a mental illness, but it certainly means employers should be aware and know how to approach the issue. Employers should concentrate their efforts mental health, rather than thinking of it as an “illness”.

So what does focusing on mental health look like? Stress is one of the biggest causes of mental fatigue and mental health problems. Whenever possible, employers should try to mitigate stress for their staff. Connecting that staff with resources that help them manage stress and recognizing what can be done to alleviate that stress on the employers part can prove to be extremely helpful.

One of the most important factors for your clients to keep in mind when it comes to mental health is that mental illness can be as life-threatening to employees as physical illness. Not recognizing this and not making necessary adjustments can cause your clients to lose valuable staff, and potentially face EPLI claims in the form of wrongful termination, discrimination based on health, and more.

While your clients are not doctors and will never be expected to diagnose a mental health problem, it’s important that they be aware of the issue and realize that there is something they can do to help their employees that suffer from mental illness or even just from stress. At PL Risk, we understand how important it is to address the needs of employees, in order to mitigate loss that may result from an EPLI Claim. We invite you to take a look at each of our programs, and discover more about how we can help meet your clients’ needs. Please give us a call at (855) 403-5982.