Meat+Poultry - March 2021 - 76

LABOR

Mental health fallout
Even before the pandemic, according
to the National Alliance on Mental
Health, 43.8 million people experience
mental health issues in any given year,
including millions in the workplace.
Approximately 10 million experience
a " serious mental illness. " The costs
associated with these mental health
issues in the workplace are estimated
to exceed $100 billion per year.
Still, it may be years before we see
the full effects of pandemic-related
changes to the daily existence on mental
health. Reports are surfacing about the
psychological impact of school closures
on school-aged children. A recent
report cited a 31% increase in mental
health visits to the emergency room
among teenagers. Unfortunately, the
mental health issues that may have been
precipitated by school closures could
have long-term effects. Many parents
have had to confront similarly stressful
circumstances. Parents, as workers,
have had to deal with COVID-19 anxiety
and the risk posed to them and their
families over workplace exposure to
the virus. Uncertainty about workplace
changes, the future of their jobs, their
company, and the ability to be able to
provide for their families will take its
toll on workers' mental health.
Workers in essential and nonessential industries have been laid off

by the millions. The unemployment rate
is currently at 6.3%, an improvement
from the peak of 14.7% in April 2020,
but still about twice the rate prior to
the pandemic.
The sudden reversal has been
staggering. Its impact on the
mental health and well-being of
affected workers will continue to
be devastating. Many of the millions
laid off have no job to return to,
with their employers forced to close
their doors permanently. These laid
off employees have been forced to
provide for their families with only a
fraction of what they earned before
through unemployment benefits
and stimulus checks. If more than
40 million people developed mental
health issues under normal conditions,
what should be expected to result
from these unprecedented and highly
stressful circumstances?
While it is difficult to speculate
when and what specific mental illness
may manifest itself, given what workers
have endured for the past year, it would
seem the stress and anxiety could
result in some form of depression for
many. In fact, prior to the pandemic,
major depression has been the most
common mental health illness in the
United States.
Virtually any classified mental
illness may have symptoms that could
impact a worker's ability to perform
the essential functions of their job. In

many cases co-workers will be affected
as well. Given the likelihood such
issues will become more prevalent
following the pandemic, employers
must be more vigilant of them.
Employers may become aware
a worker is suffering from a mental
health condition in numerous ways: an
incident or problem behavior triggers a
co-worker's concern; major personality
change; lack of engagement with others;
or other uncharacteristic conduct.
Sometimes, a supervisor becomes
aware of a problem when forced to
respond to an incident involving the
employee. Because mental health
issues are covered by the ADA, an
employer must proceed cautiously
to address resulting issues. Medical
privacy rules require similar discretion.
The Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission (EEOC) has stringent
limitations regarding employer inquiries
about employee mental health. One
circumstance in which an employer
may inquire (and may have a duty to
inquire) is if it has objective evidence
that an employee is unable to perform
their job or poses a safety risk.
Perhaps most importantly,
employers must show empathy
and make professional support and
resources available for employees
suffering from mental health difficulties
and aid employees in their recovery,
which benefits all involved.
R I C H A R D D. A L A N IZ | m e a t p o u l t r y @s o s l a n d.c o m

76

MEAT+ POULTRY | 03.21 | www.meatpoultry.com

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If more than 40 million people developed
mental health issues under normal conditions,
what should be expected to result from
these unprecedented and highly stressful
circumstances?
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