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Mental Health Divide: A New Study By The Hartford Finds Employers Think They Have Supportive Workplaces With Flexibility But U.S. Workers DisagreeNew data from The Hartford found a majority of employers (68%) believe they foster an open and inclusive work environment that encourages a dialogue about mental health, but less than half (42%) of U.S. workers agree. Only 44% of working adults feel they have flexibility in their schedule to get the mental health help they need, compared with 71% of employers who believe they offer the flexibility. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201015005972/en/ Today, The Hartford announced a new partnership with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), which is the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. Together, The Hartford and NAMI will help employers and employees understand how to reduce stigma in the workplace and encourage those with mental health conditions to seek support. "The COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated the mental health challenges facing the workforce and cannot be ignored by employers," said The Hartford's Chairman and CEO Christopher Swift (News - Alert). "Together with NAMI, we hope to further a national dialogue about mental health and inspire leaders to embrace a stigma-free culture within their companies and communities." The Hartford's 2020 Future of Benefits Study: Mental Health in the Workplace, which polled U.S. workers and human resource professionals in early March and mid-June, revealed a majority of employers (59%) believe mental health conditions, such as anxiety and depression, are a significant workplace issue. While 64% of employers feel prepared to address their employees' mental health conditions, more than half of workers (56%) said they have privacy concerns about sharing mental health information with their employer/co-workers. The pandemic affected employees' mental health:
"NAMI applauds The Hartford's effort to survey the mental health concerns of employees and help employers address the issues highlighted by creating an inclusive workplace environment," said Daniel H. Gillison, Jr., CEO of NAMI. "Especially during these difficult times, treatment can make a positive impact on anyone struggling with their mental health. We know that reducing stigma and getting help early makes a difference. We call on fellow business leaders to join us in creating a new standard for employee benefits that include mental health resources which not only improve the lives of employees, but also the overall success of the company." To help cultivate an inclusive workspace, NAMI recommends employees and employers:
NAMI also suggests employers:
"As a leading group benefits and workers' compensation provider, we are in the business of underwriting human achievement - helping thousands of workers each year return to active, productive lives after an injury or illness," Swift said. "We are committed to eradicating stigma that threatens human achievement so that more people can prevail." In their new partnership, The Hartford and NAMI will hold a free webinar on Tuesday, Oct. 27 at 3 p.m. with new details about the national research, as well as solutions for employers and employees in order to bridge the mental health divide. During the virtual event, NAMI's Chief Medical Officer Ken Duckworth, M.D., will outline how to foster stigma-free company cultures during this challenging time. The Hartford's Claims leaders will talk about the connection between mental health and employee productivity. The webinar is open to the public, but registration is required. In addition, NAMI experts will speak at virtual events this year for The Hartford's employees, as part of NAMI's StigmaFree Company program. Methodology The Hartford's 2020 Future of Benefits Study was an online survey fielded in two waves. The first wave was fielded from Feb. 27 - March 13, 2020, just before the pandemic escalated in the United States, and included 761 employers and 1,503 employees. The second wave was fielded from June 15 - June 30, 2020 and included 567 employers and 1,038 employees. The employers surveyed were human resource professionals who manage/decide employee benefits, and employees surveyed were actively employed. The margin of error is employer +/- 4% and employee +/-3% at a 95% confidence level. About NAMI NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. www.nami.org | www.facebook.com/nami | www.twitter.com/namicommunicate | www.instagram.com/namicommunicate About The Hartford The Hartford is a leader in property and casualty insurance, group benefits and mutual funds. With more than 200 years of expertise, The Hartford is widely recognized for its service excellence, sustainability practices, trust and integrity. More information on the company and its financial performance is available at https://www.thehartford.com. Follow us on Twitter (News - Alert) at @TheHartford_PR. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc., (NYSE: HIG) operates through its subsidiaries under the brand name, The Hartford, and is headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut. For additional details, please read The Hartford's legal notice. HIG-E Some of the statements in this release may be considered forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We caution investors that these forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results may differ materially. Investors should consider the important risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ. These important risks and uncertainties include those discussed in our 2019 Annual Report on Form 10-K, subsequent Quarterly Reports on Forms 10-Q, and the other filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We assume no obligation to update this release, which speaks as of the date issued. From time to time, The Hartford may use its website and/or social media outlets, such as Twitter and Facebook (News - Alert), to disseminate material company information. Financial and other important information regarding The Hartford is routinely accessible through and posted on our website at https://ir.thehartford.com, Twitter account at www.twitter.com/TheHartford_PR and Facebook at https://facebook.com/thehartford. In addition, you may automatically receive email alerts and other information about The Hartford when you enroll your email address by visiting the "Email Alerts" section at https://ir.thehartford.com.
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