Survey: Impact of children’s mental health on the workforce

Editor's Note

This national study titled, “The Great Collide: The impact of children’s mental health on the workforce,” by researchers at On Our Sleeves finds that the children’s mental health crisis brought to attention by the stresses of the COVID-19 pandemic is having a direct impact on parent’s work performance.

Of 3,684 working parents surveyed:

• 53% missed work at least once per month because of concerns about their children’s mental health.
• 53% were interrupted at work to answer communications about their children’s mental health needs.
• 30% to 50% said their thoughts were on their children’s mental health and well-being even while at work.
• 85% said it’s a good idea to talk about their children’s mental health, but few talked to their managers (20%), human resources (23%), or coworkers (21%).

It is the responsibility of business leaders to create a safe space in which employees feel comfortable communicating about mental health at work and ultimately receive the help needed to support their families, the authors say.

The “Battle Buddies” article in the February issue of OR Manager (pp 14-16) is a program used at the University of Minnesota Medical Center to support parents and healthcare workers.