COVID-19 Pandemic and Employee Mental Health

In March 2020, shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic began, I wrote about the impact of mental health issues in the workplace and the lack of attention that the subject received at the time. The article noted that, according to the National Alliance on Mental Health, 43.8 million people experience mental health issues in any given year. Approximately 10 million experience a “serious mental illness,” one that substantially limits one or more major life activities. These numbers include millions of workers in U.S. workplaces. At that time, the estimated economic cost from mental illness was estimated to be in excess of $100 billion per year. 

Those circumstances prevailed before the COVID-19 pandemic turned our world upside down. We then began a time of mandatory lockdowns, the shuttering of churches, schools, and many businesses. We were subjected to restrictions on travel and even everyday interactions with one another. The economy suffered massive job losses nearly across the board. Many of those who lost their jobs have all but given up hope for some light at the end of the tunnel.