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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 17 H E A LT H Y B U S I N E S S develop their own depression, and it costs employers a lot in lost production and increased health care costs." Establishing a psychologically healthy workplace Local employers clearly want to do more. In March, more than 50 leaders of businesses, non-profi ts and govern- ment agencies packed into a three-hour seminar on how to build a psycho- logically healthy workplace, which was sponsored by the Lifeline Southern Maine Wellness Council, making it one of the most heavily-attended workshops the council has sponsored. Managers expressed their desire to address their workers' mental and emotional needs, their frustration about the aff ordability of EAPs and employees' reluctance to take advan- tage of mental illness resources, for fear that it would impact their job security. Tom Downing, owner of the Lifeline Southern Maine Wellness Council, says that the stigma men- tal health carries still keeps some employers from providing adequate support for their workers, and keeps employees from take advantage of any services that are provided. " ere's still such a hesitancy to talk about mental illness," says Downing. " e stigma is within society and within companies. We're starting to make some inroads. But it's a long-term process" Dacri says that cost and uncertain return can make EAPs a hard sell for smaller employers, even though research has shown that a healthy workforce leads to gains in productivity, perfor- mance, and lower rates of turnover. "It's hard to demonstrate its impact on the bottom line because it's usually a preventive cost rather than a cost savings," he says. "In some cases, it's a leap of faith." Typically only about 5% of the work- force uses a company's EAP. But even that can have a positive impact. "You can't simply tell them [employees with mental health issues] to get better," he says. "You've got to be able to provide some resource, and managers are not equipped to make diagnoses and refer- rals. If you're having an IT program you go to an outside resource for that. Why wouldn't you have a resource for mental and physical health?" But even if a small business owner doesn't want to invest in an EAP, there are plenty of steps that can be taken to create a psychologically- healthy workplace. Off ering workers fl exibility with work shifts and creat- ing programs that recognize perfor- mance "are just good sound man- agement practices which don't cost employers anything," says Dacri. "It's all good for the bottom line." A powerful message Coff ee by Design had an EAP for years for its 55 employees, but phased it out when it seemed that it wasn't being used. Yet when an employee died in a car acci- dent and employees began requesting the service, the EAP was restored, says Mary Allen Lindemann, co-founder of the company, which also was named by the APA as a "Psychologically Healthy Workplace" in 2014. e EAP includes everything from unlimited phone counseling and a limited number of in-person visits, to referrals to services to help fi nd day care, car repair and legal assistance. Even if employees don't use the service, Lindemann says that just hav- ing a plan, and telling workers that it's available sends a powerful message. It helps to create a non-judgmental atmosphere where workers feel com- fortable asking for help, without fear of losing their jobs. "I have to believe that there is some correlation in having the plan and the fact that people are more willing to share when they have problems, and their con- cern for co-workers," she says. "I know that we have people who are still here because they have had access to help when they needed it because they were going through hard times. I understand the costs, and that it's hard to do. But I think the benefi t is really signifi cant." J V A , a w r i t e r b a s e d i n Ya r m o u t h , c a n b e r e a c h e d a t @ . "Dirigo has been a critical partner in the growth of our online marketing capabilities. We'll never regret choosing Dirigo to guide us." – David Mehlhorn Vice President of Sales and Marketing marketing | design | video | web + See more at: dirigodev.com 57 Exchange Street, Suite 302 Portland, Maine || hello@dirigodev.com || 207.358.2990 "Dirigo has been a critical partner in the growth of our online marketing capabilities. We'll never regret choosing Dirigo to guide us." 57 Exchange Street, Suite 302 Portland, Maine || hello@dirigodev.com || 207.358.2990 57 Exchange Street, Suite 302 Portland, Maine || hello@dirigodev.com || 207.358.2990 P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY Charles "Wick" Johnson is president of Kennebec Technologies, one of a growing number of small- to mid-sized companies addressing the mental and emotional needs of employees with an Employee Assistance Program.

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