Employee Mental Health

Employee mental health is an emerging, contemporary organizational behavior (OB) topic, which presents a challenge for employee and organizational productivity. Typically viewed as a taboo subject within the workplace, there is limited managerial research in this area. In recent times, however, mental health research is transitioning away from a taboo topic to an undeniable reality for employee and organizational well-being. Pandemics such as COVID-19, have also triggered a turning point toward recognizing mental health as a public health priority. Indeed, poor employee mental health is associated with varying levels of stress, anxiety, depression, and related forms of psychological distress. Research data from different countries around the world also indicate that mental health problems lead to reduced productivity and increased absenteeism, although there is a dearth of research on its impact on other work and employee outcomes. The development of mental health problems is indeed complicated, and often there is no single or identifiable cause; research is also emerging in this area. Nonetheless, there are risk factors that may trigger these problems and strategies for managing mental health are also important in this regard. Research overviews in these areas are evaluated and research gaps worthy of further exploration are outlined.