Facilitating Mental Health Disclosure and Better Work Outcomes: The Role of Organizational Support for Disclosing Mental Health Concerns

Abstract

Mental health concerns among employees are increasingly prevalent, yet many employees remain under-supported. Disclosure is a critical step in accessing organizational support for mental health. Drawing on social information processing theory, we introduce the concept of organizational support for disclosing mental health concerns and develop a scale assessing three dimensions: absence of anticipated discrimination and stigma, availability of organizational resources, and presence of social support. Across two studies, we show that organizational support for disclosing mental health concerns is positively associated with employees' willingness to disclose and actual disclosure behaviors. Greater organizational support for disclosing mental health concerns is also linked to reduced mental health challenges (e.g., lower anxiety and depression) and improved work outcomes, including higher work engagement, job satisfaction, and organizational citizenship behavior, alongside lower turnover intentions and absenteeism. Our findings provide a framework for assessing employees' perceptions of disclosure support and offer practical insights for HR professionals seeking to foster disclosure-friendly work environments. Finally, we contribute to the debate on mandatory disability reporting by identifying organizational factors that can enhance disclosure rates and improve support for employees with mental health concerns.