Labor / Employment, On The Job

Lessons From '30 Rock' On Mental Illness

The show highlights a very real issue faced by many employees and employers in the workplace: mental illness.

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One of my favorite television characters of all time is Tracy Jordan (played by Tracy Morgan) on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock. On the show, Tracy is the co-star of a variety show called TGS with Tracy Jordan. The show follows Tracy mostly off set and behind the scenes of the show.

The defining traits of Tracy’s character are his off-the-wall, out-of-left-field comments and the bizarre things he does, like running around in his underwear screaming “I am a Jedi!” and trying to stab Conan O’Brien while appearing as a guest on his show. Tracy’s personality is pretty well summed up by his stated philosophy on life: “Live every week like it’s shark week.”

A big part of the show involves two of Tracy’s co-workers (Liz Lemon and Kenneth Parcell) and Tracy’s entourage (Grizz and Dot Com) trying to manage Tracy’s antics and personality so that Tracy actually prepares for and performs his role on TGS with Tracy Jordan. The four of them are constantly losing Tracy somewhere in New York, or trying to calm him down from whatever passing fancy has pulled his attention away from his job (like when he recorded the hit song, Werewolf Bar Mitzvah).

Over the course of the show, we find out that Tracy is being treated by Dr. Leo Spaceman for “erratic tendencies and delusions brought on by excessive notoriety.” Even though it’s not clear what this less-than-precise diagnosis means, we also learn that Tracy is taking some kind of medication and that if he misses a dose he starts having severe hallucinations.

Tracy’s shenanigans on the show were comedy gold. They highlight, however, a very real issue faced by a lot of employees and employers in the workplace: mental illness.

According to data released by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, each year, more than 41 million Americans (about 18 percent of the U.S. population) experience some type of mental illness. That’s a significant part of the American workforce.

Mental illness manifests itself in a number of ways in the workplace. An employee’s performance may suffer because they are using a new doctor-prescribed medication to treat their bipolar disorder. Like Tracy on 30 Rock, an employee might act erratically or unpredictably. They may miss a lot of work, sometimes without explanation.

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Of course an employee’s performance or attendance issues may not be related to mental illness at all. But the stigma associated with having a mental illness prevents a lot of people from coming forward and letting their employer know about a diagnosis they have. A lot of people are afraid that they’ll lose their job or otherwise receive unfavorable treatment.

Employers with 15 or more employees are prohibited by the Americans with Disabilities Act from firing or otherwise taken adverse action against an employee on the basis of a disability. Mental illness falls squarely within the ADA’s definition of a disability. (Employers with fewer than 15 employees may still be subject to state and/or local anti-discrimination laws prohibiting disability discrimination as well.) The ADA also requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to their employees so that employees are able to perform their jobs. Despite these protections, many employees still don’t come forward for fear of reprisal or isolation from supervisors and/or co-workers.

A common question from employers is what to do when an employee begins exhibiting signs of possible mental illness or instability. Many times, the first step is simply to talk with the employee to find out what they might be going through. Co-workers or supervisors can begin the conversation with something as simple as, “You haven’t seemed like yourself lately. Is everything okay?” If there is mental illness involved, supervisors and managers need to be trained on how to engage in an interactive process with the employee to determine what next steps should be taken as appropriate.

Some possible steps might be referring the employee to the company’s Employee Assistance Program; working with the employee’s health care provider to find a workable situation for the company and the employee; and/or providing the employee time off from work, among other things.

Tracy Jordan showed us how difficult it can be to hold down a demanding job while battling mental illness. Tracy also showed us that it’s possible to do so and be incredibly successful when one has supportive co-workers and supervisors.

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In that spirit, I’ll close with Tracy’s most motivational line from the show: “Stop eating people’s old French fries, pigeon. Have some self-respect. Don’t you know you can fly?” Think about that one.

Ed. note: If you practice employment law or are interested in the field, Above the Law cordially invites you to a July 13 webinar that we are hosting with our friends at Lex Machina. It’s free of charge — and because it’s a webcast, you can listen from the comfort of your home or office — but please be sure to register. Thanks!

evan-gibbsEvan Gibbs is an attorney at Troutman Sanders, where he primarily litigates employment cases and handles traditional labor matters. Connect with him on LinkedIn here, or e-mail him here. (The views expressed in this column are his own.)

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