Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives often focus on dimensions like race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, gender identity and expression, age, and physical ability. Sometimes it goes deeper and includes discussions of religious beliefs, political ideology, socioeconomic status, family structure, and military experience.

All of those are incredibly important, but too often we take for granted our foundational organizational culture and forget to build or maintain psychological safety, a focus on behaviors, structures for collaboration and communication, and transparent and inclusive leadership.

Each organization’s foundational culture should also prioritize mental health and well-being.

A culture committed to fostering positive mental health and well-being allows employees to bring their whole selves to work - including the personal and professional stressors they are facing - and find an environment that wants to support them and set them up for success in the workplace.

From an organizational standpoint, here are six essential focus areas to foster mental health and well-being:

• Destigmatizing Mental Health - everyone has mental health (it is a part of our overall health, just like physical health); organizations should normalize discussions of mental health topics, encourage team members to be honest about how they are showing up to the workplace, and communicate the resources and supports available to team members who are experiencing mental health challenges

• Protection from Harm - prioritize workplace physical and psychological safety, enable adequate rest, normalize and support discussions of mental health, operationalize DEI policies and programs

• Connection & Community - create cultures of inclusion and belonging, cultivate trusted relationships, foster collaboration and teamwork

• Work-Life Harmony - provide more autonomy over how work is done, make schedules as flexible and predictable as possible, increase access to paid leave, respect boundaries between work and non-work time

• Mattering at Work - provide a living wage, engage workers in workplace decisions, build a culture of gratitude and recognition, connect individual work with organizational mission

• Opportunity for Growth - offer quality training and mentoring, foster clear and equitable pathways for career advancement, ensure relevant and reciprocal feedback

From an individual employee standpoint, here are some ways you can support team members who are experiencing mental health challenges:

• Be Respectful - check on your coworkers and ask, “How’s it going?”, “How are you feeling?”, and “How can I help?”

• Listen Compassionately - give teammates your undivided attention, actively listen (put away devices, make eye contact, check for understanding), and listen without judgement

• Determine if More Assistance is Needed - while a coworker might just want to talk about a stressor, be on the lookout for signs that someone might need additional supports: eating or sleeping too much or too little, social isolation, low energy, feelings of helplessness or hopelessness, excessive and/or risky behaviors (ex. alcohol and drug use), self-harm ideation or behaviors

• Check Back Later - do not overdo it or be overbearing, but a quick check in, especially when it comes from a sincere place, can be very helpful

Prioritizing mental health and well-being helps build a foundational organizational culture that is people-focused and ensures each person can show up to work and be successful, which in turn drives operational and business outcomes. A workplace where people feel seen, heard, valued, and supported is a workplace where people are engaged and excited about their work and where they are willing to go above and beyond.

A focus on mental health and well-being is good for people, and that’s good for business.

If you are looking for ways to prioritize mental health at your organization, we can help. Drop us a note at hello@equity-at-work.com anytime!

Need help determining how to achieve high-impact, measurable results with your DEI work?  Contact us here.

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