Mental Health is Human Health

Mental health has always been a theme in my life and something I've historically shied away from due to the stigma surrounding it. Throughout my career, there was this unspoken norm of keeping your "work" life separate from your "personal" life, and unfortunately, my mental health struggles fell in the "personal" life bucket. For a while, this approach worked until it no longer did. It became increasingly difficult, and not to mention exhausting, to show up to work every day upbeat with a big smile while secretly inside I was suffering in silence. Running to the restroom to cry or catch my breath from a panic attack was no longer sustainable, and eventually, my co-workers began catching a glimpse into my world. Being met with judgment, concern, sympathy, embarrassment, and shame only made things worse. At the time this experience had me convinced that mental health and the workplace may not ever successfully co-exist, especially in corporate America.

Never could I have predicted we'd experience an ongoing pandemic that would challenge people like never before in almost every way imaginable. Caring for our loved ones, keeping our finances afloat, navigating job insecurity, finding connection through isolation from our friends and families, and coping with grief are more than what the average person can handle. All of this on top of non-stop racial and religious trauma, and the everyday stressors that we all experience. Whoa! How can any organization at this point not embrace the fact that employees aren't just dealing with work these days; they are dealing with life in its rawest form.

As HR professionals it's critical that we understand that employees are humans first and foremost. Neglecting to provide a supportive space for them to show up authentically not only creates an immovable barrier, but its impact results in disengagement, mistrust, attrition, and unproductivity. Most importantly it can send the message to employees that their value doesn't exceed further than their job, which is the last thing anyone would want to feel. Knowing what this feels like firsthand through my own experiences has played a significant role in successfully fostering a mental health-friendly culture at my organization. There will always be continued opportunities for improvement; however, the following three shifts have helped to normalize mental health conversations and further demonstrate our ability to be a true advocate beyond our words.

1. Rethink Company Values
   If nothing else this pandemic has taught us that life can be unexpected for anyone. You never know what's coming next and balancing personal changes with work will never be easy. With that, why not rethink how your company values can better align and show consistent support by recognizing that being human is just as important as being an employee. Having an established core value that clearly shows candidates and employees that it's okay to be yourself sets the cultural tone, drives behavioral norms and establishes a strong brand. A few examples of this may look like Be Human, Be Authentic, Stay True or You Are Enough.

2. Optimize Policies for the Human
   There's been much focus on the importance of offering mental health benefits to employees, but what often gets overlooked is re-evaluating company policies. If a company has stellar mental health services, but internal policies are still rigid and perpetuate unconscious stressors, then something is off. Prioritizing a revamp of internal policies may be a more affordable way (and just as impactful) in creating a mental health-friendly workplace, although doing both is optimal. A recent example we implemented at my organization was extending paid bereavement leave from three to ten days for loved ones, in lieu of defining eligible family relationships. Another example includes the implementation of caregiver leave of 10 paid days when an employee is faced with having to care full time for a loved one in need. These policies acknowledge that as an organization we understand that you have a life outside of work.

3. Normalize the Conversation
   According to the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI), one in five adults in the U.S. experience mental illness and per the World Health Organization (WHO), depression is a leading cause of disability worldwide. No employee is alone in their struggles and just knowing that in itself can be comforting; to connect with others who have felt similar goes a long way. Empowering employees to feel comfortable in expressing that they're having a not-so-great day opens the door to acceptance for many and further mitigates the negative stigma. At my organization we have a shared document filled with useful mental health resources accessible to all employees; it's not uncommon to hear that someone has a therapist appointment or needs to disconnect for the day because they're not in a great headspace. We also have held panel discussions where employees have shared their mental health experiences as well as their healthy coping mechanisms. Mental health doesn't have to be a scary and shameful thing at work; we're all human.