Why and How to Support Employee
​Mental Health and Emotional Well-Being
​ 

Mental Health Continues to be the Top Priority for Employers in 2021
BLOOMBERG CEO TOWN HALL - JANUARY, 2021
Covid19 Has Escalated the Existing Global Mental and Emotional Health Crises

​Pandemic response has been primarily focused on physical and economic survival.

​However.

​In 2019 it was reported in a study commissioned by the American Heart Association CEO Roundtable that one in five adults suffer from a mental or emotional health challenge.
​

Stress has been called the "health epidemic of the 21st century" by the World Health Organization and is estimated to cost American businesses up to $300 billion a year.


​That quote was before the pandemic.

​As it continues to affect the world, difficulties are morphing with anxiety, stresses, uncertainty, and the mental and emotional fallout of drastic change in every area of life as it was.  
What You and Your Company or Organization Do Now Matters

In a 2020 article in the Harvard Business Review - Coronavirus is Putting Corporate Social Responsibility to the Test - senior Harvard lecturer Mark Kramer said:
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  • Employee loyalty
  • Higher productivity, and
  • Overall enhanced corporate reputation 

are among the benefits to a company [or organization's] legacy when it goes out of its way to help.

The Crucial Importance of Empathy

A November 2020 Bloomberg CEO Town Hall meeting addressed employee stress and burnout through the lens of the emotional toll of the pandemic and diversity and inclusion.

Panelists including the CEO of Verizon Business, Tami Erwin, and Joy Fitzgerald, Eli Lilly Vice
President and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer emphasized the importance of:

  • Increasing leadership responsibility to include employee emotional well-being
 
  • Demonstrating to employees that you care about them (and their families)​
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  • Making employee mental heath and well-being a priority
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  • Creating an emotionally safe place within the corporate culture to thrive​​​​
Strengthen Your Company by Empowering Others

When a person is stressed or something's bothering them, they can't effectively be present and productive.

Because people are often hesitant to reach out for help, the effects can be heartbreaking.

continued above


Tami Erwin talked about the example of the well- loved and respected doctor in a pandemic-overrun hospital who committed suicide in 2020. No one knew the depth of her despair.

Burnout isn't limited to those on the front line: 
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  • It's the overwhelmed leader or manager with kids who's the in-home teacher
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  • It's the employee with elderly parents who lives with the fear of being out of a job or getting sick
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  • ​It's the isolated person, struggling with working remotely or being alone as uncertainty continues ​
Bridging the Gap

A recent Forbes article stated the following five suggestions for supporting employee emotional well-being and mental health: 

  • Utilize technology to offer resources
  • Use this opportunity to reduce stigma about seeking help
  • Double-down on communication​
  • Show empathy and leadership
  • Prioritize well-being​ ​
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Proactively helping a person empower themselves comes back to you many times over​.

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​As solutions to pandemic management become increasingly  available, the fallout from global trauma, as reflected in one's personal, mental/emotional, and work life, will continue its ripple effect.

​It's important to continue the steps outlined above.
 A Simple Solution to Help

What's going on in your world? Within your company or organization?

Mental and emotional health and well-being, despite its vast effect on productivity and the world, is a subject that many leaders and employers are uncomfortable approaching.

​Would you like more help? To talk about your unique concerns and challenges, get in touch to schedule a complimentary discovery talk.

AUTHOR | FOUNDER

​Photo by Zoltan Tasi
AHA CEO Roundtable: Mental Health - A Workforce Crises
Bloomberg Breakaway CEO Town Hall: Leadership in Focus