Improving workplace mental health involves tackling how, why & where we work

Dear Friends,

As we kick off Mental Health Awareness Month this week, some of the stats cited in a new Harvard Business Review article by my friend Morra Aarons-Mele – author of The Anxious Achiever and host of the podcast by the same name – are staggering and sobering:  

• In a recent informal poll she conducted on LinkedIn, 87% of 1,228 respondents reported that a stressful coworker, client, boss or work situation caused negative physical. symptoms, including everything from migraines and nausea to hair loss and panic attacks
• Headspace’s 2024 Workplace State of Mind study found that work stress has negatively impacted physical health for 77% of employees and relationships outside of work for 71%. 
• A March 2022 Gallup analysis found that fewer than one in four employees felt their organization cared about their well-being (a significant decrease from the start of COVID). 

Generally speaking, the conversation around mental health awareness has advanced significantly in recent years. As has, ironically, the conversation around the real effects burnout among workers of all levels in all kinds of positions. As Morra astutely points out, “While benefits and conversations around mental health have changed, workplace cultures haven’t caught up.” 

It’s a tug-of-war I’ve been talking about a lot lately as we navigate the ongoing waves in the flexible workplace waters: how do we bridge gaps and get leaders and employees on the same page? It is critical as we know employee wellbeing is required for performance and successful outcomes. (The latest national research from my firm, Flex + Strategy Group, also shows how flexibility drives productivity and engagement and enhances communication, creativity and innovation.) 

Morra’s article delves into her “state of workplace mental health,” culled from key conversations and keynotes she’s had since the launch of The Anxious Achiever. I highly recommend reading the full article, but I love how she leads with my advice to “Start with the work. Today, improving workplace mental health involves tackling how, why, and where we work …get specific and focus on the work product you need and how you can better support the employees involved.”  

Until workplace culture acknowledges and demands we intentionally care for the mental health of all the people in an organization – from top to bottom and across workspaces, places and time zones – we will continue to sacrifice both employee wellbeing and desired business outcomes. Engaging employees and fostering high performing flexible work teams will never be a checklist or a set of bullets from HR.  

When we work together with strategy and intention to answer, “what work needs to happen?,” we can start to look at who is best suited for this work, and how can we best support them in getting it done – a transformative process with the power to bring out the best in employees, leaders and organizations. 

Book Giveaway: The Breakthrough Years by Ellen Galinsky 

One way we can improve mental health and well-being is to understand how to support the youngest among us, particularly teenagers. There are few experts better suited to guide those of us who either have or will have teenagers we love in our lives than my former boss at Families and Work Institute, Ellen Galinsky!  

Her new book, The Breakthrough Years, is a “new scientific framework for raising thriving teens” based on years of in-depth research. It could not come at a better time!  Check out this compelling 10-minute documentary, “The Teen Brain,” produced by Tiffany Schlain and Goldie Hawn featuring Ellen and her breakthrough insights. 

This is a perfect topic to cover with a book giveaway for an Employee Resource Group supporting parents. Big congratulations to Ellen and to the teenagers her work will no doubt impact. Be the first to comment and we will send you a copy!  What are you going to do this month to improve your mental health and well-being? I am planning a vacation!