Mental Health Conversations in the Workplace

My team organizes internal Lunch & Learn meetings where we cover an array of different topics. Most recently they started a Leadership Interview Series and due to my mental health advocacy, I was asked to speak on my experience with mental health. We initially planned on a very high-level overview ending it with general information about different types of mental illness and resources available.

As I sat staring at the screen, trying to decide where to start, I quickly realized that I had to start at the very beginning because so much of who I am and my passion for mental health advocacy are interwoven into my own mental health journey. And to start at the very beginning meant I had to talk about very difficult and raw parts of my journey, wounds I’ve been able to heal, and wounds that I’m still working on. In order to help provide the psychologically safe work environment that I promote, I myself needed to lead with vulnerability. For my team to be able to trust me and my words, I had to show them why I care so deeply.

And so I spoke about my upbringing, and growing up with one foot in one culture and the other in another one. Split between two cultures, two languages, high expectations, always feeling out of place, and also experiencing anxiety, depression, and panic attacks at a young age (though I didn’t know that’s what it was). In college, I discovered psychology which started me on my journey towards understanding myself and human behavior in general. I happened to fall into Human Resources as a career option and found it to be a great balance for myself, where I could help “build bridges” between people, cultures, levels of management, levels of education, life experiences, and so on. I spoke about the most influential people in my life, the roles I’ve treasured the most in my life, the timeline of my mental illness journey, and the most important lessons I’ve learned along the way.

Because I knew I’d cry when I spoke on certain topics (and cry I did), I prefaced my talk with a disclaimer on the sensitive nature of what I was going to share and why this conversation belonged in the workplace. Over 20% of Americans have a diagnosable mental illness and as organizational leaders, we would be blind to not acknowledge that mental health and life circumstances affect our teams and their ability to perform at their best. Like society, organizations often set the expectation that everyone must be at their best, all the time and that losing composure is a sign of weakness and doesn’t belong in the workplace. This significantly contributes to the intense stigma society already places on this topic, and when people can’t speak openly, they can’t get the help they need, and it can cost someone their life. As leaders, we need to shape the workplace and make it a space where we can all be human, where we will have good days and bad days, and where empathy is our strength.

Here at Ippon, a culture of respect and empathy runs deep. Like most organizations, we have the Employee Assistance Program (or EAP as most people know it) but it goes beyond programs like this to really help your employees and enable honest and open conversations. Below are some steps that Ippon has taken to create a supportive and empathetic workplace culture that prioritizes employee mental health and well-being.

• Provide mental health resources: Outside of our EAP, we promote a culture of open communication; even employees share their stories and resources available to anyone who may need them.
• Offer mental health days: Organizations can offer employees mental health days where they can take a paid day off to care for themselves and their well-being. At Ippon, all employees receive a generous amount of Paid Time Off (PTO), which allows them to take time for themselves, their families, etc. whenever needed, without having to provide any type of documentation.
• Model a psychologically safe work environment: Leaders can lead by example and talk about their own mental illness or therapy experiences. Talking about the topic and showing team members that it’s okay to do so, will open communication channels so team members struggling can be more open about it and know they will be supported, rather than judged. This needs to happen regularly, and not just on dedicated holidays.
• Increase flexibility: Organizations can increase employees’ options for where, when, and how they work to reduce stress and improve work-life balance. At Ippon, we work with our employees to provide them flexibility while ensuring top-notch delivery.
• Reexamine health insurance policies: Organizations can reexamine health insurance policies with a focus on employee mental health. At Ippon, we have negotiated better coverage and lower copay rates for therapy with our benefits provider.
• Promote empathy: Organizations can create a workplace culture where colleagues demonstrate understanding and empathy to help people feel more comfortable reaching out or seeking help, as well as feeling supported during some of their most difficult times. We focus on helping others in the community and promote the motto of “always assume good intent”.

As we honor World Mental Health Day in October, I ask you to look deep inside yourself and reflect on how you influence the culture in your organization. Do you contribute to a healthy work environment or do you contribute to an environment that doesn’t allow space for empathy and humanity? Do we truly understand the impact our expectations have on our workforce? Can we find the courage to have these difficult conversations in the workplace and lead them with empathy?

What do you do at your workplace to support a culture of empathy and help de-stigmatize mental health conversation? Let’s share our efforts and best practices and help each other promote healthier workplaces.