Developing the Behavioral Health Workplace Assessment
The following is an interview with Joshua Scott of Health Links™.
Health Links™ is a signature program of the Center for Health, Work & Environment at the Colorado School of Public Health. Backed by the expertise of researchers and our local community advisors, they improve worker health and safety. In collaboration with Open Labs, Health Links is currently developing an assessment for brain/mental health so neurodivergent employees can thrive in the workplace.
What prompted you to create the workplace assessment for brain health?
Health Links has worked with over 400 businesses across Colorado on what is known as Total Worker Health (TWH) Interventions. There is a huge range of possible TWH topics, but many businesses want more resources, tools, education and consultation on improving brain health supports for their employees. Workers with brain health conditions disproportionately experience adverse health, safety and psychological outcomes and the grey literature suggests technology workers are more vulnerable to brain health conditions, especially in the startup community.
What are important considerations for employers considering the assessment?
At Health Links, we’ve seen employers consistently want to show their employees they care by offering a variety of health promotion programs. We’ve also seen some of these programs do more harm than good because organizations typically fail to properly assess their employees wants, needs and desires AND their own culture and readiness for change before acting. These assessments do just that. They also offer a mechanism to assess workplace brain health supports, brain health culture, benchmark best practices and recognize employers who offer wonderfully supportive places to work.
What is the impact on businesses who have taken your other certifications?
Thus far in Colorado along, we’ve had over 400 business representing 190,000 employees complete the assessment. We have delivered 525 one-on-one consultation sessions with these employers to understand their assessment results and strategize improvement. We have worked to elevate our employer network through a variety of awards ranging from the Governor’s Award for Worksite Wellness, Colorado’s Healthiest Places to Work and The Vail Valley Partnership Award for Workplace Wellbeing — just to name a few. Of the 400 employers who have completed the assessment ~ 70% have seen improvements in their TWH programming.
How should interested companies get involved?
- Take the Health Links Assessment — https://www.healthlinkscertified.org/certification/get-certified
- Donate to the brain health workplace innovation group through Health Links — https://giving.cu.edu/fund/health-links-fund
- Be part of National Expansion as an Ambassador or Partner (contact john.stuligross@healthlinkscertified.com for more details)
