Mental Health Awareness Month has ended but we know that leaders need to prioritize mental health and well-being year-round. To help leaders think about where to start we have provided a recap of the great advice we received from the experts who joined Perspectives’ Mental Health Mondays video series. You can watch the full series below or here.
Suicide Prevention in the Workplace
“It’s important to have a mentally healthy culture. We do that by demonstrating care, concern, and empathy.”
-Cal Beyer
Cal Beyer, VP, Workforce Risk and Worker Wellbeing at Holmes Murphy, joined us to discuss strategies and tools leaders can use for suicide prevention in the workplace. There are specific resources for the construction industry which has a suicide rate that is 4x higher than the national average.
Our key takeaways from Cal center around empowering suicide prevention in the workplace. Leaders can:
- Build a caring culture by demonstrating care, concern, and empathy.
- Incorporate mental health and suicide prevention into wellness programs and employee benefit programs.
- Practice the 3 Vs. Be Visible. Be Vocal. Be Vulnerable.
Additional suicide prevention resources include:
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – The Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress. Just call 800-273-8255.
- Crisis Text Line – Text HOME to 741741 to reach a volunteer Crisis Counselor.
- Construction Industry Alliance For Suicide Prevention – Its mission is to provide and disseminate information and resources for suicide prevention and mental health promotion in construction, with the goal of creating a zero suicide industry.
- Construction Suicide Prevention Partnership – Take Action Guide – This guide’s purpose is to inspire change within the construction industry that leads to lower suicide rates, improved mental well-being, and safer, healthier, and more humane workplaces.
Mental Health and Well-Being in the Workplace
“Leaders need ongoing communication that reduces fear and stigma around using mental health resources they are providing.”
– Dr. Jodi Jacobson Frey, PhD, LCSW-C, CEAP
Dr. Jodi Jacobson Frey, PhD, LCSW-C, CEAP, Professor, Founder and Faculty Executive Director of the Behavioral Health and Well-being Lab at the University of Maryland, School of Social Work, joined Perspectives to share strategies and resources for supporting mental health and well-being in the workplace.
Want to understand and support your employees’ well-being? Jodi suggests that an organization’s leaders:
- Provide safe and anonymous ways for employees to provide feedback to better understand what changes might be needed.
- Listen to your employees and be ready to respond to what you are hearing.
- Endorse the usage of the company’s mental health services so people feel comfortable coming forward when they need support.
Mental Health and Well-Being in Vulnerable Populations
“When we consider what someone needs to be stable, we need to talk about mental health and physical health in the same breath.”
– Doug Schenkelberg
Doug Schenkelberg, Executive Director of Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, talks to us about mental health and well-being in vulnerable populations and how the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless thinks about their staff’s well-being.
In our discussion about mental health within vulnerable populations, Doug shared that providing mental health services is a critical part of getting people what they need to be stable. Mental health issues can be drivers of experiencing homelessness. Those issues are then compounded by the experience of being unhoused and the stigma and blame that can be felt by individuals experiencing homelessness. Providing physical and mental health services together leads to more stability.
Driving Organizational Success by Prioritizing Mental Health and Well-Being
“My call-to-action for leaders is to let Mental Health Awareness Month be the jumping-off point for developing and implementing a plan to support employees’ well-being. In May of 2023, I want us to come together and celebrate the progress we have made.”
– Bernie Dyme
Our final guest was Bernie Dyme, President, CEO, and Founder of Perspectives Ltd. He talked about driving success in your organization by prioritizing mental health and well-being and called for leaders to continue the mental health conversation throughout the year.
One of the many takeaways we had from Bernie was about psychological first aid. Psychological first aid, also known as mental health first aid, is training that helps managers and employees deal with people in emotional distress. Like CPR, psychological first aid teaches people how to deal with an emergency situation so the person in distress can get professional help. It teaches people:
- What signs to look for
- How to have difficult conversations
- When to ask for help
- Where to go for help
Most importantly, it teaches people how to voice hope and courage in a way that feels authentic to those in distress.
Want more mental health resources? Follow us on LinkedIn and visit the resource page on our website.
Interested in learning more about how Perspectives can empower the well-being of your employees and organizations?
For EAP, SAP and MAP interest contact Braeden L. Schaefer – bschaefer@perspectivesltd.com.
For Organizational Well-Being Consulting contact Jonathan Eisler – jeisler@PerspectivesLtd.com.
