A Year in Review: Workplace Mental Health & Wellbeing
The American workforce faces unique challenges based on race, sexual orientation, disability, age, and occupational setting. However, their well-being is also impacted by socio-economic, political, and cultural factors. While organizations do not have control over these factors, it has become imperative that organizations proactively assist their workforces with managing physical and mental health balance.Chronic diseases and injuries in the U.S. workforce cost employers more than half a trillion dollars in lost productivity each year.
Workplace well-being can affect productivity and organizational performance, as studies reveal work performance declines when people feel anxious or depressed. Competing work and personal demands can also have a negative impact. The lack of life-work balance can magnify psychological stress, increase the risk for health behaviors such as smoking, poor nutrition, alcohol, substance, and medication misuse, and cause relationship conflicts both at work and at home.
76% of respondents reported at least one symptom of a mental health condition, an increase of 17% in just two years.
Gone are the days when providing mental health support to your employees was an option. It is now a necessity. A recent report from the U. S. Surgeon General’s office reveals there are five essential components which can assist employers with creating framework and application protocols around their organizational wellness plans. Creating a plan with a diverse set of employees to enact these components can help re-imagine workplaces as communities of well-being.
The U.S. Surgeon General’s Five Core Essentials:
1. Protection from Harm: Safety and Security (both physical and psychological)
2. Connection and Community: Social Support and Belonging
3. Life-Work Harmony: Autonomy and Flexibility
4. Mattering at Work: Dignity, Respect, and Purpose
5. Opportunity for Growth: Learning and Accomplishments
Click here for the Canopy Trends Report
Information provided by The U.S. Surgeon General’s Framework for Workplace Mental Health & Wellbeing report released to the public on October 20, 2022. To review the report in its entirety go to: surgeongeneral.gov/workplace
Michelle MartinMichelle is a Certified International Health Coach (CIHC) and Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach. She supports Canopy’s health and wellness initiatives through a holistic approach based on bio–individuality. Michelle writes and speaks about health-related issues including sleep hygiene, nutrition, mindfulness, and forgiveness. She has presented for a wide variety of industries and audiences, and encourages attendees to be boldly curious about their wellness journey. Michelle volunteers her time as a National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) instructor, providing evidence-based education and coaching for families of loved ones with a mental health condition.
Along with supporting wellbeing initiatives, she is part of the Customer Success Management team and assists with providing proactive service and solutions for Canopy Members and partners.