CEO shares story about mental health at work
May is an opportunity for employers to take a step back and assess the mental health of their employees.
More than 75% of employees would think their work experience would be better if their employer said they cared about their mental health, according to a new survey of employees nationwide. I am.
So how can organizations better support employee health?
Our team interviewed executives at Starbucks, Delta Air Lines, Mastercard, and Okta to learn how they support the mental health of their employees. You can read the full interview here. Throughout our conversation, he noticed five important themes.
Start by listening and measuring
When determining how best to support the health of your employees, it stands to reason that employee feedback is a great place to start your research. While these efforts are a starting point, they must also be ongoing efforts.
“Each year we look at new ways in which we can perform individual selections, combined analysis, or listening sessions with partners. [Starbucks employees] “Starbucks is proud to be a leading partner for Starbucks,” said Sara Kelly, Executive Vice President and Chief Partner Officer, Starbucks.
These efforts may require collaboration between multiple departments to achieve maximum success.
“We worked with our human resources and wellness teams to gather a lot of feedback from our employees through our strong index, quarterly engagement surveys, and qualitative interviews,” said Delta Managing Director of Health and Wellness. says Dr. Alison Smith.line
create a strong foundation
Research from the University of Oxford found that organizations need to “transform workplaces, not just workers”. All the companies we spoke to valued happiness and had cultures that valued happiness.
At Mastercard, we place an emphasis on civility and respect for well-being.
“Our culture has three distinct pillars,” said Michael Fraccaro, Mastercard's chief human resources officer. “One is to create value, one is to grow together, and another is to move quickly. But underpinning all of that is a culture of civility. We call it the DQ or Integrity Quotient. It's deeply embedded in how we care for our employees.”
This is reflected in our company values, like Okta's “build it and own it” value, an IT service management company. “Okta strengthens our commitment to and investment in our people by encouraging collaboration and caring for each other at every level,” said Vijay Rao, chief human resources officer at Okta.
lead by example
Individual leaders can make a huge difference in reducing mental health stigma in the workplace. Starbucks' Kelly has personal principles of embracing vulnerability in the workplace and ensuring the mental health safety of all Starbucks employees.
Support can be provided to other company leaders, including access to mental health training. “Delta's Leader I think 4,000 people have completed his mental health training. We aim to achieve 100% of his leadership by the end of this year,” Dr. Smith said. says.
Whether you're an owner, manager or individual contributor, your mental health story matters and can bring safety to talking about mental health in the workplace. As part of Mind Share Partners' work, we coach organizational leaders on how to share their mental health stories in empowering ways. We've seen firsthand that executives talking about mental health and sharing personal stories can go a long way in reducing taboos and increasing people's comfort in seeking support.
Provide up-to-date mental health benefits and policies
Traditionally, when talking about employee benefits, organizations have led with a focus on healthcare. At Starbucks, Sarah Kelly and her team set a goal to expand beyond this kind of thinking. “We have expanded to include holistic health – physical, mental and financial health. A bridge to a better future for our partners requires stability in all these areas. ,” says Kelly.
Family, finances, and flexibility are all key focuses when considering what types of benefits and policies best support the needs of the modern workforce. Mastercard employs a hybrid workforce, offering employees a four-week work-anywhere benefit to give them some freedom in choosing where they work. Starbucks expanded access to mental health benefits for employees' families.
Most organizations have some kind of financial health benefit. For example, Delta Air Lines contributes to an emergency savings fund for employees (up to $1,000), Okta matches employees with coaches and therapists for financial well-being, and Mastercard offers 401k plans with 10% matching. provide. Starbucks offers Siren cards to its partners.
Access to quality mental health care remains a core benefit. As one Starbucks partner puts it: This personalized care, which I couldn't afford on my own, helped me recover from a trauma that was honestly debilitating. ”
keep the conversation going all year long
If you want to make a difference in your workforce, conversations about mental health need to be held year-round.
“We have hand-picked our lineup to advocate for comprehensive support, focusing on a variety of mental health needs and tools individually during Women's Health Month and caregiver sessions. We have also established a dedicated Slack channel for awareness, creating a safe and supportive space for employees to discuss mental health issues,” Rao said.
