By Renata Hill, Moodfuel
Local and global efforts aim to create workplace mental health
According to the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH), the founding organization for World Mental Health Day, the goal for this day is to raise awareness about and mobilize efforts in support of mental health and the challenges people face regarding accessing appropriate care and dealing with stigma.
This year's theme, "Prioritizing Mental Health in the Workplace," focuses on the importance of engaging employees, employers, and other stakeholders in creating mentally healthy work environments. Internationally and in Colorado, organizations are developing programs to support workers' mental wellness.
WFMH President Tsuyoshi Akiyama said, "(Our) goal is clear – to champion mental health in the workplace and build best practices that create cultures where workers have the potential to contribute productively and thrive."
The World Health Organization (WHO) is collaborating with WFMH, using their higher profile to spread the word. In a public statement, the WHO stressed the crucial nature of safe, healthy work environments as a way to counteract stigma, discrimination and harassment. These conditions directly correlate to productivity the statement said.
In Colorado, the Behavioral Health Administration points to two programs specifically for residents living with mental health challenges who need help finding and sustaining work.
- Behavioral Health Supported Employment, a partnership between the Dept. of Labor and Employment and community mental health organizations guides English- and Spanish-speaking, differently abled residents with mental health challenges through the process of preparing to look for a job and finding jobs that meet their needs
- The Individual Placement and Support program helps people with mental illness and/or substance use disorders to find and keep jobs while providing employers with access to motivated employees.
Local mental health advocacy organization Mental Health Colorado approaches healthy workplace progress from the employer side by gathering company representatives from around the state for the Healthier Minds Business Roundtable. It's a twice-yearly meeting in which C-suite executives share ideas about creating effective workplace mental health policies.
Adding a health care perspective on workplace wellness, the Colorado School of Public Health has established the Colorado Recovery Friendly Workplace Initiative (RFWI). This team works with employers to address major mental health challenges facing workforces and communities like depression, suicide and substance use disorders. To participate in the program, business leaders first sign a pledge to acknowledge that their organization prioritizes mental health, addiction prevention, treatment and recovery support for all employees.
"This initiative provides opportunities for Colorado business champions to step up and act collectively," said RFWI Project Lead Lili Tenney in a statement.
