As all of us are coping through our most vulnerable and fragile selves during this pandemic and its aftermath, it is important that we collectively focus on our psychological well-being, as much as we focus on our physical well-being. Mental health and well-being positively looks at the entire range of an individual’s emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also involves how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices in life and work.
It is a fact that we face stress and pressures in different areas of our lives – health, family, relationships, society and work, even more so during the current remote working times. While work can provide people with a sense of meaning, purpose, structure, satisfaction and financial means, it can also cause tremendous stress. As people spend a large part of their days working, mental health and well-being at work is one of the most important challenges faced by organizations across the globe.
A framework for enhancing mental well-being of employees through DEI practices
Mental health, and DEI are interconnected at the workplace. As people from diverse backgrounds converge to achieve organizational goals, employees from underrepresented groups tend to go through additional stressors that include instances of prejudice, discrimination, biases, micro aggressions and micro inequities.Such stressors have a great deal of impact on the psychological safety and well-being of employees.
In addition, mental health concerns like depression, anxiety, OCD, bipolar disorder, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), etc are often invisible disabilities. In the absence of a supportive work environment, employees might keep their invisible disabilities like mental health concerns hidden to avoid stigma. Research studies prove that when individuals have to hide a part of who they truly are, it affects their self-confidence, self-esteem, productivity, and performance. Hence, initiatives that support mental well-being of employees should be an integral part of an effective DEI strategy and plan.
Here we present an easy-to-follow, inclusive framework for promoting and enhancing the mental well-being of employees at the workplace:
- EMPOWER Managers to be front line respondents:
Managers can be sensitized, educated, trained and empowered to handle signs and symptoms of distress in team members. They can be trained to be ‘front line respondents’ so that they can offer emotional support to team members, ask them right questions, allay concerns and fears, and guide them to the right resources and support systems. Often, managers are able to handle different work related issues with sensitivity and this skill can be tapped to enable them to deal with mental well-being related issues in their team members. This is a crucial step that will ensure both early identification and early intervention in case of mental health related issues in employees.
- EMBED Psychological Safety for self-disclosure:
Organizations should promote safe self-disclosure of any psychological or mental health issues in employees during the hiring process or any time during the employee life cycle. Any employee suffering from any kind of mental health issue like stress, depression or anxiety will find it hard to focus at work and deliver their responsibilities. Creating a safe workplace culture that enables employees to disclose their mental health challenges without any stigma or fear will ensure that they can bring their true selves to work, without hiding or withholding any part of their identity. Such disclosure will also help organizations to extend appropriate policies and workplace benefits to employees.
- EMPLOY accommodative policies and programs:
It is important to create workplace policies that enable sufficient breaks and relaxation time for employees to promotehealthy work life integration. Along with flexible working policies, it is essential to have policies and practices related to ‘no meeting time days’ for better use of productive time. Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) that provide easy access to therapists and counselling services for all employees is a must-have. Most mental health related issues are considered as invisible disabilities and therefore, health insurance and similar well-being benefits should cover mental illnesses also. Exclusive Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) related to mental health can reduce stigma and can provide the much support to employees and safe forum to discuss their viewpoints.
- ENABLE culture of open communication:
Being inclusive of mental health issues will also involve sensitizing, educating and encouraging all employees about the importance of mental well-being. Creating a culture of open communication and regular feedback between managers, leaders and team memberswill foster a work environment filled with compassion and empathy. The leadership team is in a unique position to model behaviour changes, use inclusive language and vocalize their support for mental health related issues. Periodic pulse surveys or employee engagement surveys will help leaders in gaining a deeper understanding of employee sentiments.
DEI strategies, policies and practices related to mental well-being must be tailored to serve an organization’s needs and should be aligned with its vision, mission and core values. An integrated and holistic approach with an emphasis on understanding, engagement, empathy and support will enrich a sense of workplace belongingness and will foster employee well-being that is both successful and sustainable.
