Here are three insights to spark additional thinking and action from the inside out.
1. Mental health and organizational health are linked:
– As mental health issues increasingly take center stage, ignoring employee mental health becomes synonymous with, as a recent article from the Stanford Social Innovation Review puts it, “ignoring the well-being of the company itself, since cultural and behavioral changes that address the mental health of [the] workforce are a pre-condition for growth.”
2. Employees are part of the community:
– Much of the traditional literature on mental health within organizations focuses on managing workplace stresses or challenges at home. That’s critical. But it’s also important to acknowledge that employees are part of broader communities that face stressors of their own.
3. Nearly every nonprofit program can be viewed through a mental health lens:
– With some nonprofit services, the mental health connection is obvious. As leaders, we can make that connection more pronounced in more arenas, using emotional wellness as a lens for viewing and strengthening programs across our sector. For example, a growing body of evidence shows that the arts, nature and companion animals can all promote mental health. Libraries and community centers can connect people with mental health resources and one another, addressing the epidemic of loneliness. Even global hunger, my organization’s focus, is related to mental health.
