RALIANCE Reading: Mental Health Awareness Month

Through Mental Health Awareness Month, the RALIANCE team has been reading about mental health trends and creating a safe space for people who need a mental health ally, especially in the workplace. Below are some of the most notable reads this month:

How to Be a Mental Health Ally (Harvard Business Review) – Everyone deserves empathy when they’re facing mental health challenges, and this article highlights how everyone can be an ally to workplace colleagues. Tips include being gentle with coworkers and being considerate of their bandwidth. The article also discusses avoiding stigmatizing statements and actions. Taking these steps to support peers can contribute to fostering a culture of allyship in the workplace.

Future Of Work: 9 Mental Health Predictions In The Post-Pandemic Workplace (Forbes) – A CDC study showed that the pandemic has taken a toll on Americans’ mental health, and about one-third say a return to the workplace is causing further anxiety and depression. As companies welcome people back to the office or build out their teams, workplace expert Bryan Robinson predicts a few strategies that they’ll be taking into consideration to increase morale. Some of the strategies include mass adoption of hybrid working options, placing more emphasis on training empathetic leaders, and increasing access to wellness programs.

Women do more ‘worry work’ than men. It’s affecting their mental health and their careers (The Globe and Mail) – This article acknowledges the unique stressors that impact mental health for women. Women’s careers and personal goals tend to take a backseat as women are saddled with the “worry work”—or the planning, caregiving, and emotional labor—of everyday life. It’s important to have a support system, but we should also be thinking about policies that will contribute to gender parity. Robust, affordable, and accessible childcare and elder care resources can reduce the burden on women who end up taking majority or sole responsibility of these tasks.

For a bonus read, check out this piece on Tricia Hersey, founder of The Nap Ministry, a collective dedicated to reminding Black women to rest and take care of their mental health.

We’ll continue to bring critical news updates your way here at the RALIANCE blog to make sure you’re in the know about issues that matter in the effort to lead culture change.

RALIANCE is a trusted adviser for organizations committed to building cultures that are safe, equitable, and respectful. RALIANCE offers unparalleled expertise in serving survivors of sexual harassment, misconduct, and abuse which drives our mission to help organizations across sectors create inclusive environments for all. For more information, please visit www.RALIANCE.org.