On October 20th, 2022, Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released a workplace mental health framework outlining employee health and well-being. Overall, the Surgeon General’s Framework for Mental Health & Well-Being in the Workplace promotes the concept that workplaces play a prominent role in an employee’s health and well-being. Particularly given that the average worker spends half their life working, employers can shape one’s well-being while strengthening organizational success. Earlier in May, the Department of Labor released guidance on mental health coverage under the Family and Medical Leave Act.
Workplace Mental Health Statistics
Before creating his new framework, Dr. Murthy reviewed the following statistics:
- 76% of U.S. workers in a 2021 survey reported at least one symptom of a mental health condition(anxiety, depression).
- 81% of workers said that, in the future, they would be looking for workplaces that support mental health.
- 84% of respondents reported at least one workplace factor that had a negative impact on their mental health.
Given these points, the new framework outlines five mental health and well-being essentials. Markedly, these essentials can help organizations develop and update policies, processes, and practices that support all workers’ mental health. However, it is important to realize that just thinking about mental health does not always solve the problem. One aspect of workplace mental health and well-being includes reasonable accommodations. In some situations, granting a reasonable accommodation to the employee could assist in their mental health struggles. Before fulfilling a request, however, employers need to know the basic steps of the reasonable accommodation process.
Five Essentials for Better Workplace Mental Health
In conclusion, the following is an overview of the five parts of the new mental health framework:
- Firstly, Protection from Harm: Creating the conditions for physical and psychological safety is a critical foundation for ensuring mental health and well-being.
- Secondly, Connection and Community: Fostering positive social interaction and relationships supports worker well-being.
- Thirdly, Work-Life Harmony: Professional and personal roles can create work and non-work conflicts.
- Fourthly, Mattering at Work: People want to know that they matter to those around them and that their work matters. Knowing you matter lowers stress while feeling like you do not increases the risk for depression.
- Lastly, Opportunities for Growth: When organizations create more opportunities for workers to accomplish goals, they become more optimistic about their abilities and enthusiastic about contributing to the organization.
For the full text of the Surgeon General’s framework, you can access it here.