How Employers Can Foster a Mentally Healthy Workplace

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Is your workplace somewhere you feel safe, respected, valued, and empowered to do your best work? Given that most U.S. adults spend much of their waking hours on the job, it’s a question well worth asking. When you consider that one in five of those adults experience a mental health condition, it becomes even more urgent.

While a completely stress-free workplace is unrealistic, companies do have an important role to play in creating conditions that promote employees’ mental health. This not only makes work a more pleasant experience for your staff — multiple studies show that supporting employees’ mental health is good for businesses’ bottom line. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) estimates that untreated mental illness costs the U.S. over $100 billion per year in lost productivity. And a 2016 World Health Organization study revealed that investment in mental health care yields a fourfold return in the form of better health and productivity.

“It’s the right thing to do but it’s also the smart thing to do, and I think employers are really getting that,” says Nancy Spangler, founder and CEO of Spangler Associates. “I think part of the reason employers are taking an interest in this is because it’s very, very costly not to.”

Indeed, more than half of employers in a Sept. 2018 Willis Towers Watson survey said they planned to invest in behavioral health to help manage rising health care costs. In April, the U.S. Department of Labor launched an online Mental Health Toolkit full of information for employers looking to support their employees’ mental health.

The responsibility of supporting employee mental health may seem daunting, but there are many things employers can do to achieve this and boost overall job satisfaction and productivity. What follows are some key steps your organization can take to help cultivate a mentally healthy workplace.

Break the Silence

Experts say that simply talking about mental illness can help normalize it, and helps create an environment where others feel safe to discuss the mental health issues affecting their lives.

“If people can come to work and have casual conversations about cardiac problems or diabetes, we should also be able to come to work and talk about a flare-up of our depression or anxiety and not feel like we’re going to be stigmatized for that,” says Ken Dolan-Del Vecchio, a family therapist, keynote speaker, and president of GreenGate Leadership.

Town hall gatherings, team meetings, or company newsletters can all be opportune times to discuss mental health. This could mean sharing statistics around mental health and reminding employees of the importance of seeking care, or sharing your own experience with mental illness or that of a family member, says Dolan-Del Vecchio.

An email newsletter reminding staff about mental health benefits gives people plenty of time to read and ask questions via email, rather than in a meeting surrounded by co-workers. Consider providing webinars or on-site guest speakers presenting information about common mental health issues. Dates such as Mental Health Month in May or National Substance Abuse Prevention Month in October are great opportunities to broach these topics with your workforce.

Respect the Work-Life Balancing Act

The importance of “work-life balance” gets plenty of lip service these days, which makes sense given that Americans are logging longer hours, and spending more time connected to work, than in years past. All those hours on the job, or being just a couple of clicks away from it at all times, can quickly add up to work-related stress. Despite the proliferation of ways to stay tethered to work, there are at least as many actions employers can take to encourage work-life balance and reduce workers’ job-related stress. These include:

  • Offering a fair PTO policy and flexible work arrangements
  • Ensuring time for breaks throughout the day
  • Having managers lead by example and take vacation time and breaks
  • Keeping after-hours contact to a minimum

“What this all comes down to is treating people with care and respect and with regard for the fact that we have limits in terms of how much we can give to our work and still be well,” says Dolan Del-Vecchio.

Pay Attention to Performance Issues

Mental health struggles aren’t always readily apparent, and people tend to be uncomfortable divulging a mental health condition at work. While managers should never try to diagnose their employees, it is their job to take notice when performance issues or negative behavioral changes happen, says Dolan-DelVecchio.

“You’re a supervisor, not a therapist,” he says. “You hold them accountable for their performance.”

That means watching for the following:

  • Increases in absenteeism or lateness
  • Missing hours or days of work without explanation
  • A noticeable drop in functioning, engagement or productivity
  • Mood swings, outbursts or other uncharacteristic, erratic behavior
  • An unkempt physical appearance
  • Social withdrawal and apparent avoidance of interactions with others

When an employee starts displaying one or more of these behaviors, and especially if the behavior persists, it’s important to step in and address it, experts say. The sooner this happens, the sooner that person can get the care they need.

Ride-sharing giant Lyft collaborated with Lyra to create a guide for managers on how to identify and respond to signs of mental health issues among their staff. The guide specifies the manager’s role in establishing trust, and how to be approachable and supportive while respecting the team members’ privacy and keeping conversations professional.

Introducing this type of guide can be a useful tool in empowering managers to better support employee mental health.

Meet with the Employee and Remind Them of Available Resources

After noticing an employee’s performance or behavior issues, it’s best to speak with them privately, approaching the conversation with a focus on work performance.

“The manager could say, ‘Hey, I see that you’re struggling in your work, here’s what I’m seeing,’ and be very specific about what kinds of performance difficulties they’re seeing”, Spangler suggests. Once the manager has verbalized the problem, he or she can remind the employee of the mental health resources available to them and discuss next steps. This could include any of the following:

  • Connecting the person to your company’s employee assistance program (EAP)
  • Referring them to their Lyra benefit, if offered by your company
  • Referring them to a doctor, counselor or psychologist in their health care plan
  • Discussing possible accommodations such as remote work or fewer hours, or allowing breaks so the person can seek treatment
  • Mentioning your company’s disability policy (for those with a diagnosable mental illness)
  • Scheduling a follow-up meeting to check in and provide further assistance if  needed

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As awareness of mental health issues grows and the cost savings of employer investment in mental health care become ever more apparent, the hope is that more employees will be able to respond “yes” when asked if their workplace is mentally healthy. In an increasingly competitive job market, now is the time to ask yourself how your own employees would respond.

Source: https://www.lyrahealth.com/blog/how-employers-can-foster-a-mentally-healthy-workplace/

3 Steps Companies Can Take To Improve Mental Health In The Workplace

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Sick days among workers are commonly associated with physical ailments, but mental health issues also account for frequent absences. A report from the 2018 Mental Health in the Workplace Summit showed that more people miss work due to stress and anxiety than for physical illness or injury.

Dealing with mental health can be a delicate issue for both employers and employees. Some think it carries a stigma, thus employees may attempt to hide their problem. A survey by American Psychological Association found that less than half of American adult workers felt their companies supported the well-being of their employees.

Yet more companies, cognizant of productivity and cost issues associated with employee absences, are starting to implement mental health initiatives as part of their workplace wellness programs.

“Employees try to hide what they’re going through because they fear the negative consequences of being discovered. And these fears are justified,” says Ken Dolan-Del Vecchio (www.greengateleadership.com), formerly Vice President, Health and Wellness, at Prudential and founder of GreenGate Leadership®. “Many otherwise capable managers become very uncomfortable when they hear one of their team members mention words like stress, anxiety, and depression.

“Forward-thinking employers are implementing initiatives that break stigma and improve access to effective care. They recognize the role of leaders at all levels in creating positive, respectful, health-promoting work environments. As has often been said, culture trumps strategy every time. An employer can have all the right policies in place, but it’s the culture that either brings these to life or makes them a joke.”

Dolan-Del Vecchio’s tips for employers:

  • Break the stigma. Studies indicate one in five American adults experience a form of mental illness. “Like most health conditions, these are most effectively treated when identified early,” Dolan-Del Vecchio says. “Stigma causes many who suffer to deny their need for care and, therefore, delay seeking it. Senior execs are in the best position to break the stigma. They can share their personal story if they live with a mental health condition, talk about how they have supported others, and sincerely encourage their employees to get the care they deserve.”
  • Improve access to effective care. “Hold your benefits provider system accountable for effective care delivery,” Dolan-Del Vecchio says. “Take a searching and fearless look at how well your organization’s mental health benefits actually serve those in need. You do that by creating an anonymous feedback mechanism for your employees and their family members. Sadly, I can almost guarantee that the results will show need for significant improvement.”
  • Train leaders. “Stress,” Dolan-Del Vecchio says, “is the enemy of health and sustained productivity. More than any other factor, our immediate supervisor creates the culture of our workplace. When leaders at every organizational level treat those who report to them with an attitude of caring and respect, including respect for initiative, autonomy, diversity, and reasonable limits when it comes to productivity, the best organizational results will follow.”

“It’s in everyone’s best interest for employers to fight the stigma linked to mental health issues, ensure medical benefit partners are delivering on their promises, and make sure leaders of people are up to the task,” Dolan-Del Vecchio says.

About Ken Dolan-Del Vecchio

Ken Dolan-Del Vecchio (www.greengateleadership.com) is an author, speaker, family therapist, and leadership and life skills consultant. His books include Simple Habits of Exceptional (But Not Perfect) Parents, The Pet Loss Companion: Healing Advice From Family Therapists Who Lead Pet Loss Groups and Making Love: Playing Power: Men, Women, and the Rewards of Intimate Justice. Ken founded GreenGate Leadership® after retiring from his role as Vice President, Health and Wellness, at Prudential, where he was responsible for behavioral health services for the company’s 20,000 U.S. Employees.

Ken’s team’s work led Prudential to receive the American Psychological Association’s 2017 Organizational Excellence Award. Ken is a monthly NBC TV affiliate on-air guest and has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Fast Company, Bloomberg, Ignites, Entrepreneur, Fox Business News, The Chicago Tribune, Inc. Magazine, Working Mother, HR Executive and other media.

In 2016 Ken was named Corporate Leader of the Year by the National Alliance of Mental Illness’ New York City-metro chapter.

 

Source: http://business.itbusinessnet.com/2019/03/3-steps-companies-can-take-to-improve-mental-health-in-the-workplace/

Radical Self-Awareness #2 – Is He a Racist? It’s the Wrong Question.

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Click Here To Read Radical Self-Awareness #1 – Introduction: The Importance of Power >

It was early December, 2000, and the unresolved presidential election was in the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court. I was at a holiday party where I knew the host and some of the guests very well. There were also some friends of the host there who I typically caught up with only at this annual event. Steve, the man I was talking with, fell into that category. He said, “Ken, you know I’m not homophobic and I’d love to hear the gay perspective on Gore v. Bush?”
I can’t help smiling as I remember Steve’s question, a gift revealing so much about the stories we tell ourselves.
“Steve, how can you possibly say that you’re not homophobic?” I said in a tone that I hoped sounded kind and not accusatory. “How can anybody who grew up in the United States say they’re not at least a little bit homophobic? I’m homophobic and I’m gay. I didn’t even admit to myself that I’m gay until I was 35 because the world around me—at school, all of media, and even in my family—had convinced me that being gay was one of the worst things anyone could possibly be.”
Steve and I continued our conversation. I told him that what I’d said about homophobia applied to racism and sexism as well. These had been drilled into me every day at school and by the television shows, movies, advertising, and songs of the day. I told him that almost every one of my textbooks and educators, starting in first grade and continuing through graduate school, would have me believe that all the great achievements in science, art, government, and sports belonged to white men. People of color were depicted almost exclusively as primitives if not savages and white women were mentioned mostly as helpmates and caregivers, born to provide support but never leadership. I told Steve that I’d work the rest of my life to get homophobia, racism, sexism, and other power over patterns completely out of me and out of my workplace, family, and everywhere else where I have any hope of making an impact.
They still live inside me and show up too regularly:

  • One afternoon I noticed three African-American young men laughing with each other as they headed toward me on a sidewalk in Newark, NJ. I reached into my pocket to secure my phone and wallet. Observing my own behavior, I challenged this racist impulse by reminding myself that these young men were behaving exactly the way that my white son and his friends do when they are on their way somewhere together. I relaxed, smiled, and said a quick “hello” as they passed. They returned my greeting.
  • When opening business meetings, I remind myself to remember the importance of everyone having equal time to voice their contributions and receive validation. I note my tendency to listen more carefully to human beings whose names begin with “vice president” than those who hold lower organizational titles. I note my lingering tendency to listen to men more carefully than women and white people more carefully than people of color. I recall times when I have caught myself enacting these classist, sexist, and racist patterns. I once caught myself just after I had interrupted an African-American woman who was one of the members of a team I led. I stopped speaking and apologized to her. I also told her and the others present that cutting her off was my racism and sexism rearing its ugly head and that, unfortunately, this continues to happen sometimes despite my best efforts.
  • After interviewing an employment candidate, I told a colleague that I thought my interviewee may be a great fit with the team but worried about their health and stamina because they were extremely overweight. My colleague said, “You have no idea what kind of health problem may be lurking inside of any of us and to make an assumption that this person is close to having a disability is all kinds of problematic. I’m glad you told me what you’re thinking because it’s called body shaming and you need to own it and get past it.” The person in question turned out to be an extraordinary member of our team.

Bias and oppression:

I mentioned that I almost used my institutional power as a leader to decide against hiring a skilled professional because of their body size. How many times have hiring managers rejected a candidate for this reason or because of their skin-color, gender, or sexual orientation, all of which have nothing to do with their professional qualifications? How many times do people of color, women, queer people, and people with disabilities leave a job because their coworkers in small but cumulatively powerful ways make them feel unwelcome? Bias means I like or dislike something. Racism, sexism, homophobia, and body-shaming are biases backed up by institutional power. They are forms of oppression. Negative bias can be harmful. Oppression, on the other hand, destroys careers, lives, families, and communities.
I worked for a time within a school-based family counseling clinic where I was the only man on the staff. At one meeting, the agency’s leader wondered aloud whether I sometimes found myself on the receiving end of “sexist oppression.” She said, “You’re the only man here and it seems like we’ve been wrapped up in bridal and baby showers these past few weeks. I hope you don’t feel “oppressed by a bunch of sexist women.”
I told her that not for one moment did I feel oppressed. I remember telling her that, while I was the only man within the agency, I could walk over to the public high school we served and be in a place where the principal and superintendent were male. I mentioned that the governor was male and, moreover, that the majority of people who held positions of power everywhere were male. I had absolutely no reason to fear that the school system or any of the other institutions of our society would back an effort to mistreat me because of my gender.
Even if this leader had held a bias against men and mistreated me accordingly, this would not have been sexism. Sexism is the ancient and enduring system in which all major institutions (governments, communities of faith, educational systems, mainstream media, and large workplaces) treat women as though they have less value than men. The world has never devalued people simply because they are men.

Even small acts of resistance matter.

Just as our complicity with oppression matters, so does our resistance to it. Together, we continuously shape the institutions that create our society. Together, we are those institutions. Our resistance matters even when it takes the form of speaking just a few words. At a conference some years back one of those present repeatedly said, “There are men and there are women.” I can’t remember exactly what point he was trying to make with this pronouncement and, knowing him, I am absolutely certain that he did not mean to offend anyone. I, however, felt compelled to interject, “I just want to add that there are human beings who do not identify as either men or women.” The man who had spoken agreed entirely and thanked me for saying that. Years later I was speaking with a colleague who made a point of saying to me, “I want to thank you. Years ago, we were at a conference together and you spoke up for the existence of trans people when I was feeling like their existence was being denied. I wanted to speak—my sibling is trans—but didn’t have the courage. I’ll always remember what you said and how it helped me feel comfortable again in that meeting.”

Privilege and oppression:

Privilege and oppression are two sides of the same coin. You can’t have one without the other. Women being paid less than men for the same job (sexism) means that men are receiving more pay than women for that job (male privilege). African-American defendants given more significant jail sentences than white defendants for the same crime (racism) means that lesser sentences are being given to white defendants (white privilege). When same sex couples could not obtain the legal protections of marriage (homophobia) the fact that only opposite sex couples were able to receive these protections was an example of heterosexual privilege. Sexism cannot exist without male privilege, racism cannot exist without white privilege, homophobia cannot exist without heterosexual privilege, and so on. This is how power over works. For every oppressed group another group receives privilege. The remedy to privilege and oppression, the foundation of power with, is equality. Equality, the foundation of power with, will be the remedy.

Institutionalized Power Over Creates Privilege and Oppression

Male Privilege/Sexism

Cisgender Privilege/Transphobia

White Privilege/Racism

Youth Privilege/Ageism

Class (Organizational Level) Privilege/ Classism

Able Privilege (Including Mental Wellness Privilege) /Ableism (Including Mental Illness Stigma)
Heterosexual Privilege/Homophobia

Beauty Privilege/Body Shaming

Acknowledging the realities of privilege and oppression and accepting where we stand personally can make us feel deeply uncomfortable because, mainly, we take our privileges for granted. It may be difficult for a white person to see that not having to worry that we’ll be followed by a department store’s security staff as a suspected shoplifter is a privilege—but it is. Cisgender people may not be aware that it is a privilege to never have to worry that we may face assault as a result of our gender expression. People who live with heart disease, diabetes, migraines, and back problems may occasionally talk with their coworkers about how they’re doing with these conditions. They benefit from the concern and support they receive. Some of these people may never have imagined that this sort of supportive conversation is a privilege generally unavailable to people who live with anxiety, depression, and addiction disorders.
It’s a privilege to actively demonstrate racist, sexist, and other oppressive behaviors and not be held accountable for the impact of these behaviors upon others. We may never have been asked to consider how saying “that’s so gay” in the presence of a person struggling with accepting their sexual orientation may contribute to their feelings of isolation and despair. We may never have been challenged when we’ve made disparaging comments about people who practice a particular faith or people who live with disabilities. We may have made hiring, promotion, or key assignment decisions that were shaped at least in part by our sexist concern that a female team member, because of her gender alone, may be less devoted to her work than her male colleague. Because it can be uncomfortable to look at the ways that the world grants us advantages and the ways that we participate in sexism, racism, and other oppressions, we often resort to an all-too-human solution: denial.

Moving beyond denial:

How many times have you seen an interviewer on one of the cable news shows ask their on-air guests to opine on whether or not one public figure or another, usually an elected official, is a racist? The question always gets asked in a tone fraught with tense anticipation, as though the interviewer might just as well be asking whether the guest thinks that individual is a serial killer.
The tension surrounding this question reflects our dilemma regarding whether or not we can tell the truth about our power over system and the privileges and oppressions it requires. For well-intentioned people to benefit from the privileges delivered by this inherently unjust arrangement, without feeling bad about it, we must deny what is happening. Our denial shows up when we:

  • Resist examining our own racist, sexist, and homophobic thoughts and behavior and, as a result, continue them unchanged.
  • Become defensive rather than appreciative when our ideas and behavior related to diversity and power are challenged by others.
  • Reflexively defend rather than critically examine and work to make the institutions with which we identify more inclusive.

Our denial of oppression and privilege is what makes the question “Is (insert public figure’s name here) a racist?” so fraught with taboo, so full of potential for drama, and, hence, so irresistible for broadcasters. The question leads nowhere constructive, however.
Imagine a broadcast in which the interviewer asks a different question: “Given that we’re a society struggling to overcome racism, sexism, homophobia, and classism, how do you think (insert name here) is doing at challenging their own racism, sexism, and homophobia and leading us toward a future built on equality?” This question removes the need to deny the “isms” that live within the institutions of our society and us as individuals. It opens a path that leads away from power over and toward power with. The question frees us to say, “Of course, given my background and experiences in this society’s power over system, I have been indoctrinated into these ways of thinking and behaving. This admission does not make me a bad person. On the contrary, it frees me to examine myself and make healing changes in the ways I think and behave. It frees me to recognize another way forward.”
This admission also empowers me to challenge others from a place of love and understanding. When Steve, the man I mentioned at the start of this piece, said “You know I’m not homophobic and I’d love to hear the gay perspective on Gore v. Bush,” I saw that in one sentence he had managed to both deny and demonstrate homophobia (imagine asking a heterosexual person for the heterosexual perspective on Gore v. Bush). I also understood that I have done similar things too many times to count. I challenged him knowing that he and I are in this together.

I’ll bring this piece to a close by paraphrasing the words of great minds such as Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Paulo Freire: Pretending neutrality means siding with those who oppress. We are either working to end the attitudes and behaviors—in ourselves and in the institutions of the world around us—that support power over or we are supporting the continuation of those attitudes and behavior. There is no neutral ground.
I will continue to work on this aspect of radical self-awareness personally and share additional insights with you along the way. I look forward to hearing from you as well.

Key Points:

  1. Accepting that I have internalized racist, sexist, and other oppressive attitudes does not make me a bad person. On the contrary, it means I’m being honest about the ways that the world around me has shaped my thoughts and behavior.
  2. Acknowledging my participation in racist, sexist, and other oppressive patterns of thought and behavior can be a powerful first step toward change.
  3. Denial is the enemy of personal and systemic change.
  4. Vigilance regarding my own behavior and appreciative response to constructive feedback from others are essential for deepening self-awareness and increasing positive interactions with others of all backgrounds.
  5. My behavior matters because, together with others, we shape institutions–workplaces, government, educational systems, families, communities–as they shape us and those who come after us.
  6. Power over systems strive to create us and them distinctions. Power with systems strive to affirm that there is no them, only us.

Ken Dolan-Del Vecchio, LMFT, SPHR, is an award-winning leader, speaker, consultant, author, and family therapist. He founded GreenGate Leadership® in 2017 after retiring from his role as Vice President, Health and Wellness, at Prudential, where he was responsible for behavioral health services. His team’s work led Prudential to receive the American Psychological Association’s 2017 Organizational Excellence Award. Ken was honored with the 2017 Leadership Award from the Employee Assistance Society of North America (EASNA). The National Alliance on Mental Illness’ New York City Metro Chapter named him 2016 Corporate Leader of the Year. Ken has authored four books and numerous other publications. He is a monthly NBC TV affiliate on-air guest and has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, Entrepreneur, Inc. Magazine and other media. Learn more at www.greengateleadership.com

Radical Self-Awareness #1 – Introduction: The Importance of Power

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For more than three decades, I’ve been studying human and organizational behavior and sharing what I’ve learned through my work as a speaker, consultant, coach, and therapist. The most important thing I’ve come to know: there will always be more to learn and one of the best learning tools is dialog. So, after you’ve read this piece and those that follow please send me your thoughts, questions, and suggestions—whatever you’d like to share. I look forward to hearing from you and will respond as applicable.
I am excited to bring you this first in a series of articles exploring radical self-awareness. I use this term to describe self-understanding that incorporates awareness of how gender, race, and other identity aspects, including organizational title, shape our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, how we relate to others, and the expectations with which we approach the world. I’ll share concepts, tools, and recommendations that have helped my clients improve their relationships at work, home, and beyond.
Let’s start by examining power, something rarely mentioned despite the fact that it shapes every interpersonal relationship. The rules set by power are so much a part of our lives, like the rules of nature that compel us to breathe, drink, and eat, that we almost always comply without much thought. Here, however, the rules are man-made and following them doesn’t always serve our best interests. We are wise, therefore, to switch off auto-pilot, observe carefully, and practice conscious decision-making.

What is power?

Power is the ability to shape important aspects of our lives, including the ease with which we acquire essentials such as food, water, safety, and shelter. The amount of power we have determines the flexibility with which we can interact with other people, the world of work, and the natural world. The more power we hold, the more control we have over our time and energy. The less power we hold, the more our time and energy gets devoted to activities directed by other people.
Each of us begins life as a powerless infant. We gain power through gifts of nature and from the people who care for us. Many of these power-enhancing gifts develop over the course of years: our size, physical strength, and our ever-improving communication, self-control, and other social skills, to name a few. In our culture, and many others as well, we may draw the greatest share of our power from the amount of money we accumulate and the extent to which we enjoy positive connections with people who have even more than we do.
We gain power other ways as well, through education and training that leads to professional credentials and occupational skills, and through life experiences that key us in to how the world works—the power of “street smarts.”
Our gender, race, sexual orientation, disability status, the degree to which our bodies conform to prevailing standards of beauty, as well as other personal characteristics beyond our control, also contribute greatly to the amount of power we hold. We receive privileges based upon these and other aspects of ourselves, something we’ll discuss in much greater detail in subsequent articles.

Pay attention to power.

If you want to make sense of human relationships, start by paying attention to power. The power a person has and how they choose to use it reveals a great deal about how best to approach living and working with them. I can also tell you that nothing will better help you craft a fulfilling life and career than an honest effort to grasp your own way of understanding and using power.
Disregard power at your own risk. You’ll find yourself lacking an important lens for understanding people and relationships. I’ve known organizational leaders, HR professionals, and therapists who fall into this category. They often see only a communication problem where the essential issue has everything to do with power.

Communication problems?

My phone is dead and I need to make a call. I speak only English and need to share information with someone who speaks only German (I’m on a train somewhere between Berlin and Frankfurt as I write these words). These are communication problems. The following workplace complaints represent something altogether different.

  • “When I asked a question about the new process my boss got a glazed look in her eyes, folded her arms, and before I’d even finished what I had to say, she said, ‘Why don’t you just follow the guidelines I sent out yesterday?’”
  • “I was facilitating training with an IT group when one of the participants went off! He stood up and started yelling at me—and he was a huge guy!” I backed up and let him rant until he kind of wore himself out. Then I told the group to take a break. As they were walking out of the room two people said to me, ‘Don’t worry, that’s just Stan—he’s brilliant and he flies off the handle about everything but he’s completely harmless.’”
  • “I can’t get anywhere with this health insurance claim. Twice now I’ve called the insurance plan and then given them all the information they asked for from my care provider. I just called them for the third time and was told once again that I’d misunderstood them and they need more information. I can’t believe how much time this is taking.”

Do these incidents sound familiar? They’re examples of the breakdown in communication that results from the misuse of power. In the first case, the boss uses her organizational power as a formal leader to disregard her team member’s words. She would benefit from coaching that reminds her of the power she holds as a leader and how important it is to consistently use her power in ways that help team members feel listened to and respected. In the second example, Stan uses the power that comes with his physical size and his value as a “brilliant” technician to get away with intimidating outbursts. There are Stans in almost every organization: employees whose behavior goes unchecked because the benefits of their strong technical skills are thought to outweigh the negative effects of their tantrums. The costs to the organization in terms of turnover, stress, and reduced productivity are overlooked…until violence and/or legal complaints happen. The tragedy here is that leadership’s unwillingness to hold Stan accountable serves nobody’s interest, Stan included, and the right kind of response may well reform Stan’s negative behavior. In the third example, the health insurance representatives use their power to blame and further confuse their plan participant instead of using their power to help get this claim paid. Experience tells me that this misuse of power is extraordinarily common. It begs for an employer-based oversight mechanism ensuring that every claim, brought by an employee or family member, is processed correctly and within a reasonable time frame. Such a mechanism can level the power imbalance between plan participant and health insurer, encouraging the latter to behave more responsibly.
I mentioned earlier how important it is for us to know where we stand when it comes to power. I worked with the most senior leader in a corporate group who loved to display his sarcastic sense of humor. He would say things like, “Oh, I’m surprised to see that you’re working from work today” to an employee who periodically worked from home. Many within his organization understood that he was just having fun and meant no harm. On occasion, however, someone would get upset. I remember talking with him about how important it is to remember that when he speaks to members of his group he is speaking as everybody’s boss and not just as another human being.

Two visions of power:

Broadly speaking, there are two ways to exercise power. We can use power as the right to dominate (power over) or the responsibility to support shared success (power with). The age-old history of human beings choosing the former, more consistently than the latter, lies behind practically everything that’s wrong today. Power over is the rationale behind our efforts to dominate instead of respect the natural world, the cause of a myriad of environmental crises, including, of course, the growing climate crisis. Power over is what ordained two rigidly defined genders as a first step toward justifying domination of one by the other. (Power over within human systems requires us and them distinctions as a starting place.) Thus, power over is the birthplace of patriarchy and sexism. Every additional “us and them” oppression starts from a power over mindset. The list includes racism, homophobia, transphobia, ageism, classism, ableism, antisemitism, Islamophobia, and stigmatizing people who live with certain illnesses (mental illnesses for example). They are all faces of the same evil and they are interconnected in important ways. We’ll discuss them at greater length later on.
Of course, the list above is far from exhaustive. Within work teams, the imposition of power over can be based upon differences that include:

  • Those who have worked with the leader previously, perhaps at a different company, vs those who have not worked with the leader previously.
  • Those who like linear project plans vs those who prefer less rigidly structured approaches.
  • Those with a boisterous interpersonal style vs those who lean toward introversion.

Power with, the alternative to power over, sees power not as the opportunity to dominate and control but, instead, as the responsibility to bring about good things for everybody involved. It is the essence of great leadership, partnering, parenting, and friendship. Indeed, power with is the essence of love.
The table below contrasts key elements of power over and power with.

Power Over

Power With

The right to dominate

Responsibility for shared success

Command and control

Facilitation

Punitive

Collaborative

Ranks differences

Appreciates differences

“I’m right and you’re wrong.”

“Hmm, I’ve never thought of it that way before.”
One person’s gain requires another’s loss.

Everyone gains.

The following questions can help you use the power over/power with lens to gain insights at work.

  • Which approach to power best characterizes my workplace?
  • If my workplace has a power over hierarchy, is there any effort underway to shift toward power with? How can I contribute to such an effort?
  • Where does my immediate supervisor’s behavior fit on this table? What about that person’s supervisor at the next level in the power structure?
  • Where would those who report to me and/or my colleagues and coworkers place my behavior?
  • How does my approach to power change when I’m under pressure?
  • To what degree would those around me say I use power over related to privileges connected to my gender, race, sexual orientation and/or other aspects of my identity?
  • In what ways am I working to understand and discard my use of power over related to these privileges?

The power over/power with distinction helps me make sense of relationships at work, within couples and family systems, and within larger systems as well. It can be eye-opening to evaluate community and world events using this framework. Finally, and perhaps most important of all, I use the power over/power with framework to gain insights regarding my own behavior. I hope you find this tool similarly helpful.
Stay with me through this article series. I’ll share what I’ve learned and what I’m learning about how to consistently strive for power with, a cornerstone of radical self-awareness. While I’ll focus mostly on the world of work, the content will also help with life beyond the workplace. If you’d like practical guidance on healthy ways to use power with in couple relationships and as a parent, see my books, Making Love, Playing Power: Men, Women and the Rewards of Intimate Justice and Simple Habits of Exceptional (But Not Perfect) Parents.
As mentioned earlier, I invite your thoughts on this and subsequent articles and I’ll respond as applicable. Please contact me also if you’d like to discuss a speaking event, coaching, or consulting. I look forward to hearing from you.

Click Here To Read Radical Self-Awareness #2 – Is He a Racist? It’s the Wrong Question.

 

Ken Dolan-Del Vecchio, LMFT, SPHR, is an award-winning leader, speaker, consultant, author, and family therapist. He founded GreenGate Leadership® in 2017 after retiring from his role as Vice President, Health and Wellness, at Prudential, where he was responsible for behavioral health services. His team’s work led Prudential to receive the American Psychological Association’s 2017 Organizational Excellence Award. Ken was honored with the 2017 Leadership Award from the Employee Assistance Society of North America (EASNA). The National Alliance on Mental Illness’ New York City Metro Chapter named him 2016 Corporate Leader of the Year. Ken has authored four books and numerous other publications. He is a monthly NBC TV affiliate on-air guest and has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, Entrepreneur, Inc. Magazine and other media. Learn more at www.greengateleadership.com

Prudential Receives 2017 American Psychological Association Organizational Excellence Award

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Making Mental Health Manageable

Unlike some physical ailments, mental health disorders are often less outwardly evident. This, combined with stigma, makes it easy for many people to avoid talking about mental illness or deny its existence altogether. And in the workplace, the mere mention of stress, depression or anxiety can make an otherwise capable manager uncomfortable.

In the absence of timely and appropriate intervention, mental health problems can undermine a company’s culture and even affect its bottom line through absenteeism, lost productivity, reduced individual and team performance and, ultimately, diminished returns.

Bringing the subject out into the open and tackling it head-on requires equal parts courage and determination, thoughtful planning, ongoing training and sustained outreach at all levels of an organization. In this regard, Prudential Financial is uniquely positioned to lead the way in mental health awareness in the workplace.

A decade ago, Prudential’s leadership looked at the fallout from mental health issues among their 20,000 employees in the U.S. and resolved to take action. Long recognized for its pioneering dedication to employee well-being (its first onsite health clinic was established in 1911), the company’s health and wellness experts have mounted an ambitious internal and external effort to challenge people’s long-held perceptions of mental illness and get them talking, without fear of embarrassment or reprisal. Prudential’s leaders have also teamed up with executives and professional groups in the larger business community to combat stigma on an even broader scale.

In recognition of the company’s successful, ongoing efforts to promote psychological well-being and destigmatize mental health issues within its own work culture and beyond, the American Psychological Association is proud to honor Prudential Financial with its 2017 Organizational Excellence Award.

Breaking down barriers

When K. Andrew Crighton, MD, joined Prudential in 1999 as vice president and chief medical officer, most employee health activities were being carried out in onsite health clinics in the larger Prudential offices by medical professionals and employee assistance program (EAP) specialists. Crighton, who also directs health strategy, expanded Prudential’s mental health offerings and also broadened the company’s definition of health, identifying five interdependent “dimensions of health” on which all of Prudential’s wellness efforts are based.

All of the dimensions are considered equally important, but the emotional component is key to Prudential’s efforts to raise awareness of mental health issues, remove barriers associated with stigma, and encourage meaningful dialogue. Getting to that point involves every member of the Prudential family.

“We focus on the individual, but we’re also here to help the manager and the team,” Crighton says. “If we don’t include the manager and team as participants, it’s less likely that employees will feel supported and can flourish.”

Assessing and addressing risk

Ken Dolan-Del Vecchio, MSW, vice president, health and wellness, has been with Prudential for 19 years. Reporting to and working closely with Crighton, Dolan-Del Vecchio is the company’s senior behavioral health specialist and a member of its Behavioral Health Services group, which provides counseling, assessment and training as well as employee coaching and healthpromotion activities.

“When people come to work, or whether they’re working remotely, the culture of the work environment is extraordinarily important,” says Dolan-Del Vecchio. “Because on any given workday, we spend most of our waking hours engaged in work activity. So the extent to which that workplace supports our health is vitally important to our ability to make the best contributions.”

In 2007, Prudential’s Health and Wellness team introduced Prudential’s first annual employee Health Risk Assessment questionnaire. Questions touch on the five dimensions of health, and the assessment takes about half an hour to complete.

“The assessment is the big component of a number of measurements we take to evaluate the overall health of our organization,” Crighton explains. But presenting the data, he says, requires a human approach. “Most of our programs and interventions are driven by data that we then make accessible by telling the human stories behind the numbers. That resonates with employees and leaders alike.”

More than three-quarters of Prudential employees took the assessment in its first year. The aggregate data suggested that stress and depression were significant risk factors for employees. The following year, during the nation’s economic downturn, the data revealed that more than a third of employees were experiencing stress related to finances.

Prudential’s leadership responded by greatly expanding resources targeted to those risk factors and more. Among the services now available at no cost to Prudential employees and their families are those designed to alleviate some of the stressors that can lead to depression and other mental health problems:

  • Internal Behavioral Health Services’ confidential counseling
  • External EAPface-to-face counseling
  • Personal budget coaching
  • Adult care coaching
  • Work-life resources and referral services
  • Up to 200 hours backup dependent adult care

Prudential even offers hotlines for employees who prefer to seek help anonymously. There are monthly “Stress Busters” events and “Budget Boosters” workshops on money management to reduce financial stress. Regular lunchtime learning sessions are hosted by onsite health professionals and guest speakers. And since 2016, Prudential has offered weekly 15-minute “Take a Break, Take a Breath” stress-relieving meditation sessions.

Each year since the first assessment, the risk factors for stress and depression have steadily declined. For example, the incidence of financial stress has dropped from 34 percent to 16 percent — below the national benchmark.

Taking the message on the road

“Psychological and mental health is something we’ve worked hard to care for in the workplace in ways that are protective, proactive and instructive,” says Sharon C. Taylor, Prudential’s senior vice president of human resources, whose responsibilities include the company’s health and wellness programs. With 41 years at Prudential and 20 of those years in human resources, Taylor has witnessed a sea change in the company’s approach to employee well-being.

“Before we began seriously addressing stigma, you would hear people say they were stressed out,” Taylor says. “But heaven forbid you mentioned anything related to mental or emotional health. Managers didn’t want to pry, so they tended to stand down. We needed to move beyond that.”

And move they did.

Ken Dolan-Del Vecchio Awarded 2017 Employee Assistance Society of North America (EASNA) Leadership Award

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EASNA Corporate Awards Honor Cargill, Inc., and Canadian National for Innovative Workplace EAP Programs, EASNA Leadership Award Winner Named

Alexandria, VA, April 26, 2017—The Employee Assistance Society of North America (EASNA) announces its 13th Annual Corporate Awards of Excellence winners. The award is given yearly to showcase the excellence, innovation, and impact of Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) in the workplace. This year’s winners, or the EAPs, will deliver a brief presentation about their programs at the 29th Annual Institute, EASNA’s annual conference, May 10-12 at the Westin Buckhead Atlanta in Atlanta, Georgia, United States.

The following companies have been selected as the 2017 winners:

  • In the U.S., the winner is Cargill, Inc., whose EAP is Morneau Shepell.
  • In Canada, the winner is Canadian National, whose EAP is Morneau Shepell.

An independent panel of judges reviews Corporate Award submissions and evaluates them on a series of criteria that underscore the importance of integrating the services of an EAP provider to ensure the health and well-being of the company’s workforce. For more information about the Corporate Award winners, go to: https://www.easna.org/conferences/corporate-award-winners/

EASNA’s Leadership Award recognizes an individual who throughout his or her career demonstrated ongoing commitment and support of EAP and workplace health. The third annual Leadership Award will be presented to Ken Dolan-Del Vecchio, LCSW, LMFT, who recently retired from his position as Vice President of Health and Wellness at Prudential Financial. Dolan-Del Vecchio was nominated by FEI Behavioral Health.

Dolan-Del Vecchio in collaboration with medical leadership, created, developed and administered the Prudential health and wellness organization, which coordinates and implements a unique array of services including onsite medical, EAP, work-life, financial, disability management, employee education and critical incident response.  His rigorous re-evaluation of employee health has dramatically redefined Prudential’s understanding of wellness, establishing it as a corporate model of well-being.

Dolan-Del Vecchio is a nationally recognized expert on mental health and the workplace and has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Smart Money, Fox Business News, and other media. He is the author of three books. In 2016, he was named Corporate Leader of the Year by the National Alliance of Mental Illness’ NYC-Metro Chapter. Ken earned his bachelor’s degree in biopsychology at Cornell University and his Master’s degree in social work at Hunter College of the City University of New York.

As the employee assistance industry’s trade association, EASNA advances the competitive excellence of its members by fostering best practices, research, education, and advocacy in behavioral health and wellness that impacts workplace performance.

Should Providers Ask, “How’s Your Financial Health?

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Money may not be the root of all evil but it can be the root of a lot of problems, including mental health problems. But for clinicians, talking about it is taboo.

The amount of money we have and the way we manage it can greatly affect psychological wellbeing, with devastating consequences too frequently associated with financial stress. Between 2008 and 2010, more than 10,000 suicides across the U.S., Canada, and Europe were directly attributed to the global economic crisis. Read more

2016 Corporate Leader Award

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Ken Dolan-Del Vecchio Awarded 2016 Corporate Leader Award, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) – New York City Metro Chapter

Shift Workplace Culture, Help Break The Silence

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The silence that surrounds mental health issues is often the result of shame and fear. This is particularly true in the workplace, where many worry they will suffer professional consequences if their co-workers and supervisors learn of their behavioral health challenges.

Sometimes, however, people keep silent about behavioral health issues simply because there is no space for such conversations in their workplace. If there is no precedent for initiating these sorts of conversations and people are not invited to share information about behavioral health matters, they likely will not feel comfortable discussing them. And so they remain silent, unsure of how—or where—to raise the topic.

At Prudential, we have worked to create an environment where people can talk openly about their behavioral health issues without fear of reprisal or recrimination. By establishing and promoting policies that acknowledge mental health needs—and more specifically, policies related to discrimination, harassment, and the Americans with Disabilities Act—we laid the ground work. But fostering a workplace where employees truly feel safe mentioning their behavioral health problems and seeking appropriate assistance and accommodations requires something more.

The “something more” that we’ve added: an ongoing campaign of communications, webinars, and large-scale events that highlight the prevalence of mental health conditions, the importance of talking about mental health conditions in the same way you would physical illnesses, resources that are available, and the important role supervisors play in creating welcoming and helpful environments for all employees.

Included in this campaign is a series of “Profiles in Courage” videos highlighting employees’ personal experiences with depression, addiction, and intimate partner violence. The individuals featured on these videos have also spoken about their personal experiences at company events attended and/or video-streamed by thousands of employees. In each case, the employee told their own story, including how their supervisor and the company’s resources helped. All of these efforts build awareness and a culture of support. They create openings for people with mental health conditions to voice their needs, be responded to with respect and kindness, and get referred to resources as needed.

I am proud of the culture we’re building here, but admit it was not always this way. To get where we are today took a concerted commitment, the support of senior leadership, and the bravery of those first people who came forward to speak about their issues and need for help. Through a collective effort, we were able to shift our workplace culture to one that includes conversations about behavioral health.

This sort of environment may seem unachievable in your own workplace, but culture is dynamic. There are actions any leader, manager, or individual employee can take to move the culture in a positive direction. Here are five ways you can help shift your workplace culture and create a space for open dialogue about behavioral health.

1. Make the business case

To create a mental health-friendly workplace, you must have the support of organizational leaders. The best way to secure that support is to establish the connection between employees’ mental health and their performance and productivity.  For example, depression is estimated to cause 200 million lost workdays each year. When leaders understand the connection between behavioral health and business success, they are more likely to encourage conversation about behavioral health.

That is why when we discuss behavioral health policies and programs with leaders here at Prudential, we make sure they understand we’re not talking about health as though it occurs in a vacuum. We emphasize optimal health, including mental health, as a significant contributor to top performance.

2. Work = health and health = work

In your workplace, you may encounter leaders who view health as a purely private matter; one that has nothing to do with the workplace. These leaders may feel sympathetic to their employees’ behavioral health challenges, but also believe the workplace is not where employees’ stress, isolation, depression, health issues, or financial challenges should be mentioned or addressed.

In taking what they presume to be a neutral position regarding the health of their employees, these leaders make two important errors:

  1. They inadvertently reinforce the stigma that quiets all mention of mental health conditions, thereby reinforcing the likelihood that employees with these conditions will shy away from using resources that could help.
  2. They miss a great opportunity for shaping culture and performance. People spend most of their waking hours at work and the work environment has an undeniably significant impact upon overall health. When leaders pay no attention to this, they lose the opportunity to promote optimal health and, with it, an opportunity to promote optimal performance.

The idea that a workplace can have a neutral impact on health, or that health is irrelevant to the workplace, is an illusion. Every workplace is either adding to the health of its employees or challenging the health of its employees. It doesn’t make sense to leave this to chance.

3. Establish behavioral health as an important piece of your overall health strategy

At Prudential, our health and wellness strategy is built upon a multi-dimensional view of health. Prudential Health and Wellness works to empower individuals to reach their greatest potential across five dimensions of health: physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and financial.

graphic

These five pillars help us to build more complete health and wellness programs and services that more adequately address the full spectrum of wellness. We emphasize this philosophy through ongoing messaging to employees at all organizational levels. The more our workforce hears that emotional health is part of the larger health pie, the more discussion of behavioral health becomes normalized and accepted.

Here, we even go one step further, articulating that mental health is more than just one aspect of the health puzzle; it is a foundation piece that supports all five dimensions of health. That’s because optimal health results from our daily habits: what we choose to eat, how active we are, our compliance with recommended health screenings, how much rest we allow ourselves, our ability to emphasize pleasurable thoughts and feelings, the time we spend with our families and loved ones, the ways that we celebrate our connection to that which is greater than ourselves, and the ways we manage our money, for example. All of these “behaviors” together determine the extent to which we achieve our overall health potential.

Mental health conditions can undermine all of the healthy habits mentioned above. Mental wellness, on the other hand, supports our ability to maintain these habits. Mental health, therefore, affects overall health in a significant way.

4. Jumpstart the conversation

As mentioned above, Prudential team members, including senior leaders, have shared their stories of depression, domestic violence, and addiction at major company events and via widely-viewed videos. They did so with the hope that others would recognize themselves in these stories and feel empowered to seek help. Their accounts were personal, powerful, and deeply appreciated.

If there is an employee at your own workplace who is already open about mental health issues or their recovery from addiction, ask if they might consider addressing co-workers about the topic. And if there is not an in-house person able to stand up and share his or her story, invite a community member to do so. Just hearing these topics discussed in the work setting may prompt people suffering with similar issues to seek help.

5. Talk, talk, talk

Perhaps the simplest, but most significant, action you can take is to talk about behavioral health conditions with your co-workers the same way you might discuss other medical concerns. For example, it would not be unusual for someone to tell a co-worker, “My mom is having a hard time with her chemotherapy and we’re all really pulling for her” or “My brother just had a heart attack and he’s on the mend.”

Yet, few people feel comfortable discussing behavioral health conditions in the work environment because of the stigma these conditions still carry. Each of us can help break that stigma by inserting more of the truth of our lives into casual conversations. It can be as simple as one co-worker saying to another: “My mom got mugged last year and her PTSD flares up now and then, making it hard for her to sleep and a bit anxious overall—we’re all pulling for her” or “My brother is such a great guy, and he’s been struggling with serious depression. Fortunately, he now seems to be on the mend.”

When we start discussing behavioral health openly and honestly, we pave the way for those who live with mental health conditions to feel as visible and welcome as those who live with diabetes, back pain, hypertension, and other health conditions.

As Mr. Rogers used to say, “If it’s mentionable it’s manageable.” Let’s make mental health conditions mentionable at work so more of us can get connected to the resources that make mental health conditions manageable.

Your Turn

  • Under what circumstances have or would you speak about mental health conditions at the workplace?
  • What has been your reaction from co-workers when speaking about mental health conditions at the workplace?

Bio
As a member of the Prudential Financial Inc. Health and Wellness’ leadership team, Ken Dolan-Del Vecchio is responsible for behavioral health and employee assistance program (EAP) services, implementation of Prudential’s work-life resource and referral services, and coordinating Prudential’s Incident Oversight Team. He provides consultation to managers, HR professionals, and work groups on issues related to leadership skills, interpersonal behavior, addictions, and violence prevention. Ken is a member of the American Family Therapy Academy, a national association for family therapy educators, clinicians, and researchers, a member of the boards of directors of The Multicultural Family Institute in Highland Park, New Jersey, and the Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence. He is a past member of the board of directors of the New Jersey Association of Domestic Violence Professionals. Ken is the author of two nonfiction books, a family therapy textbook, and several articles/chapters in family therapy texts and journals.

Five tips to shift workplace culture and create a space for open dialogue about mental health

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MMM: Ken Dolan-Del Vecchio

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Kenneth Dolan-Del Vecchio, MSW is an author, health and wellness executive, family therapist, organizational consultant, and human resources leader. As Vice President, Health and Wellness, at Prudential Financial, Ken holds responsibility for behavioral health services provided to 20,000 domestic employees, cross-functional workplace violence prevention, and collaborative development/delivery of leadership skills and health-promotion initiatives. Read more