Mental Health Awareness Month

May is Mental Health Awareness Month—a time to highlight the importance of mental health, while offering resources for those in need. It’s also a great time to examine how mental health intersects with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts in the workplace.

A lack of representation, microaggressions, implicit bias, and other stressors can impact an employee’s mental health and psychological safety at work. As Dan Gillian, the CEO of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), states, “The effect of racism and racial trauma on mental health is real and cannot be ignored.” Challenges related to racial discrimination, institutional prejudice, social isolation, political repression, and economic marginalization can all affect a person’s mental, emotional, and physical health.

But by prioritizing mental health in DEI initiatives and understanding how the two are greatly intertwined, we can work towards fostering a safe and supportive workplace where employees feel valued, respected, and accepted. We can prioritize mental health in our DEI initiatives by:

• Starting the conversation and creating a culture of open communication
• Taking implicit bias training to help build diverse teams and celebrating cultural differences
• Offering flexible work arrangements to accommodate different needs and encourage employees to take time-off
• Promoting mental health resources and the Employee Assistance Program (EAP)