On De-stigmatizing Mental Health Issues and De-Stressing Women at Work
A recent study by Deloitte Women @ Work Report revealed that half of working women reported higher stress levels than last year, and that the trifecta of stress, stigmas and safety concerns are the most critical workplace issues impacting women’s careers. But despite improvements since last year’s report, employers are still not successfully supporting or accommodating women. A column in CM sister pub PRNEWS examines this disconnect and provides suggestions for how to empower and enable women to not only write their own rules but feel supported at all stages of their career.
“Since 2020, hybrid and remote work policies significantly divide people into two categories: those in favor and the naysayers,” writes Jennifer Risi, Founder and President of The Sway Effect. “The Deloitte report explored the hybrid work option and found that these work experiences are improving, but women, specifically, had to make significant adjustments at work and in their personal lives following rigid Return to Office (RTO) policies. No surprise that a quarter of women said their mental health has been negatively impacted, and a fifth said it has made them less productive,” she says.
Though hybrid work isn’t for every employer, it should be available to every woman, she argues. Moreover, mental health issues should be de-stigmatized. But “don’t just tell employees that their mental health matters,” she says. “Create an open-door policy that embraces a judgment-free space for discussions about burnout or an increase in stress. If a company has a workplace stigma around mental health, don’t ignore it. Own up to it and create a plan to fix it.”
Read the full column in PRNEWS.
