Work Place Culture and the Essential Need for Diverse Mental Health

We cannot fail to recognise, how leaders and businesses are now faced with the challenge of how they can authentically and realistically respond to the burning interest and need for sufficient diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), as well as good mental health and well-being within their workplace culture. Such focus has never been stronger; sparked by the Me-too Movement highlighting abuse against women, the recent Global Covid-19 Pandemic and its impact on mental health, as well as the powerful wave of racial and social justice protests and commentaries.

The path to meeting this challenge, is not an easy one. To achieve significant and meaningful progress genuine commitment and on-going investment are essential. One thing clearly required, is the willingness to acknowledge, discuss and address the very issues, many people and organisations find uncomfortable and difficult to address. Namely, the stigma, prejudice, discrimination, abuse and inequity related to poor mental health, mental illness, women and people from diverse backgrounds.

Mental Health & Detrimental Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Factors

The reality is, that within the workplace and wider society, there exists negative bias and harmful behaviour, which is perpetrated through racism, sexism, other isms, discrimination, violent attacks, threats, abuse, exclusion, inequity, injustice and mistreatment. This is particularly evident for women, Black and Brown, mixed heritage, indigenous people, members of the LGBTQ+ community, those with a disability, people on the neurodiverse spectrum, people from a different ethnic background, religion, lower economic or social status, those with mental health difficulties and the older population. The impact, of these detrimental factors contribute to the occurrence and exasperation of poor mental health and mental illness.

When people within society are continually confronted, from an early age, with negative and harmful experiences, the development of poor mental health, deficient well-being and mental ill health is inevitable.

How Can Businesses Effectively Move Forward with Productive Mental Health & DEI?

We have generally looked at mental health and well-being as being separate issues to DEI, when in fact these issues are closely and strongly connected. To create inclusive work cultures where everyone, can be well and healthy, it is vital to develop constructive mentally healthy DEI environments, which address the detrimental DEI factors, that harm people’s mental health and well-being.

This fundamental “Diverse Mental Health” Approach essentially considers a person’s lived experience, diverse background and the mentally damaging aspects associated to DEI enabling:

• The elimination of harmful attitudes and behaviour, along with the dismantling of detrimental structures and processes.
• The necessary creation of greater human equity and inclusion.
• Enhanced creativity and problem solving.
• Increased productivity and engagement
• The building of positive and constructive relationships

Understanding the connection and effectively addressing the issues, related to mental health and detrimental DEI factors, enables the development of safer environments, functional communities and positive employee interaction and work dynamics. All of which benefit healthy development, along with personal and business growth.

Five Major Barriers to Diverse Mental Health

There are no quick and easy solutions here. The fact is, working to change negative cultural attitudes and behaviour, towards mental health, women and people of diverse backgrounds*, is a tough reality. These perspectives and behaviours have been formed through an enduring cultural and historical progression, which is deeply ingrained from childhood and has consequently become psychologically embedded in our reactions and mindset, as well as reflected in societal dynamics and established within institutional structures.

Five major barriers, which have tended to cloud and hinder progress on the creation of mentally healthy, diverse and inclusive work cultures is the lack of:

1. Understanding around the in-depth, complex and difficult issues involved.
2. Genuine and significant commitment to engaging with the relevant people and groups.?
3. Willingness to invest the necessary time, resources and finances.
4. Willingness to challenge the status quo and to change the deep-rooted ideology and structures, which maintain a dysfunctional, harmful and inadequate system.
5. Willingness to take responsibility, to hold oneself or relevant parties accountable.

Seven Effective Steps to Overcoming Barriers?

Without a doubt, overcoming these barriers, requires strong leadership, clear vision, intentional action and on-going personal and professional commitment, along with the willingness to address the difficult issues.

Seven essential steps, which effectively tackle these barriers, and enable progress relate to:

1. Self-reflection: Taking time to reflect on pre-conceived ideas about mental health & DEI, through questioning one’s own bias, along with examining the basis on which one’s perspective and feelings are based, can develop greater awareness helping to form more constructive responses.
2. Challenge: Questioning and calling out negative mental health attitudes, behaviour and messages, as well as harmful DEI factors is tough. This is not only because these are deeply rooted and often established from very early on in life, but is further compounded by the fact, that this process is very uncomfortable and risks unfavourable consequences. Focusing on positive leadership, role modelling and the creation of a constructive no tolerance culture, which is safe and supportive can foster environments, which enable detrimental experiences to be challenged and beneficial ones to be formed.
3. Re-learning: It is easy to recognise how difficult it can be to change perspectives, behaviour and feelings, which have been embedded from childhood. Allowing oneself space and patience is important in being able to put aside and let go of this learning and to invest time and energy in re-learning. Individuals need to be pro-active in seeking out and engaging in activities and experiences, which promote knowledge and understanding regarding the development of good mental health & DEI. Re-learning can be achieved through actively engaging in relevant reading, training, listening & the sharing of diverse perspectives and relevant experiences.
4. Interaction:?Spending time with people, who we perceive as most like us, results in less diverse interactions and tends to narrow our experience and perspective. Having contact and engagement with people, from diverse backgrounds and who have experience of mental health problems, has been shown to increase awareness and understanding. This leads to more positive interactions and responses.?Developing and pursuing broader interests, being intentional and having more diverse and inclusive interactions can contribute to greater knowledge, increased awareness, better understanding and co-operation, along with mentally healthier relationships and more productive work culture
5. Co-operation: Gaining guidance from relevant experts and professionals, sharing knowledge and resources, working together with relevant individuals, organisations and communities can help develop understanding, reduce conflict and assist in the creation of strong, appropriate and effective support structures.
6. Courage & Conviction: There is no denying, that dealing with mental health and DEI issues are challenging. The difficult aspects of life involved, can be distressing, uncomfortable and sometimes entail personal and professional risk. The courage to face and tackle these issues, along with the deep and strong belief to follow this path are essential and powerful factors in instigating change and taking important steps forward. We all have a valuable role to play in travelling a path, which can greatly benefit ourselves, diverse communities, work cultures and vast members of society.
7. Genuine Allyship: In the recent trending of mental health & well-being, wellness and DEI we have witnessed wide spread reactions from people and organisations seeking their own advantage through; jumping on the band wagon, performative and self-serving allyship, tokenism, empty and superficial gestures and unfilled commitments. These actions do more harm than good and tend to diminish, as well as side-track from addressing the profound and vital issues.

For significant and fundamental change meaningful and committed support is required. This can be found in:

• Courageous leaders who are the willing voice and face in promoting these crucial issues.
• Individuals and organisations taking responsibility and being held accountable for their role in the development of a mentally healthy, diverse and inclusive work culture.
• Speaking out against harmful mental health and DEI factors and actively supporting those who are impacted.
• Stronger commitment in the implementation of effective policies and practices, in order to achieve significant goals and lasting change.
• Sufficient Investment of time, resources and finances, which make a fundamental and enduring impact.
• Consistent promotion and adequate support for the issues and those who are doing this work.
• Challenging the status quo and seeking to instigate positive change.

Ultimately, it is important to recognise how meaningful progress and effective change stem from confronting and constructively dealing with the fundamental and systematic factors, which perpetuate inequity, exclusion, discrimination, abuse, negative bias and stigma, which serve to seriously harm mental health.

“Embracing a fundamental Diverse Mental Health Approach, works to support everyone in an equitable and inclusive manner, where challenges can be more effectively addressed and mutual benefits can be realised.”

*People from Diverse Backgrounds. I use this term to refer to a range of different people and groups, who experience discrimination, abuse, hate, exclusion, injustice and inequity. This relates to gender: women, gender identity, sexual orientation, colour of one’s skin - Black, Brown, mixed race or multi- heritage, Indigenous people, older people, people with a physical or developmental disability, lower socio-economic status, people who are on the neuro-diverse spectrum, those from different religions or ethnic groups.

Caroline Ribeiro-Nelson is Head of Free Choices I Diverse Mental Health. She is ab experienced Pychotherapist, Diverse Mental Health Consultant, Executive Coach & Trainer, who has been working in the fields of employee assistance and mental health & well-being for 30 years.

https://www.freechoices.co.uk/diverse-mental-health/our-diverse-mental-health-services.html

First Published by Powerhouse Global Magazine Jan 2022