Workplaces can be engines of mental health and well-being

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s office recently released a 30-page “Framework for Mental Health and Wellbeing”

Work is one of the most vital parts of life,
powerfully shaping our health, wealth, and well-being. At its
best, work provides us the ability to support ourselves and our
loved ones, and can also provide us with a sense of meaning,
opportunities for growth, and a community. When people thrive at
work, they are more likely to feel physically and mentally healthy
overall, and to contribute positively to their workplace. This
creates both a responsibility and unique opportunity for leaders
to create workplace environments that support the health and
well-being of workers.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic may have accelerated the
evolution of work and the conversation around workplace mental
health and well-being, broad recognition and appreciation for the
relationship between the work environment, culture, community,
and our health preceded the pandemic. While many
challenges outside the workplace may impact well-being—from
economic inequality, food insecurity, and housing insecurity to
household, educational, and medical debt—there are still many
ways that organizations can function as engines for mental health
and well-being. Organizational leaders, managers, supervisors,
and workers alike have an unprecedented opportunity to examine
the role of work in our lives and explore ways to better enable all
workers to thrive within the workplace and beyond.