Dive Brief:
- Verizon Media, in coalition with Kellogg Company, Snap and Spotify, announced Mind Together, an initiative “working to address mental health and set a new standard in how employees are supported at work,” the companies said in a statement April 15.
- The initiative will focus on developing awareness via improved internal communications; implementing mental health education programs for employees; and hosting conversations with mental health thought leaders, the announcement said.
- The coalition will “regularly meet,” the statement said, to develop blueprints for future plans, discuss outcomes of initiatives and welcome new members.
Dive Insight:
When the workforce suddenly pivoted to remote work in the wake of the pandemic early 2020, employers feared the repercussions the move would have on worker mental health. An early April 2020 poll may have confirmed those fears; more than 4 in 10 adults responding to a KFF Health poll said that worry and stress related to COVID-19 had a negative impact on their overall mental health.
Effective HR management may be key to ensuring employee resiliency, Paycore said in a January report, but half of respondents to said report were unsure of what benefits they could offer to help employees. And in a March survey from Willis Towers Watson, fewer than one-third of those surveyed said their well-being programs had been effective at supporting workers.
To be of use, Paycore recommended employers create employee resource groups focused on mental health issues to encourage a culture that supports talking about “sensitive issues,” the company said. A culture of care, enabled through empathetic leaders, may especially be key, other studies have said.
