There are many ways our life experiences affect our mental health. As an HR or DEI leader, it’s important to acknowledge this because we bring our views and life experiences to work with us. It’s important to consider each person’s unique view so you can open the conversation and create a safe space for everyone.

Since the start of the pandemic, mental health has been at the forefront of workplace conversations. We’re much more aware of its effects and leaders are being more vigilant about checking in with their employees. But what if you decide to check in with someone and it turns out — your employee doesn’t want to talk about their mental health with you. What do you do then? Check out these helpful tips so you can navigate this situation.

There are many reasons company leaders aren’t ready or willing to talk about mental health, publicly or in the workplace. It’s common to avoid such sensitive and complex subjects, but this is a mistake. Mental health and mental illness are workplace topics that are here to stay — and leaders need to adapt and embrace this change. How can they do this? Here are 4 useful tips for leaders to start these mental health conversations.

Many people hesitate or avoid talking about their mental health at work. Why? Because of the discomfort, fear, or frustration they might feel if the conversation doesn’t go well. But defaulting to conversation avoidance isn’t the solution. Instead, it’s important to understand why these conversations go badly and have some strategies in mind you can fall back on when this happens.

In today’s world, people are divided on many issues. These differences of opinion cause a host of physical, emotional, and mental reactions, which spills over into the workplace. By focusing on how we’re different from one another, we’re missing the opportunity to connect on an important issue — mental health. But there are ways to have constructive conversations and bridge these divisions.

As we talk more about mental health at work, it’s important to understand the source of some of the challenges to having these conversations. Gender is one of the most important factors and it has a long history of influence in our society. It’s even led to gender-based emotion shaming, especially toward women. Thankfully, there are some things we can do to combat this behavior and have more constructive conversations.

In the last couple of years during COVID, many people have taken the time to prioritize their mental health. While this has many positive effects, it’s also led to a negative reaction from some — shaming others for taking care of their mental health and wellbeing. This behavior is harmful and must be stopped. Here are a few conversation tips if you encounter wellbeing shaming at the office.

It’s the start of 2022, a time when most people hoped to get back into the office. But companies are delaying their plans to return because of the rise of the COVID Omicron variant. Despite the uncertainty of it all, here are tools to help you feel more secure and in control of your emotions.

While it seems daunting, you can change the tone around mental health and COVID in your company. You can avoid using phrases like “in a post-COVID world” that cause uncertainty. And start supporting your employees by talking about the reality of our situation.

We’re approaching the 2-year mark since the start of COVID and our new reality. It’s been a tough adjustment for everyone and it’s ok to admit: you still might not feel ok at work. The best support you can offer your colleagues? Have constructive conversations with them about mental health.