Great Lakes Wire

A Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity workgroup that was tasked by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) with addressing mental health, trauma and resiliency in the workplace has released its recommendations for supporting good mental health in the workplace.

The workgroup’s findings and key strategies in the report “Workplace Mental Health” are designed for employers to help build supportive workplaces, a May 31 press release said. The work complements Whitmer’s mental health proposals to help Michiganders receive comprehensive care.

“Every person in Michigan should have access to the quality, affordable mental and physical care they need,” Whitmer said in the press release. “By giving Michiganders the comprehensive care they deserve, and by making investments in mental health strategies in the workplace, we can build a stronger Michigan with a resilient workforce. The workgroup recommendations are another step closer to helping more Michiganders have access to mental health care.”

The workgroup recommended for employers five steps to help them “focus on overall wellbeing, incorporate trauma informed strategies, and reduce workplace stressors that can lead to crisis: Assess Your Workplace and Culture; Consider Workplace Policies, Practices and Procedures; Recommit to Employee Assistance Programs; Consider adding or expanding Employee Resource Groups; Consider adding mental health to joint employer/employee safety committees.”

The workgroup’s numerous recommendations said the State of Michigan could support workplace mental health practices by being a model employer of workplace mental health and safety, offering financial support so that businesses can implement employee mental health improvement strategies and continuing workgroup efforts to identify workplace issues in specific industries. The complete “Workplace Mental Health” report is available online.

“While we are incredibly proud of the work that has been done to come up with these proposals to improve mental health in the workplace, we realize there is still a lot of work to be done in order to develop and implement these and other workplace mental health strategies,” LEO Deputy Director of Labor Sean Egan said in the press release. “We hope employees and employers across the state will join us in reviewing the report findings and recommendations and build on mental health strategies that will have a great, positive impact on employee wellbeing in addition to protecting the employer’s bottom line and our communities.”

Members of the workgroup included Egan and Dr. Debra Pinals, medical director for Behavioral Health and Forensic Programs, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, and clinical professor of psychiatry at University of Michigan.

“Many of us have been in workplaces where the overall attention to employee mental health has been great in some places and poor in others, and we’ve seen the positive impact strong mental health can have on employee satisfaction, work productivity and the company as a whole,” Pinals said in the press release. “Our goal in this work with LEO is to help employers create a workplace where the mental health is strong and employees enjoy coming into work every day, which creates an environment that is beneficial to employees and employers alike.”