Awareness to Action -- Getting a Quick Start on Building a Robust Workplace Mental Health Program: Interview with Steven Frost | Ep 18

Raising awareness about mental health issues in the workplace is crucial, but it is not enough on its own. Taking action is equally important. Awareness alone does not create tangible changes or provide support for employees who are struggling. Workplace mental health program development should go beyond simply acknowledging the issue and actively work to implement strategies that promote mental well-being, reduce bias, and provide resources for support. By taking action, organizations can create a culture of care, where employees feel supported and empowered to seek help when needed. Action-oriented programs make a real difference in improving mental health outcomes and creating a healthier work environment for everyone involved.

In this interview I speak with workplace mental health advocate Steven Frost. Steven shares these three tips for a quick start to building a workplace mental health program are:

Gain Leadership Buy-in: Messaging of unwavering support from key leaders empowers cultural shifts
Develop a Diverse Team: Representative champion's voices must be heard.
Gather Resources: Upstream, midstream and downstream

The Forgotten Survivors -- Co-workers Impacted by Suicide Loss: Interview with Robert & Terri Bogue | Ep 17

Many workplaces are affected by the suicide death of an employee each year, especially considering that a large number of people who die by suicide are working-age adults. Even the suicide deaths of recently terminated employees can have a significant impact on their previous workplaces. The loss of a leader within an organization can cause chaos and trauma. Moreover, suicide deaths of family members, vendors, clients, and associates can also affect employees. Unfortunately, most workplaces are not prepared to respond to such deaths. Common models of grief and bereavement support often focus on returning to work quickly rather than providing meaningful support. It is crucial for workplaces to understand grief, trauma, and suicide contagion and develop effective strategies for supporting employees in the aftermath of a suicide death.

In this interview, I speak with suicide loss survivors Robert and Terri Bogue about workplace suicide grief and trauma and survivor guilt. They share these three tips:

Acknowledge survivor guilt. Address suicide directly -if someone talks about wanting to die, not wanting to be here, or gives away their prized things. – That’s all you can do. You’re not responsible for their decisions.
Meet people where they are in their grief. What do you do when families don’t want the employee’s death discussed as a suicide? Everyone grieves differently. They experience trauma differently. You can’t prescribe how they’ll grieve.
Actively build community after a loss. People will feel the loss of relationship. Create opportunities for them to fill that space.