8-1 Discussion: Employee Mental Health

Increasingly, companies and employers are allocating their resources in ways that enable them to become change agents in community mental health. However, corporate entities with profit-based interests may be fundamentally antisocial and, consequently, the modern corporate spirit could lead to conformity within the employee base. Additionally, the hierarchical power dynamic that exists between employer and employee may be doomed to create and perpetuate conflict. For this discussion, you explore how someone trained in the field of social psychology or industrial-organizational psychology could help to foster positive social initiatives in the workplace.

First, title your post “Employee Mental Health.”

For your initial post, review How Prosocial Behavior Is Trickling Into the Workplace and Prosocial Behavior at Work Through the Lens of Character Strengths. Then answer the following questions:

• What measures can organizations take to improve employee mental health?
• What is the relationship between mental health and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within the workplace?
• How can organizations avoid the dangers of conformity and groupthink?
• Considering the various roles within any organizational environment (e.g., executive administrators, managers, team leads, staff), whose responsibility is it to promote and maintain workplace well-being?
• What are some examples of organizational core values that could promote a prosocial workplace environment?
• How does the concept of employee mental health apply to any of the following programmatic course themes:
  • Self-care
  • Social justice
  • Emotional intelligence
  • Career connections
  • Ethics

Remember to respond to two peers while being respectful of and sensitive to their viewpoints. Consider advancing the discussion in the following ways:

• Post an article, video, or visual related to employee mental health to reinforce a peer’s idea or challenge them to see their point from a different perspective.
• Paraphrase something from the original post. Then consider asking a question or sharing your personal experience.