Blog: 5 ways to support womens mental health

5 ways to support women’s mental health at work

Once upon a time, mental health seemed to be a fringe issue that affected the few. Today, it’s hard to see it as anything other than an everyone issue. We’ve all experienced significant cycles of uncertainty, compounded stress, increased responsibilities, and burnout.

According to an article in the Harvard Business Review, While women and men face similar rates of mental health conditions overall, women face specific challenges around mental health in the workplace.

The article highlights gender roles and stereotypes as common roots, but also holds up pay inequity, caregiving responsibilities, and gender-based violence as contributing factors to mental health challenges. Caregiving in particular – whether for children, aging parents, or even as colleagues and business leaders – places a heavier burden on women. In all cases, the intersectionality of gender, being a person of color or member of the LGBTQ+ community can compound the experience.

The article went on to look at how leaders can support women’s mental health and how women can advocate for their own mental health at work. These suggestions are a great jumping-off point to begin thinking about practical strategies your organization can implement to create an atmosphere that values and supports women’s mental health. As you read, ask yourself How can I personally implement these strategies for myself and in my workplace?

Drawn from the Harvard Business Review article, we selected 5 top ways you – as a woman and/or leader of any gender representation – can support women’s mental health in the workplace.

5 ways you can support women’s mental health in the workplace

1. Reflect on your needs – It starts with you. Unless you know what you need to feel balanced and be healthy, it will be impossible to recognize what needs to change. What is the nature of your mental health? Is your specific challenge chronic, episodic, or a one-time event? Is it related to work or your life outside work or both? Is there a gender-specific component? Is it affecting your work performance or your home life?
2. Talk to your manager or HR – Bring your request for accommodation to your manager or HR. It’s okay to control the amount of information you choose to share. If your suggestion benefits everyone, such as flex hours or after-hours boundaries, you can present it as a productivity conversation that sets everyone up to do their best work. You may have to say a bit more if you require specific accommodation.
3. Provide mental health training and over-communicate resources – Prioritize mental health training for people at all levels. Take a proactive approach, focusing on baseline knowledge that acknowledges intersectionality, dispels myths, and offers tools and strategies to navigate workplace mental health. Leaders should also regularly communicate what mental health benefits are available and try to normalize the use of these benefits.
4. Foster inclusive flexibility and sustainable ways of working – If you are in a leadership role, build in as much flexibility as possible into policies and practices to support the diverse needs of each individual in the organization. And be sure to model sustainable and flexible work practices yourself. Even in environments with supportive policies, a direct manager often sets the culture, signaling whether it is safe to actually take advantage of policies that allow for remote work, flexible schedules, and so forth.
5. Be the change – Authenticity is the best way to build trust and reduce stigma. Be open with colleagues about your own challenging experiences or struggles with mental health. Just as modeling sustainable work practices gives implicit permission for team members to do the same, sharing your story helps others to feel comfortable sharing theirs.

As you can see, whether you are in a high-visibility leadership role or an entry-level individual contributor, each of us plays a role in shaping the culture of our organizations. Choosing to advocate for yourself is, by extension, advocacy for the whole. If you are in a leadership position, it is just as important to make sure you are not only pursuing policies that support women’s mental health but modeling good practices as well. We can never underestimate the power our courage has on those around us.

Next step

• Did any of the five ways resonate with you? Choose one or two ways you can advocate for yourself or others this week.
• Need a support system? Join a WITspiration Mentoring Circle to connect with women who can walk alongside you, share their stories, and help you brainstorm a way forward
• I would like to add something like: If you are in mental health crisis, please reach out to a local crisis hot line or phone a friend or family member who can support you and help you.