HBR Guide to Better Mental Health at Work (HBR Guide Series)

Build a mentally healthy workplace.

Mental health is just as important as physical health. Yet being honest about depression, anxiety, and other psychological conditions at work can feel risky--and hasn't always been welcome. How can you ensure that you and your colleagues feel as though mental health is supported at the office?

The HBR Guide to Better Mental Health at Work contains practical tips and advice to help you bring mental health out of the shadows and into everyday conversations. You'll learn how to:

• Build habits to support your mental health
• Stay productive even when you're not feeling like yourself
• Talk about mental heath with peers and managers
• Reach out to someone who might be struggling
• Consider the impact of intersectionality
• Offer the benefits people really need
• Fight the stigma and reduce shame

Arm yourself with the advice you need to succeed on the job, with the most trusted brand in business. Packed with how-to essentials from leading experts, the HBR Guides provide smart answers to your most pressing work challenges.

ISBN-13: 9781647823269

Media Type: Paperback

Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press

Publication Date: 09-27-2022

Pages: 256

Product Dimensions: 4.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

Series: HBR Guide Series

Harvard Business Review is the leading destination for smart management thinking. Through its flagship magazine, 12 international licensed editions, books from Harvard Business Review Press, and digital content and tools published on HBR.org, Harvard Business Review provides professionals around the world with rigorous insights and best practices to lead themselves and their organizations more effectively and to make a positive impact.You can find HBR at: hbr.org Twitter: @HarvardBiz LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/harvard-business-review Facebook: @HBR Instagram: @harvard_business_review YouTube: youtube.com/user/harvardbusinessreview

Table of Contents

Introduction: Our Mental Health at Work 1

We can no longer pretend everything is fine. Morra Aarons-Mele

Section 1 Having Conversations About Mental Health

1 Talking About Your Mental Health at Work 11

Tips on asking for what you need. Kelly Greenwood

2 Discussing Your Mental Health with Your Boss 19

Opening up can make us happier and more productive. Deborah Grayson Riegel

Section 2 Caring for Your Mental Health

3 Structuring the Workday to Support Your Mental Health 31

Build routines and unfocused time into your schedule. Alice Boyes

4 Managing Your Anxiety 41

Understand it, then respond with self-compassion. Charlotte Lieberman

5 Working When You're Depressed 49

Being productive can interrupt a negative spiral. Alice Boyes

6 Dealing with a Panic Attack 57

Strategies to manage a scary situation. Ruth C. White

Section 3 Bringing Our Full Selves to Work

7 Being an "Only" at the Office 67

Find strength in your uniqueness. An Interview Angela Neal-Barnett Nilofer Merchant Morra Aarons-Mele

8 Supporting Women's Mental Health 79

What women themselves can do, and what leaders should. Kelly Greenwood

9 Prioritizing the Mental Health of People of Color 91

Advice for individuals and decision-makers. Angela Neal-Barnett

Section 4 Supporting Mental Health as a Manager

10 Reduce the Stigma of Mental Health at Work 103

Five ways to drive an empathetic culture. Diana O'Brien Jen Fisher

11 When Your Employee Discloses a Mental Health Condition 109

What to say-and what not to. Amy Gallo

12 Asking About Your Team's Mental Health Without Overstepping 121

Talk about health holistically. Deborah Grayson Riegel

13 Managing an Employee with Depression 127

Adjusting their hours, work scope, and deadlines can help. Kristen Bell DeTienne Jill M. Hooley Cristian Larrocha Annsheri Reay

14 Being Anxious When You're the Boss 135

You can lead others even when you're not OK. Morra Aarons-Mele

Section 5 Helping Colleagues Who Are Struggling

15 When You're Worried About a Colleague 149

Figuring out what to say-and whether to say it. Amy Gallo

16 Noticing and Responding to Microaggressions 159

Become more aware of the stressors colleagues face. Ella F. Washington

17 Being a Mental Health Ally 173

Give people the support you would want. Katherine Ponte

Section 6 Taking Action from the C-Suite

18 Living with Depression in the C-Suite 189

One executive's story of struggle and success. An Interview Paul Greenberg Morra Aarons-Mele

19 Offering the Mental Health Benefits BIPOC Employees Need 199

And ensuring they can easily access them. Andrea Holman Joe Grasso

20 Forming an Employee Resource Group for Mental Health 207

Build a community at work. Jen Porter Bernie Wong Kelly Greenwood

21 Rewriting the Company's Mental Health Policy 217

Don't just tick boxes-truly help people. Kelsey Raymond

Index 223