In the aftermath of the death of George Floyd at the hands of a white police officer, our country has been thrown into a chaotic, yet necessary revolution, the end game of which could redefine our values as seen on the world’s stage in a very positive way.
However, we have a long way to go, and it won’t be an easy road to travel. In fact, it could prove to be quite hard at times, but hard fought is hard won, and by the very nature of a long journey, there will be several small victories along the way. Among these will be drastic improvements in organizational support for the mental health of black employees. And this doesn’t mean reiterating the availability of current mental, emotional, and physical support systems as outlined in the employee handbook that was last updated in 2005. On the contrary, it means ensuring that your HR staff and all leadership from the team-level to the executive level are properly trained and equipped to address the needs of a workforce who require tailored help. This does in fact mean that the days of “one-size-fits-all” organizational support systems are over.
Angela Neal-Barnett, Ph.D., professor of Psychological Sciences at Kent State University published a new article with the Harvard Business Review detailing what organizations can start to do in order to overhaul current employee support systems. With these initial steps, employers can begin to usher in a new era of all-inclusive mental health improvements in the workplace.
In addition to Dr. Neal Barnett’s article, here are some resources that are tailored specifically to black mental health:
- Black Mental Health Alliance
- African Americans | NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness
- Black Mental Health Resources for #BlackHistoryMonth | Alameda County | Everyone Counts Campaign
- Mental Health Resources for African Americans | Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA
- Black & African American Communities and Mental Health | Mental Health America
If you missed our first post on this topic, check out Black Mental Health Matters, Volume 1 here.