“Not acknowledging that millions are dealing with mental health conditions is costing an enormous amount both in terms of dollars and cents and, more importantly, people's lives."
Arianna Huffington
Mental Health at Work Mini-Conference, May 2018
"I personally would like to thank Mind Share Partners for all of your support of this ERG and community from the very beginning when we were unsure, driven, and quite a bit scared on launching something that would make us so vulnerable. You provided resources and insight that gave us direction, hope, and reminded us that what we were creating would matter to our peers. To which, you were right. I'm thankful for Mind Share Partners, what you stand for and all that you're creating in this new area of diversity, inclusion, and belonging."

"After the Mind Share Partners conference, we created our own Mental Health Fund, since our health insurance excludes it, and talked about it so our team knew we had their back and they'd be covered for emergency care for suicidal thoughts, etc.
It's a start. Stigma runs deep. It's good that [Mind Share Partners] is helping workplaces talk about it!"
Just launched! Join our Mind Share Partners Institute certificate program.
Just launched! Join our Mind Share Partners Institute certificate program.

Mind Share Partners Founder, Kelly Greenwood, will step down as CEO at the end of the year. Read the full story >



The U.S. Surgeon General Launches New Framework For Mental Health & Well-Being In The Workplace
Workplace Mental Health Nonprofit, Mind Share Partners, Contributes Its Evidence-Based Practices and Expertise To Its Development
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SAN FRANCISCO, CA (October 20th, 2022) — Dr. Vivek Murthy released a new Surgeon General’s Framework highlighting the essential role workplaces play in promoting the health and well-being of workers and communities. The Surgeon General’s Framework for Mental Health & Well-Being in the Workplace will help organizations develop policies and practices that support the mental health and well-being of all workers.
Mind Share Partners, a national nonprofit that is changing the culture of workplace mental health, was among a select number of organizations asked to provide feedback and contribute to the framework and accompanying recommendations.
Mind Share Partners takes a proactive culture change approach with a DEIB lens, supporting leading organizations in creating a lasting culture change to support mental health in their workplaces. Mind Share Partners provided key insights—informed by its work and philosophy—on the "five essentials" within the Surgeon General’s Framework and recommendations for the components under them, including:
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The language and framing used, such as “normalize mental health” and understanding that mental health is a spectrum
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Thinking about workplace mental health training as a component important to supporting employee mental health in multiple categories
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Incorporating programs like mental health ERGS and peer listening
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The key roles leaders, managers, and everyone plays in supporting mental health–making it a collective priority for organizations, among other suggestions.
Quote from the Surgeon General in the official press release:
“A healthy workforce is the foundation for thriving organizations and healthier communities,” said Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy. “As we recover from the worst of the pandemic, we have an opportunity and the power to make workplaces engines for mental health and well-being, and this Surgeon General’s Framework shows us how we can start. It will require organizations to rethink how they protect workers from harm, foster a sense of connection among workers, show workers that they matter, make space for their lives outside work, and support their growth. It will be worth it, because the benefits will accrue for workers and organizations alike.”
The COVID-19 pandemic changed the nature of work for many. The pandemic highlighted how workplaces directly impact mental health and personal well-being and how employers can exacerbate the tension between caregiving and job responsibilities. The link between our work and our health has become even more evident. Mind Share Partners’ 2021 Mental Health at Work Report found that:
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76% of U.S. workers reported at least one symptom of a mental health condition (anxiety, depression), an increase of 17 percentage points in just two years.
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84% of respondents reported at least one workplace factor that had a negative impact on their mental health. Get the full report here.
The Five Essentials
The Surgeon General’s Framework focuses on Five Essentials for Workplace Mental Health and Well-Being—highlighting the goals organizations should have in developing, institutionalizing, and updating policies, processes, and practices to best support the mental health and well-being of all workers:
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Protection from Harm: Creating the conditions for physical and psychological safety is a critical foundation for ensuring mental health and well-being in the workplace.
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Connection and Community: Fostering positive social interaction and relationships in the workplace supports worker well-being.
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Work-Life Harmony: Professional and personal roles can create work and nonwork conflicts.
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Mattering at Work: People want to know that they matter to those around them and that their work matters. Knowing you matter has been shown to lower stress, while feeling like you do not can increase the risk for depression.
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Opportunities for Growth: When organizations create more opportunities for workers to accomplish goals based on their skills and growth, workers become more optimistic about their abilities and more enthusiastic about contributing to the organization.
Mind Share Partners believes that the future of workplace mental health demands culture change — with more vulnerability, compassion, and sustainable ways of working. The Surgeon General’s Framework for Workplace Mental Health and Well-Being is a pivotal guide that shows organizations that these ideals are achievable and offers a foundation that workplaces of any size, across any industry, can build upon.
Learn more: surgeongeneral.gov/workplace
Contacts
Nina Tomaro
Marketing and Communications Lead
Mind Share Partners
About Mind Share Partners
Mind Share Partners is a national nonprofit that is changing the culture of workplace mental health so that both employees and organizations can thrive. It builds public awareness, hosts communities to support mental health ERG leaders, and provides custom workplace training and strategic advising, as well as on-demand solutions. Its clients include leading companies that span industries, such as BlackRock, Genentech, Morrison & Foerster, Pinterest, Tinder, and Yahoo, among others. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) are intrinsically tied to mental health, and that lens is core to its work and activities.
As part of Mind Share Partners’ focus on building the movement around workplace mental health, it offers free toolkits, frameworks, research, and resources in its blog. It also runs two columns in Forbes and Thrive Global and publishes articles in Harvard Business Review. Mind Share Partners has been featured in prestigious media, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, TIME, Good Morning America, The Boston Globe, and Bloomberg, among many others. Learn more at www.mindsharepartners.org or email connect@mindsharepartners.org.
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