Calm Reminds Us That Diverse Teams Have Diverse Mental Health Needs
Calm has been sharing some of the trends from their Workplace Mental Health Trends Report, and this one is one that I think is going unnoticed in many workplaces right now:
Trend 3: Mental Health Is Not Equal for Diverse Employees
They identify three groups of employees that might have more significant needs for mental health care and how support for that group might look a bit different.
The first two groups didn’t surprise me. If you’ve been around the mental health space, you already know that neurodiverse and LGBTQA+ people are, on average, at greater risk for mental health struggles. You might also understand that different ways are more culturally sensitive when supporting them.
The third group surprised me slightly. When looking at ethnic and racial groups, Hispanics emerged as the highest risk for mental health issues. If you had asked me to guess which ethnic or racial group had the highest risk, I would not have guessed Hispanics. This may be indicative of the problem, frankly. If we don’t recognize the higher risk for that group, it’s more likely to be an unrecognized need and thus become a higher risk.
The point, however, is that when you look at the diversity on your team and consider how to implement solid mental health support systems, don’t forget about the diversity. Don’t assume they all need the same thing. They do not. There are some cultural differences, some unique challenges, and some ways to consider the diverse needs that some of them may have. It’s worth keeping in mind.
It’s also worth keeping in mind that individuals are all different too. Not every Hispanic employee needs the same resources. There’s individual diversity too. Perhaps talking more about it and listening to their needs is the best answer!
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