Skip to main content

What I’ve Been Reading This Week: Employee Mental Health Edition


Mental health is a topic that many employers (and employees) try to skirt and avoid entirely.  While every situation is different and I am not here to suggest that employers and employees will tackle every single mental health issue in the workplace, I think it is important to have an open dialogue on the topic.  Following a recent World Wrestling Entertainment situation this past weekend in which an announcer, Mauro Ranallo, deleted his Twitter account and has gone radio silent following a critical tweet my a fellow co-worker, mental health has become a more common talking point in recent days.  (Ranallo has previously been open about his mental health and his struggles as a result.)  Given that this is a shorter work week for many with Thanksgiving tomorrow, now is as good of a time as any to talk about this matter.
I will remind readers that for those dealing with mental health issues, it is important to talk with a trained professional.  Although the below articles provide good food for thought on the topic, they are not intended to serve as guidance or a “remedy” for those dealing with mental health related matters.

As always, below are a couple articles that caught my eye this week.


Destigmatizing Mental Health In the Workplace

What better place to start than this article from Samantha Todd over at Forbes who writes that the destigmatization of mental health in the workplace is something that should be addressed.  With nearly one in five Americans dealing with mental illness, Todd writes that employers could implement anonymous assistance programs to help employees.  As well, employers could work to create an open line of communication with their employees to help foster an open and supportive work environment.


Mental Health In the Restaurant Industry: A Growing Concern

A week or two ago, I talked with a loyal reader of the blog on the topic of mental health in the workplace.  That conversation lead me to reading a few articles on the matter the past few days.  This particular article caught my eye, as Gavin Jenkins notes a troubling trend emerging of a mental health crisis in the restaurant industry.  The article provides an intriguing insight into the topic and includes a few suggestions on how employers in the industry can help try and address (and perhaps curb) the trend.


Chipotle to Offer Mental Health Benefits to Employees

Fox Business reported recently that Chipotle is set to provide its workers with mental health benefits, marking one of the first times a large scale employer in the food service industry will offer its employees such a benefit.  Starting next year, the company will offer this benefit to over 80,000 workers.  Will other large scale employers in the food service follow suit?  I would expect so...the question remains who will be next?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

NLRB: Discussion Among Employees About Tip Pooling is Protected Concerted Activity

  This Advice Memorandum from the National Labor Relations Board’s Associate General Counsel, Jayme Sophir, addressed whether employees which discussed and complained about tip pooling at work constituted protected concerted activity. In relevant part, an employer in New York operated a chain of steakhouses.  While tip pooling was in place at these steakhouses, some of the employees objected to it on the grounds that it was not transparent and improperly divided tips among the workers.  Employees were told not to complain or talk to each other about the tip pool and were told that doing so would endanger their jobs.  Despite the employer later attempting to provide some clarity as to how the tips were being divided, rancor still existed among some employees.  At one point, the employees were told by a general manager that some employees that had been talking about the tip pool were “cleared out” and the employer would continue to do so. In the Advice Memorandum,...
Post a Comment
Read more

San Diego Rolls Back Vaccine Mandate For City Workers

Last Tuesday, the San Diego City Council voted to do away with the vaccine mandate for city employees. The city’s vaccine mandate that was in place required city workers to get the coronavirus vaccine or risk termination.  Perhaps to this surprise of no one, the city’s policy came under fire with 14 employees being terminated and over 100 other employees resigning.  With the coronavirus subsiding, including in Southern California, the San Diego City Council took action. Now, bear in mind, the repeal of the vaccine mandate does not take place immediately. With that being said, the mandate will be repealed March 8th.  I suppose the question now is, what other cities or regions follow San Diego’s lead? For additional information:   https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/politics/story/2023-01-24/san-diego-repeals-controversial-covid-19-vaccine-mandate-citing-drop-in-cases-hospitalizations
Post a Comment
Read more

NLRB: Former Employee Cannot Be Barred From Work Premises After Filing Wage Suit

MEI-GSR Holdings, LLC - NLRB Facts :  MEI-GSR Holdings, LLC d/b/a Grand Sierra Resort & Casino ("GSR") operated a facility that included a hotel, casino, restaurant, clubs, bars, and a pool which were all open to the general public.  Tiffany Sargent ("Sargent") was briefly employed by GSR as a "beverage supervisor" in December of 2012.  After her employment ended, Sargent continued to socialize at one of the clubs.  GSR had a long standing practice of allowing former employees to patronize its facility and did not prohibit Sargent from doing so.  In June of 2013, Sargent and another employee filed a class and collective action against GSR for alleged unpaid wages, in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act and Nevada law.  In July of 2014, GSR denied Sargent access to an event at one of the clubs.  GSR followed up with a letter and stated that with the on-going litigation (from the wage suit), it decided to bar Sargent from the premises. ...
1 comment
Read more