Why Would a Capitalist Prioritize Mental Health in the Workplace?

Because, from a financial perspective, it’d be foolish not to. 

Conscious Capitalism DC (CCDC) hosted a recent gathering with DC-area executives focused on just that question: the reason business leaders need to turn their attention and their dollars to addressing mental health in the workplace. Working with CCDC Co-Chair Amanda Karst (Chief Operating Officer, AO People Partners), we brought together influential leaders and changemakers for an evening of conscious conversations.

Here’s a 2-minute short video from the event:

Mental health in the workplace, as many of you know, is always a critical business conversation to me. I  was excited to be joined by two-time NBA All-Star, Roy Hibbert, who gave a fantastic keynote, which you can watch HERE. He spoke about his own mental and physical journey as an elite, world-class athlete, and  the challenges he faced while playing at the highest level. Impactful keynote speakers can be hard to find. If you’re looking for an NBA All-Star and high-caliber human being with the ability to capture a room, Roy Hibbert is your guy. (You can reach him through danielle.cantor@famebb.com.)  

Next up I shared my Mental Health Playbook, and the business reasons why every leader should want  to address mental health in the workplace, regardless of your field —  the business case is crystal clear. The dollars make the case; the humans make the dollars. While for some leaders, it is simply enough to want to help and support people, the raw capitalist’s motivation is compelling on its own. You can watch my full talk HERE.

Grace Aduroja-Kolker, Manager of Women's Initiatives at Williams & Connolly and Executive Coach & Facilitator, was the night’s emcee. If you need an amazing person to emcee an event, reach out to me and I will connect you. After our opening presentations, she helped get us all started in a series of very productive, conscious conversations around delicious catered food from none other than Founding Farmers Co. Catering & Events. The roundtable discussions were focused on: (1)  How investing in mental health in the workplace creates organizational value? (2)  Current practices that are effective, and what hurdles get in the way of creating and implementing mental health support programs? (3)  Specific strategies and actions executives are considering implementing next to further advance mental health support? (4) How to measure the value and impact of mental health programs?  

Aduroja-Kolker and Conscious Capitalism Board Member/Founder/Emeritus, Timothy Henry, helped summarize key insights and takeaways, encouraging attendees to continue the conversation beyond the evening and utilize knowledge gained to foster healthier workplace environments in their own spheres.  

In the spirit of shout-outs to recognize what makes an evening like this possible, I’ve got to highlight the team at  Founding Farmers Co. Catering & Events.  As the official caterer and sponsor  for the event, the food was fantastic and exceptionally executed!  (My bias aside, just ask anyone who was there.) Event planning and production was expertly overseen by my friends at LINK Strategic Partners. Additional direct funding came from these consciously led businesses: AO People Partners, Congressional Seafood, Conscious Capitalism DC, and Shulman Rogers.   

If you want to read more about why mental health in the workplace is much, much more than simply an HR topic, check out my blog HERE. To learn more about the Conscious Capitalism organization, check out their website  or learn more about our DC chapter events and how to get involved  HERE.