Articles by Craig Booker

Updating your LinkedIn profile, tweaking your resume, searching through job listings, and preparing for interviews, the process of finding a job is a stressful one. Today, more and more people who find themselves out of work are living with a mental health condition. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, one in five adults, or 57.8 million Americans, has a mental health condition. While many organizations invest in mental health, there is still a long way to go to create a more equitable and inclusive workplace.

It is no surprise that the pandemic forever changed how many people now work, shop, and eat. Employers and employees both know that prioritizing mental well-being is now a necessity. The shared experiences of many worldwide provided tangible evidence on a massive scale that mental health impacts business. Organizations no longer question how brain health affects the bottom line, productivity, and office morale.

As we continue in the pursuit of improving mental health in our community and the workplace, it is imperative that we proactively take steps to support the family. One of the growing challenges facing any business is attracting and retaining talent. Employees are asking much more from employers than great pay and benefits. Working fathers are seeking greater work-life balance, prioritizing individual and family well-being.

For humankind, the pandemic was a wake-up call to the harsh reality of mental health struggles faced by so many. It was perhaps the perfect combination of uncertainty with rising prices, supply shortages, job insecurity, and the threat of illness or death around every corner. If this wasn’t enough, the safety precautions to protect our families and friends drove many to new levels of loneliness and depression. Political division, civil unrest, and the list goes on and on.