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Washington Convenes Roundtable on Mental Health at Work
Representatives from the Domestic Policy Council, Department of Labor, Office of Personnel Management, and the Department of Veterans Affairs convened today for a roundtable on mental health in the workplace at the White House. The focus of the discussion was on the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to promoting best practices to improve worker mental health in federal workplaces.
Participants
The roundtable consisted of federal employees, union leaders, EAP vendors, and mental health experts and advocates including Employee Assistance Program and work life coordinators. All discussed the importance of eliminating stigma, reducing stress, and strengthening and improving mental health supports at federal agencies, and offered their recommendations for best practices.
Department of Labor’s Mental Health at Work Initiative
During the roundtable, Department of Labor representatives highlighted the ongoing Mental Health at Work Initiative, which focuses on promoting mental health-friendly workplaces. They discussed a new public service announcement on the need to create such workplaces. Assistant Secretary for Disability Employment Policy Taryn Williams emphasized the importance of reducing the stigma around mental health at work, connecting workers and employers with necessary resources, and managing everyday stress as well as diagnosable mental health conditions such as substance use disorders.
Office of Personnel Management’s Employee Wellness Program
The Office of Personnel Management emphasized the importance of revitalizing Employee Assistance Programs, which are an essential part of employee wellness. The new Employee Wellness Program guidance released by OPM establishes parameters for EAP and provides agency leaders with resources for themselves, agency work-life coordinators, supervisors, and employees.
Mental Health Awareness Month
The roundtable was part of the administration’s recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month and its commitment to making the federal government a model employer in promoting mental health-friendly workplaces and supporting the workforce.
