During the Workplace Mental Health & Well-Being Summit, Keynote Speaker Becky Pickle, CEO of the Huntsman Mental Health Foundation, discussed strategies for creating a culture of mental well-being and outlined the path forward.
We have every reason to invest in mental health — it drives well-being, boosts productivity and creates thriving workplaces. Becky Pickle shared that employees facing mental health challenges miss up to four times more workdays and poor mental health costs businesses billions in lost productivity. Prioritizing mental health enhances employee satisfaction, reduces burnout and fosters a healthier, more productive workforce. As leaders, prioritizing employee well-being is essential for organizational success, directly influencing productivity, costs and resilience. So, how can you make a difference? Pickle shared how organizations can start to make a difference by focusing on these three pillars of mental health support:
Workplace Action:
To promote workplace mental wellness, create a supportive culture with visible leadership commitment. Ensure accessible mental health services, encourage work-life balance through flexible policies and foster safe spaces for open dialogue. Offering mental health training for all levels strengthens understanding and support across the organization.
Community Impact:
To make a meaningful community impact, focus on reducing stigma through education and awareness, expanding access to affordable mental health resources and fostering social connection with group activities. Build environments that promote wellness and establish support networks and peer programs to encourage community support and resilience.
Personal Empowerment:
To foster personal empowerment, focus on physical well-being with quality sleep, regular movement and balanced nutrition. Develop stress management techniques, maintain meaningful social connections and create supportive environments. Establish daily routines and set boundaries to maintain consistency and balance in both personal and professional life.
By focusing on these three pillars of mental health support, you can start making a meaningful difference in your workplace and community. Pickle also shared a valuable resource in this effort, the “Love, Your Mind” campaign, created by the Huntsman Mental Health Institute in partnership with the Ad Council. This campaign encourages proactive mental health engagement, offering resources like assessments and templates to help employers check in with employees and build a supportive, positive workplace culture. By utilizing these tools, employers can empower employees to find purpose and receive the support they need for their mental health.
About the Presenter:
Becky Pickle, newly appointed CEO of The Huntsman Mental Health Foundation, lives personal and professional life at the intersection of conscious compassion, transformative entrepreneurship and empowering philanthropy. As founder of the Becky Pickle Family Foundation, Becky spearheads initiatives aimed at uplifting communities. Her impact resonates deeply across Utah, focusing on homelessness alleviation, suicide prevention and college scholarships for students in need. A relentless policy advocate, Becky has collaborated with elected officials for over 15 years to establish crucial policies addressing homelessness, affordable housing, mental health acccess, suicide prevention, affordable childcare and support for first responders.
About the 2024 Mental Health & Well-Being Summit:
The Utah Community Builder’s Mental Health & Well-Being Summit, sponsored by the Cambia Health Foundation, was held on November 7, 2024. Utah Community Builders, is a program of the nonprofit foundation of the Salt Lake Chamber. Utah Community Builders engages business leaders to address pressing community issues and to develop and strengthen Utah’s workforce. We harness the innovation and efficiency of the private sector to drive real progress on community issues affecting our businesses, workforce, families and all Utahns.
