A Global Guiding Council Energizing the Fight to Promote Mental Health

Margaret Mead reminded us all that a few energized people can serve as a powerful force for good. “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world,” Mead said, “indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

With that same spirit, a prestigious group of global leaders recently established the One Mind at Work Global Guiding Council. By coming together from across sectors and countries, this group has put a stake in the ground about the urgent need to improve the way we promote and protect mental health and wellness in the workplace.

Specifically, the Guiding Council has committed to leading a global movement aimed at creating a healthy, low-stigma culture around mental health; designing workplaces that enable people to thrive; expanding access to critical mental health services and support; and investing in the evidence, tools and metrics that can drive results. The Guiding Council will oversee a multi-year strategy, create a disciplined process to fund grants for workplace-oriented research and development, and hold One Mind leadership accountable for performance.

There is much work that needs to be done. The brain lies at the center of human thriving, and our brains have been struggling.

This was evident before COVID-19 joined the conversation and has only accelerated due to the physical, emotional and mental impact of the pandemic. According to one study, rates of anxiety and depression among U.S. adults increased four-fold since 2019.

That’s a challenge that can’t be quickly addressed by any COVID-19 vaccine, no matter how effective they are at preventing infections or mitigating physical symptoms. Studies of prior disastrous events indicate that the mental health impacts continue long after the disaster is resolved. This will be true of the COVID era and its aftermath as well.

This is why time is so important — and the workplace will play a crucial role in success. Early priorities of the One Mind at Work movement include creating a maturity index to enhance measurement, correlation and benchmarks among companies’ mental health strategies. That way we know what “good” looks like and can track our progress. What gets measured gets done.

We are also working to organize tools for workplace leaders into one readily accessible ecosystem. In that way, the incredible solutions developed by many capable organizations can be found easily and made available to a workforce in need. In most cases, our work doesn’t need more authors. Just a better library.

Can a relatively small, committed group of leaders energize a global movement to improve mental health in the workplace? The One Mind at Work Global Guiding Council intends to prove it can be done.