8 INSTITUTE FOR WORK & HEALTH
• Speak to your workplace about what supports/services may be available to
help mitigate the effects of workplace-related risk factors or workplace-
related exposure to trauma.
• Check your workplace's policies regarding staffing, scheduling and more to
understand and note what is available to you.
• Have genuine and caring conversations with your workers so that they
feel comfortable approaching you if workplace factors are affecting their
mental health.
• Be mindful of how you discuss mental wellness and mental health
conditions, and ensure you are not contributing to a culture of stigma
around depression. Your actions set examples for others working with you.
• If your workplace is one in which workers are at a higher risk of being
exposed to trauma (e.g. witnessing deaths, violence, drug abuse, etc.),
ensure systems are in place to debrief and support your team as needed.
• Ensure efforts to increase awareness about depression and other mental
health conditions are genuine. They will have great impact if they are.
• Implementation tip: Make sure to think through what programs you may
already have in place to raise awareness, and whether they resonate in
the context of your workplace.
• Remember that stigma can be difficult to address, but there is power in
communication and in having open discussions about mental health and
wellness.
