In May 2021 we celebrated the two-year anniversary of Headway, a workplace mental health movement Sklar Wilton & Associates launched in memory of our founder, Luke Sklar. In this blog series, we’ll showcase success stories from our Headway members and highlight the specific actions they’ve taken to elevate the importance of employee mental health. We hope their stories will inspire others to follow in their footsteps.
Mental health became even more evident and important in 2020 when the COVID pandemic hit and companies across Canada were faced with the biggest workplace mental health crisis they had ever experienced. And business leaders stepped up! We’ve seen some incredible actions from our Headway members in their commitment to prioritize the wellbeing of their employees.
The first of our amazing stories comes from Church & Dwight. We had the opportunity to connect with Gregory Major, Head of Marketing, who talked to us about the impactful work they did this year.
Why have you chosen to prioritize mental wellbeing within your organization?
(GM): We have prioritized mental wellbeing to drive both engagement and resiliency. COVID-19 has presented many acute challenges and championing mental health is one of the key areas we have focused on to support our employees.
What has your organization done recently to support the mental wellbeing of your employees?
(GM): We have developed a whole person development plan to drive the highest level of engagement supported by strong mental health. We have partnered with Sklar Wilton and Headway to focus on a few key areas: mental wellness during COVID, gratitude, wellness while working from home, and building healthy habits.
How has the pandemic influenced your organization’s prioritization of mental health and what actions, if any, would you attribute to the pandemic?
(GM): The pandemic drove a sense of urgency to tackle mental wellness issues head on. That said, the principles that we are training around mental wellness will benefit our employees post COVID as well.
What are three things you pledge to do in the next year to further prioritize mental wellbeing in your organization?
(GM): We will (1) Execute our Whole Person Development program; (2) Ensure we keep mental wellness top of mind once our training is completed; and (3) Design our next generation training for 2022.
What does the future of mental wellbeing look like in your organization and how will you get there?
(GM): It will become more of a focus for Church & Dwight and a key part of our engagement strategy.
We want to thank Gregory Major for sharing the work they’ve been doing at Church & Dwight and we’re excited to see the impact that this great work will have overall on engagement and performance.
Learn more about Headway, a movement to promote and support healthy minds at work. Download Headway resources and guides to help your workplace start the conversation about mental health.
Business Case for Healthy Minds at Work: Hard facts that show the positive financial impact of implementing mental health programs in the workplace.
Resource Roadmap: Links to Canadian organizations that specialize in supporting mental health in the workplace.
Employer Guide: An integrated and holistic way of thinking about workplace mental wellness.
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