#workplace-mental-health

#workplace-mental-health

How would a school shooting affect your employees? It's something that most employers never want to think about, but it's a horrifyingly real threat to any community-and the companies and organizations that do business there. Following the death of my youngest son, Dylan, in the 2012 Sandy Hook School shooting, I can tell you first-hand about the lasting trauma that occurs when your child is injured or killed in this type of tragedy-and how that ripples through the entire community.

The landscape of employee well-being has undergone a dramatic transformation in recent years, with 2025 marking a pivotal moment where organizations are recognizing that workforce wellness is no longer a nice-to-have benefit but a fundamental business imperative. As companies navigate the post-pandemic world, understanding and prioritizing employee well-being has become essential for maintaining competitive advantage, ensuring productivity, and creating sustainable business growth.

[My workplace] knows what to do if you first have a crisis: They have somebody to refer you to and they have a program. But ongoing, they really don't know what to do with you.

Recent history (the pandemic, the Trump administration) has affected our work a lot. It's been hard, more work (our constituents have been very affected) and everything feels tenuous. Not unique here in the US, I'm sad to say. Many of my colleagues were affected, and I had people retire, change jobs, suffer through mental health crises, and one left to join a cult (not kidding).

In Connecticut, construction workers in the Local 478 union connect with a recovery coach after completing addiction treatment, receiving daily check-ins and support for a year.