Comstock's magazine 1119 - November 2019 | Page 80

HEALTH CARE
ENCOURAGE PEER COUNSELING
“There’s always those people, the moms or the Uncle Ernies, that everyone talks to on the
floor,” says Mulvaney. “We can use that to get information out to people.” IGYB includes
educating “moms and Uncle Ernies” with evidence-based training through Mental Health
First Aid, a national program that teaches participants to respond to the signs of mental
illness and substance abuse. Camaraderie and peer support can improve the atmosphere
of any workplace. Mulvaney’s employees connect while folding napkins or hanging out
behind the restaurant, but in an office, “You can stop by the cubicle and say, ‘Hey, how are
you doing today? What have you got going on?’” he says.
CONNECT EMPLOYEES WITH RESOURCES
“There’s a big stigma around mental health, and the hardest part is often to get people
to accept the fact that they need some help,” Yellowlees says. Employees also have the
right not to disclose mental illness to employers, according to the Americans with Dis-
abilities Act. UC Davis Health removed some of the resistance to getting help by creating
an online process through which physicians self-assess through questionnaires, interact
with a psychologist and get a referral, all while maintaining anonymity. Employers that
lack direct access to psychologists can set up online portals that connect employees with
resources, such as those listed on the IGYB website.
NORMALIZE THE CONVERSATION
Mulvaney’s B&L has a lower-tech method of anonymous self-assessment. When clocking
in for a shift, employees choose a card marked with one of four faces — happy, sad, angry
or stressed — in a box. Before a shift, after waiters and cooks are briefed on specials, the
lineup leader looks at the cards to discuss the emotional temperature of the staff. “The
magic of that is that you are now saying to the restaurant, ‘It’s OK not to be OK,’” says
Mulvaney. “We talk about it all the time.” These daily conversations give employees the
space to open up about their psychological state, while maintaining their privacy.
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comstocksmag.com | November 2019