MHAOhio’s Occumetrics program evaluates workplace health by conducting research-based assessments of employee wellbeing, but how do we live these values for the benefit of our own workforce?
On Friday, May 20th MHAOhio’s staff stepped out of the office and onto the farm at PBJ Connections in Pataskala, Ohio. This full-day retreat included team-building activities with horses, a meditation walk, a group art project, and quality time with a potbelly pig named Cupcake.
Our staff comes to work every day committed to helping people get connected to mental health care. Some start their day in our Grandview office, answering calls from over 1,000 people a year in need of help finding appropriate mental health services, often for the very first time. Other staffers lead support groups virtually for pregnant and parenting people. Some work in Lancaster, providing locally focused resource navigation to Fairfield County residents. Others teach Mental Health First Aid to help equip the general public with the skills needed to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders. Some work from home, others commute. As community support continues to widen MHAOhio’s geographic reach, our efforts to be together as a team must be intentional. Our staff retreat was not a day off of work but rather a day of work spent intentionally together.
Individuals who provide support to others need support too. Burnout is not unique to care providers, however. The 2021 “Mind The Workplace” report from Mental Health America national surveyed over 5,000 workers across 17 industries. They found:
- 9 in 10 employees report that workplace stress affects their mental health.
- 3 in 5 employees are not receiving the support they need to manage stress.
- 1 in 4 employees are experiencing severe signs of burnout.
Even in a pre-pandemic world, fostering feelings of community in a workplace was challenging. Today, it can feel impossible. But it has never been more important. PBJ Connections is a nonprofit organization that provides professional behavioral health therapy for children, adults, and families through horses, counseling, and nature. Learn more about how your team can schedule a retreat here.
Reflections from the MHAOhio Team:
“Our staff retreat at PBJ was a much-needed respite. As healers and helpers, our teams are always doing, going, working to be of service. Our retreat was a beautiful opportunity to slow down and just “be” in community to reconnect as a team with a shared mission.”
“Last Friday I saw more vulnerability from coworkers than I have ever seen in the years that I have worked. I learned more about my coworkers in 8 hours than in 2 years.”
“As a new staff member, the retreat gave an invaluable opportunity to meet my coworkers face to face. I was able to just be human and connect with the team in a meaningful way, a priority that too often falls to the wayside when there’s an infinity queue of emails to return, meetings to schedule, and fires to put out.”
Care for your staff and your staff will care for your organization. If you’re interested in an Occumetrics employee wellbeing assessment for your organization, email Maggie Hallett, Director of Workplace Health, or call 614-221-1441 x105 to schedule a consultation.
