Fostering a Healthy Workplace: The Intersection of DEI and Mental Health

Each year, the discourse around Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in the workplace gains more traction. Across industries, DEI has become integrated organizations’ values as they increasingly recognize the importance of fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. While this progress is undoubtedly a positive step forward, it’s crucial to delve deeper into the mental health and wellness implications of DEI initiatives, especially for employees from underrepresented backgrounds.

Workplace Indicators

Fostering a sense of connection and belonging plays an important role in nurturing a thriving workplace culture. Recent data highlights the disparities in how various demographic groups perceive and experience DEI initiatives. A notable discovery is that, while 67% of Black respondents expressed their comfort in being their authentic selves at work, the statistics took a dip when it came to other related indicators. Feelings of personal belonging, alignment of personal values with company values, and even forming personal connections with colleagues all recorded significantly lower percentages among Black respondents, with each falling below 50% (1). The trends among Black and Hispanic workers did not apply to White employees.

“It is mentally taxing to sacrifice parts of your identity in order to advance professionally. When different types of -isms (racism, sexism, ageism, etc.) intersect, they don’t add. They multiply”. 2

A Double-Edged Dilemma

For many Black and Brown employees, expressing their true selves in the workplace can result in them being perceived as the sole representative of their communities. They may find themselves continually educating their colleagues on critical issues affecting their communities within the workplace. While this educational role is indispensable, it can also take a mental and emotional toll on those carrying this responsibility. Ironically, this situation presents a double-edged dilemma: as a young Black woman in the early stages of my career, I personally desire open dialogue and the opportunity to discuss important issues within my place of work. However, I also do not want to be confined to the role of an educator within my job. However, opting out of this role often means enduring the microaggressions that may persist.

The “Weathering” Hypothesis

It’s crucial for employers to recognize that the implications of addressing DEI-related issues extend beyond mental health. They also have profound effects on emotional and physical health. While thinking about this topic, one concept that my supervisor brought up recently is the concept of  “weathering”. Having never heard of this, I wanted to delve deeper into this concept independently. I discovered that the concept of weathering was formulated by Arline T. Geronimus, an American public health researcher and a professor. She is most known for proposing the Weathering Hypothesis in 1992, which proposed that cumulative racism experienced by Black women causes them to experience inferior birth outcomes as their maternal age increases (3). Over time, this concept has expanded to encompass not just maternal health outcomes, but to explain the early deterioration of health caused by the accumulation of exposure to challenges related to social, economic, and political adversity, for marginalized populations.

The fact that minority groups and marginalized communities experience inferior health outcomes is not a new idea. This can be attributed to a range of stressors, including prejudice, social isolation, institutional prejudice, political repression, economic marginalization, and racial discrimination (4). These factors contribute to accelerated aging of the body and heightened risks of preventable chronic conditions. As someone who works within the field of public health, this theory does not come as a surprise. I ultimately view this concept as more of an inevitable consequence of the social determinants of health that people from marginalized communities and populations have faced for generations. With this in mind, employers must take a holistic approach to address these issues, considering not only mental health but also the physical health of their employees. 

What are the Solutions?

Employers must understand how intersecting aspects of employees’ identities impact their mental health in the workplace. One way to do this is for employers to learn about the unique needs of employees and the importance of using employee feedback to make data-driven decisions about benefits and resources. This way, employers can identify strategies to foster connection and belonging, support, and retain employees through the lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion. These solutions must be employee-centered solutions that foster a safe, supportive and mentally healthy workplace for all employees.

In conclusion, while DEI initiatives are essential for creating more inclusive workplaces, it’s imperative to consider their mental, emotional, and physical health implications. Only through a comprehensive approach and well-rounded diversity awareness, cross-cultural interaction navigation, and internal-bias training can organizations truly foster a workplace where all employees feel valued, supported, and able to thrive.

Resources 

References

  1. “The Hartford’s New Study: Black U.S. Workers Face Greater Barriers To Mental Health Support At Work.” The Hartford. The Hartford, July 20, 2023. The Hartfo https://newsroom.thehartford.com/newsroom-home/news-releases/news-releases-details/2023/The-Hartfords-New-Study-Black-U.S.-Workers-Face-Greater-Barriers-To-Mental-Health-Support-At-Work/default.aspx.
  2. “Supporting Your Employees’ Mental Health: How to Factor for Intersectionality.” The Acacia Company, September 8, 2022. https://www.theacaciacompany.com/post/supporting-your-employees-mental-health-how-to-factor-for-intersectionality
  3. Geronimus AT. The weathering hypothesis and the health of African-American women and infants: evidence and speculations. Ethnicity & Disease [Internet]. 1992;2(3):207–21. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1467758/
  4. Williams DR, Mohammed SA. Discrimination and racial disparities in health: evidence and needed research. Journal of Behavioral Medicine [Internet]. 2009 Nov 22;32(1):20–47. Available from: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10865-008-9185-0

Written by: Whitney Damson
CHC Health Equity Programs Intern