Business Record Daily PM 6.30.23

5 takeaways from ‘Lifting the Veil’ mental health forum: ‘Be creative to find out what your employees need’

By Nicole Grundmeier | Staff Writer

Fostering good mental health is more important than ever before in workplaces, but the challenge has also never been greater, panelists said Thursday at dsm Magazine’s latest "Lifting the Veil" forum.

The COVID-19 pandemic permanently transformed jobs and where and how work is done.

"About a year and a half ago, I saw a lot of companies coming to me [saying], ‘What’s the best practice here?’" said Beth Livingston, an associate professor of management and entrepreneurship at the University of Iowa. "Well, there isn’t 'the best.' We’re in a whole new era. There is no best practice I could share with you. But you should be creative to find out what your employees need."

A virtual panel of Iowa experts joined dsm, Business Record's sister publication, to talk through current issues. Lifting the Veil publishes a magazine annually exploring Iowa stories related to mental health, and regular forums help illuminate these topics further.

Here are five takeaways from the hourlong discussion:

1. Adapting to the "new normal" of hybrid work and other changes is hard on everybody.
Those who shifted to working from home full time for weeks or months or years found it wasn’t easy, said Tina Leaf, clinical director of Employee and Family Resources: "Sometimes my workplace was in a spare bedroom, and you never got to disconnect from it." And the transition to more regular trips to the office isn’t as simple as snapping fingers, either: "You think about all the things that they missed in that time, the socialization that happens down the hall."

2. A healthy workplace starts with effort from bosses, but everybody contributes.
It’s still a relatively new development for employers to take active concern for their employees’ mental health, but it’s important to figure it out in order to build and maintain a strong team. "Employers have some responsibility to build a healthy culture, to create the kind of environment where people can thrive," said Melissa Ness, president and CEO of Connectify. "How can they provide work-life balance where possible, how can they provide EAP services, even train managers on how to ask those compassionate questions – ‘How are you doing today?’ Or ‘How is your family?’ And just being there and showing true care for their employees." As for employees, Ness said, "We all need to take responsibility for our mental health and well-being. What do we need? Who do we need to ask for help when we need it?"

3. People are struggling to make real human connections at work.
Livingston, the University of Iowa professor, cited surveys indicating that 10% of American workers report having no friends at work. "Loneliness has been a big issue," Livingston said. "People want to know how to build connections in an environment that they may not have grown up [in], building sort of digital and social connections, and the way that social media plays a role in our lives. And it has been very heartening to see businesses say, ‘Well, what can we do about that?’"

4. Intentional efforts to help workers connect with one another and with resources really do work.
Anybody up against a deadline has probably grumbled at least once or twice about mandatory group meetings at work. But Timothy Flynn, a senior therapist in the Employee Assistance Program Division for UnityPoint Health, said there’s a purpose. "A lot of these avenues of getting people to connect more sometimes can be met at first with resistance," Flynn said. "I’m sure anyone who has ever been in a meeting, and they do an icebreaker, and there's a kind of eye-rolling that happens and a groan. But then it works, and people might not admit it, but it does."

5. Speaking up and being vulnerable can help somebody who is struggling.
Just seeing and hearing a colleague talk honestly about their own experiences with mental health can demonstrate to other people at work that it’s OK to not be OK, that struggles don’t have to be kept completely private, panelists agreed. "It's really helpful when there are those role models of somebody who can step forward and say, ‘Hey, you know, I've had some struggles too,’" said Scott Young, director of psychological services at Mind and Spirit Counseling Center. "Especially if it’s somebody in leadership, I think that makes it a lot easier for those other folks to be able to come forward and say, ‘Hey, I need some help, too.’ That kind of self-disclosure and willingness to be vulnerable can be so helpful."

NEWS BRIEFS

Two Central Iowa nonprofits to merge into new organization
Bidwell Riverside Center and Hawthorn Hill, both rooted in the United Methodist Church and affiliated with United Way of Central Iowa, are set to merge on July 1. The newly formed organization, Families Forward, will bring together the four original programs — Bidwell Pantry, Child Development Center, New Directions Shelter and the Home Connection — to offer comprehensive support to families in need. Executive Director Tim Shanahan expressed enthusiasm for the new organization and its commitment to serving low-income families in Central Iowa. The merger will not affect the locations, with Bidwell Pantry and Child Development Center remaining at 1203 Hartford Ave, and New Directions Shelter and the Home Connection continuing operations at 3001 Grand Ave. To find out more about this partnership and ways to get involved, visit Families Forward's new website and follow them on social media.

Two UNI faculty members chosen for prestigious Engaged Scholars program
Campus Compact has announced the 2023-2024 cohort of Engaged Scholars, a group of 14 faculty and staff selected as part of its Engaged Scholars Initiative. The scholars were nominated by institutional leaders and chosen based on their commitment to centering equity in their civic and community engagement work. Representing 13 institutions across 11 states, the cohort comprises a diverse group of highly qualified individuals from Campus Compact member institutions nationwide. Among the selected scholars are two faculty members from the University of Northern Iowa: Kamryn Warren, an assistant professor of sociology in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, and Sunah Chung, an assistant professor of literacy education in the College of Education. Warren's expertise lies in human rights, refugees, humanitarianism and qualitative research methods. Chung's research centers on children's nonfiction literature and literacy practices, particularly examining potential biases in nonfiction picture books and the role of adult readers as gatekeepers. Throughout the academic year, the Engaged Scholars will participate in various professional development activities.

Glen A. Gusewelle (pictured)
Lewis & Ellis Inc.
Hired as vice president and consulting actuary
ggusewelle@lewisellis.com

Abby Renze
Graham Construction Co.
Hired as project coordinator
arenze@grahamconstruction.com

Jesse Hammes
The Weitz Co.
Promoted to vice president, Weitz Industrial
jesse.hammes@weitz.com

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NEWS BRIEFS

DM council member Indira Sheumaker gets call to resign amid long absence
Des Moines Register: The Lower Beaver Neighborhood Association is calling for Des Moines City Council member Indira Sheumaker to resign — or for the council to remove her — amid a three-month-long absence from meetings and a hospitalization this year. In a letter, neighborhood association president Jeremy Geerdes expresses the community's "disappointment" in her absences and general unresponsiveness and asks her to step down before the next City Council meeting July 17.

Supreme Court rules web designer can refuse work on same-sex weddings
Wall Street Journal: The Supreme Court sided with a Colorado web designer’s claim that the First Amendment entitles her to refuse commissions for same-sex wedding announcements, handing a defeat to gay rights and a win to religious conservatives still smarting from the court’s 2015 ruling granting marriage equality to LGBTQ couples.

- Fox News agrees to pay $12 million to settle hostile workplace suit (New York Times)

ONE GOOD READ
The end of LIBOR is (finally) here

New York Times: The arduous, decadelong process to end the financial system’s reliance on a tarnished interest-rate benchmark, which once underpinned trillions of dollars in contracts across the globe, is almost over. Next week the rate, known as the London Interbank Offered Rate, or LIBOR for short, will cease to be published. LIBOR is a collective term for dozens of rates, denominated in different currencies, intended to reflect how much it costs banks to borrow from one another. That rate is important because it reflects the baseline cost that banks pass on to customers. The ups and downs in LIBOR have been reflected in many mortgages, student loans, corporate bonds and a wide variety of financial derivatives, starting more than 50 years ago. In 2012, the British bank Barclays became the first of many to be fined by regulators for manipulating LIBOR, which was compiled by taking an average of the rates quoted by a relatively small panel of banks each day. The submissions were supposed to reflect market conditions, but because they were not expressly linked to actual trading, the submitters were accused of gaming the system by quoting higher or lower rates to benefit specific trades. In the end, roughly $10 billion in fines were meted out across the financial industry over accusations of LIBOR rigging, which led to efforts to move away from the tainted benchmark. This week, that mammoth effort is crossing the finish line.

KCCI TOP STORIES

Fourth of July fireworks could contribute to Iowa's air quality issues
Many Iowans love to shoot fireworks to celebrate Independence Day. And since Iowa legalized them in 2017, they've become increasingly popular. Despite being illegal in Des Moines, hundreds, if not thousands, launch the colors into the night sky every year on the Fourth of July. But when so many are shot off, a thick cloud of smoke is left behind, particularly in 2020. That morning, Des Moines' air quality was the worst in the country and roughly four times worse than any of the smoke that has rolled in from the Canadian Wildfires, according to AirNow.com. But air quality experts with the Iowa DNR tell KCCI any additional smoke, shot up into the air, is going to make what's already up there a whole lot worse. Read more

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