My battle with mental illness at home and in the workplace

Although we have seen much progress with respect to workplace mental health, mental illness and stigma, there is still so much work to do.

Every day, people needlessly suffer in silence – or worse, tragically die by suicide.

Why?

The simple answer is this:

They are afraid of how their mental health challenges or mental illnesses will be received. They fear stigma, judgement, negative impact on their professional development and opportunities for advancement.

None of this should be happening to individuals who have had the misfortune of facing a major illness. How would we be treating these same people if they received a diagnosis of cancer?

The time for real action is now, as awareness alone is simply not enough.

StigmaZero is a unique consultancy which offers solutions to these challenges. Our unique and impactful workplace mental health training and consultation services are proven to provide the following:

A deeper understanding of stigma:

Before eliminating stigma, we must fully understand what it is, why it occurs, how it is dramatically exaggerating the negative impacts (and cost) of mental illness, and how to eradicate it.

Practical tools, tips and best practices to better respond to workplace mental illness, and ultimately to reduce related presenteeism and absenteeism:

Understanding stigma is a form of awareness, which is not enough (as stated above). Practical, tangible, and actionably tools and tips are vital for progress to take place.

A clear understanding of mental illness and how it can affect anyone, whether directly or indirectly:

All employees – and in particular managers, HR and senior leaders – absolutely must develop a deep understanding of the fact that mental illness exists in their workplace, as does stigma. Both are hurting culture, morale, and bottom line (via lost productivity). And every single person has experienced mental illness in one way or another, either personally or as a caregiver to a loved one, friend or colleague.

No one is immune from mental illness.

So, how are employers to take on this challenge and make a real change? By partnering with StigmaZero. We provide the best and most broadly effective solutions to these challenges.

How can a claim as bold as this be made?

Because StigmaZero Founder and Lead Instructor, Jason Finucan, brings a truly unique set of experiences and skills to the equation.
Jason has experienced a major physical health challenge (two separate heart defects requiring surgical intervention in 1988 and 2020), as well as a major mental illness (bipolar disorder, diagnosed in 2005).

In addition, he has overcome his own stigmas toward mental health and mental illness, and written a book on the topic, Jason: 1 | Stigma: 0 – My battle with mental illness at home and in the workplace.

However, Jason’s personal experience with illness doesn’t tell the whole story.

Jason also holds a BA in Theatre and Speech Communication, which has allowed him to develop world-class platform skills as an inspirational speaker and storyteller. He demonstrates these skills both in the written word, via his book and the many public articles shared on stigmazero.com as well as LinkedIn, as well as via his many video posts and his signature keynote.

StigmaZero is powered by Jason’s dedication as a mental health advocate and stigmafigher for the past 18 years. This is Jason’s passion and purpose. Although a for-profit entity, StigmaZero is in fact a social entrepreneurship with the primary goal of correcting this critical societal problem.

In fact, StigmaZero has a clear vision of a future without stigma. Should we succeed in helping to create that future, we will quite literally put ourselves out of business, as our services will simply no longer be needed. We would celebrate that.

Jason is driven to fulfill StigmaZero’s mission to help employers eliminate stigma in the workplace. Doing so helps our clients realize the following benefits:

• A positive and tangible culture change
• A psychologically safe workplace
• Increased productivity
• Improved workplace morale
• Improved retention
• Improved acquisition of top talent
• A greater depth of support to employees
• Managers who possess the training and tools they desperately need to support their employees who face mental health challenges and mental illnesses
• HR and senior leaders who have the guidance and tools needed to ensure all policies and procedures are optimal and not contributing to stigma

Only one question remains:

Why wouldn’t you chose to take advantage of all that StigmaZero has to offer?

Act today, and start implementing the culture change your workplace needs. While it is difficult to admit, the reality is that every workplace has stigma towards mental health and mental illness unless specialized training such as what StigmaZero offers has been deployed.

Learn more by visiting www.stigmazero.com and/or by reaching out directly to Jason Finucan at jason@stigmazero.com to schedule an introductory meeting.