The Surgeon General Wants Your Boss To Build You a Healthier Workplace

Vice Admiral Vivek H. Murthy, MD, MBA, is serving his second non-consecutive term as U.S. Surgeon General, having previously served under President Obama. Dr. Murthy’s office has issued a Framework for Mental Health & Well-Being in the Workplace. It’s a set of guidelines aimed at reducing burnout at work and promoting positive mental health:

1. Protection from Harm
2. Connection and Community
3. Work-Life Harmony
4. Mattering at Work
5. Opportunity for Growth

But the framework isn’t really aimed at employees as much as it is aimed at employers. Management has the power to create better environments, retain more employees, attract new ones, and increase productivity.

We talk with the Surgeon General about the challenge and opportunity employees and employers face and how realistic these goals are. We also get into the effect of social media on our collective mental health and the ongoing problem of loneliness in America.

Read the Surgeon General's Workplace Well-Being framework in full here: www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/priorities/workplace-well-being/index.html

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