Courtesy screenshot from video “Soul Net Worth Video Essay“ by Cymbre Lauing.
By the Coconino Coalition for Children & Youth
Employers need to do more than just providing donuts or office pizza parties and expecting that to lead to healthy, productive workers, Coalition board member Cymbre Lauing said in a new video she created for a Northern Arizona University research paper she is working on regarding trauma and stress affecting employees.
“… There is still a pressing need for corporate investment as well as individual investment (in) mental well-being,” she said. “Employers need to take greater responsibility towards ensuring job satisfaction, employee retention in ways that aren’t already mandated by law.”
The cost to the companies of conducting these trainings is very small compared to the employees’ overall net worth to the business,” she added.
The video examines the role Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) play in a person’s day-to-day life, whether it’s at home or in the workplace. How much a person has been affected can be determined by a standard ACE survey, something that should be made available to all employees, said Lauing, owner of Big Water Bakery. She has previously been involved in a number of nonprofit organizations providing help to families and youth.
Coalition Executive Director Virginia Watahomigie, who appeared in the video, agreed that employees, employers and the community can all benefit from this kind of mental health discussion and training.
“It’s important work and it is work that needs to happen,” Watahomigie said. “It really is a community conversation ”
Also, visit the Coalition’s free webinar resource page to learn more about Adverse Childhood Experiences and more issues.