Team 4: Burnout at the Table

Description

At a professional networking dinner, a group of business professionals and social workers engage in a discussion about mental health in the workplace. What begins as a polite conversation quickly turns into a heated debate over who is responsible for supporting employee mental health (the individual or the employer). Aaaminah, a CEO, argues that mental health is a personal responsibility and that businesses can’t be expected to “fix everyone’s problems”. John is a social worker who struggles with burnout, but is concerned about employee privacy, having a previous negative experience at a prior workplace related to mental health; he agrees that mental health should be a personal responsibility and employers should have no involvement in such private matters. Concerns involve breach or misuse of private information, and the effects of stigma or discrimination in the workplace. Ziad is a human resources director, and he challenges this, insisting that workplace culture and systematic pressure often cause mental health struggles, which directly impact turnover rates and productivity. Emily is a social worker who works in mental health outreach. She is all for the positives of a work environment that supports (and also pays for) mental health services in-house. As tensions rise, voices grow louder and emotions take over – highlighting biases and misunderstandings between the disciplines. Sofia, a project management professional, steps in to calm the group, encouraging active listening and empathy. Through open communication, the group realizes they share a common goal: creating healthier, more supportive workplaces. The conversation ends with mutual understanding and a recognition that mental health is a shared responsibility between individuals and organizations.