The Myths and Facts About Mental Health at Work

Dr. Laura is pleased to welcome special guest Dr. Bill Howatt to the show to talk about mental health in the workplace and the myths surrounding it. Bill Howatt is the Founder of Howatt Human Resources Consulting and an international expert in workplace psychology and psychological health and safety. His newest book, out of 60 written throughout his career, is titled No Regrets and focuses on the very issue of workplace mental health and what can be done about it.

Dr. Howatt describes how the pandemic inspired his latest book, No Regrets, by detailing how he noticed people languishing instead of flourishing and realized that we have never really been taught how to deal with the unpleasant emotions that are part of existence. His book is a strategy of sorts to help people move through unpleasant emotions and work on their mental fitness. Dr. Laura and Dr. Howatt explore why the quick band-aid fixes of pop-up wellness programs in workplaces are not addressing the underlying mental health crisis and what leaders should be doing instead. The conversation covers a lot of ground and brings fundamental issues to light, providing a roadmap for improvement.

“Mental health literacy in our country, we haven't really gotten sophisticated yet in this conversation where we confuse mental illness with mental health. So mental illness is a functional impairment very much like being deaf and it impacts your potential to function to your potential. Where mental health is different. It's basically how we are actually seeing the world and experiencing the world through our emotions.” Dr. Bill Howatt

About Dr. Bill Howatt:

Dr. Bill Howatt is the founder of Howatt Human Resources Consulting and an international expert in Workplace Psychological Health and Safety. 

He is a highly sought-after speaker on leadership, mental fitness, and creating inclusive, psychologically healthy and safe workplaces. A behavioural scientist, he is passionate about supporting employees and leaders to create thriving workplaces. 

Dr. Bill’s 30-plus years of professional experience includes providing services in clinical mental health, teaching courses for colleges and universities, being a committee chair, and filling various senior leadership roles in Canada and the United States, including the Wall Street financial district. His firm provides HR consulting globally, focusing on employees’ psychological safety. 

Dr. Bill has published over 60 books and 600 articles and regularly contributes to workplace mental health research like WSPS Moving to Action: Implementing Workplace Safety and Prevention Services’ Mental Harm Prevention Roadmap and Boston Consulting Group’s recent study, The Next Frontier of Workplace Culture, viewed by over 30 million readers. 

He is the founder of www.MFIQinc.com and creator of the University New Brunswick’s Certificate of Completion in Psychologically Safe Leadership. He publishes a weekly workplace mental health newsletter for leaders and workers called Exploring Workplace Mental Health. 

Resources:

Website: BillHowatt.com

LinkedIn

“No Regrets: How to Live Today for Tomorrow’s Emotional Well-Being” by Dr. Bill Howatt

“Navigating Workplace Wellness Programs in the Age of Technology and Big Data” by Hannah-Kaye Fleming for the ‘Journal of Science Policy & Governance’

Learn more about Dr. Laura on her website: https://drlaura.live

For more resources, look into Dr. Laura’s organizations: 

Canada Career Counselling

Synthesis Psychology

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