WorksWell
Partner with WorksWell to create a culture of caring for your employees’ mental health and well-being. All employee groups are welcome to engage in the program!
Voluntary and Confidential Mental Health Screenings
WorksWell is an employee wellness program that focuses specifically on suicide prevention, advancing the assessment of mental health and suicide concerns for employees on our academic and medical campuses.
Through WorksWell, employee groups are invited to complete a voluntary and confidential questionnaire to assess their mental and emotional health. Those who complete the survey are then invited to anonymously communicate with a counselor to discuss additional support and resources. The department leaders also receive anonymous findings from the questionnaire, with recommendations for improving employee mental health and creating a lasting culture of care.
Any employee group can choose to engage in the OSU WorksWell Roadmap to Success process with their department, office, or program.
Submit a Request to Get Started Today
The Importance of Mental Health Conversations in the Workplace
Stress can contribute to suicidal thoughts, including workplace stress. You don’t have to have a pre-existing condition or a mental health diagnosis to struggle with suicidal thoughts. Suicidal thoughts can come from being overwhelmed by stress and feeling like you may "crash and burn." Nearly everyone has had a thought like this at some point, but not everyone acts on it. WorkWell exists to allow employee groups to prioritize mental health.
How It Works
- A department leader initiates contact with either EAP or OSUSPP to convey interest and learn more.
- OSU WorksWell arranges a first meeting with a small group of department/program/college stakeholders to educate them on the process and to set up the implementation phase. A date range to roll out the Interactive Screen Program Stress & Depression Questionnaire will also be established.
- Employees receive an email from an employee group leader inviting them to voluntarily complete the screening anonymously and confidentially.
- The OSU WorksWell counselor assigned to that department roll out receives a notification each time a questionnaire has been completed.
- The counselor reads the scored responses which helps them to understand the severity of that employee’s presenting mental and emotional health concerns. The counselor initiates contact with the employee and invites them to communicate further via the website’s confidential and anonymous dialogue system. The counselor can then answer questions, provide helpful next steps, and suggest resources.
- At the end of the roll out, the OSU WorksWell counselor aggregates the de-identified data regarding usage, severity, and themes that were present in responses and prepares a department report (no employee names or any identifiable information is presented).
- OSU WorksWell counselor arranges a final debriefing meeting with department stakeholders to provide the data, facilitate departmental conversation about next steps, and to make recommendations for additional support and strategies to help you and your team create a work culture of care.
Roadmap to Success
Frequently Asked Questions
A leader with your employee group should first send an email to osuworkswell@osu.edu to get the process started. An OSU WorksWell counselor will then be assigned to your “roll out” and will walk you and your group through the process from start to finish.
No, this questionnaire is only shared out on a departmental level and must be in partnership with the OSU WorksWell program.
No! Participation is voluntary and anonymous at every level. Your answers and dialogue with the counselor are 100% confidential. The OSU WorksWell counselor will only know your name if you choose to identify that information.
The counselor will read the survey response and initiate contact with the employee via the website’s confidential and anonymous dialogue system. The counselor can then provide additional resources and next steps for the employee based on their specific responses.
The counselor will also aggregate the de-identified survey results and provide a report for the department to help identify overarching themes in the responses (no employee names will be shared).
About the OSU WorksWell Partnership
OSU Suicide Prevention Program (OSUSPP) has been helping to create a culture of care since 2006. Since then, nearly 22,000 students, staff, and faculty have been trained in REACH as suicide prevention gatekeepers who have learned how to reach out to their fellow Buckeyes who may be at risk for suicide.
In 2019, the OSU Employee Assistance Program (EAP) met with OSUSPP to learn more about the outreach and education initiatives offered to students, and discussed collaborating to implement suicide prevention for faculty and staff as well. Given the number of helpful and supportive mental health services and resources already available through the EAP program, this partnership was envisioned to advance assessing and addressing mental health and suicide concerns for employees on the academic and medical campuses.
In 2021, this partnership formally developed into OSU WorksWell, a program that offers a voluntary and confidential mental health screening to employee groups and that emphasizes the importance of employee wellness and access to helpful resources and supportive services.
Helpful Resources for Employees
- EAP
- HR Employee Resource Center
- OSUSPP
- OSPF
- AFSP
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
- Local & National Resources
- REACH Trainings
- REACH Out Trainings
- OSU Couple and Family Therapy Clinic
- OSU Stress Management and Resiliency Training (SMART) Lab
- Office of Institutional Equity
- Kirwin Institute
- Office of Diversity and Inclusion
- Military and Veteran Services
- Department of Public Safety
1. National Institute of Mental Health, 2021
2. Ohio Department of Health, 2021
3. National Alliance on Mental Illness, 2021
4. Ohio Department of Health, 2021
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