Shining A Light On An Invisible Dimension Of Diversity

 

Cree | Wolfspeed recently launched one of its newest Employee Resource Groups aimed at cultivating a safe environment for employees experiencing mental health challenges of their own, or that of a family member – Mental Health Allies (MHA).   

The statistics around mental health are alarming:

  • More than 90% of people felt some anxiety due to COVID (COVID-19 Employee Pulse Survey, 2020)

  • 60% of missed work days were due to mental health (American Heart Association survey, 2019)

In addition to serving as Chair of the MHA Employee Resource Group, I also know far too well of the stigma associated with mental health conditions as well as the fear that comes with disclosing a mental health challenge to work colleagues. I feared that disclosing my attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and anxiety disorder would limit my career. And, while I do feel a little bit of anxiety each time I share my condition with coworkers, I can attest that it does get easier with time and practice.   

As a result of our company’s commitment to cultivating a diverse, equitable and inclusive culture for everyone on our team, I was able to speak openly about what I call “an invisible dimension of diversity” and to share my experience. By telling my story and advocating for the creation of our MHA group, I’ve discovered I am not alone, and it only takes one person to start building a community of active allies.

We are looking for ways to strengthen our teams through using and sharing the skills we have gained by learning to accommodate our mental health conditions. And, this translates directly into advantages for our company and, ultimately, our customers.

I’m happy to help shine a light on a very important component of diversity, equity, and inclusion that spans across gender, ethnicity, age and sexual orientation. And through our MHA Employee Resource Group, we will help normalize conversations about mental health the same way we discuss other diseases, such as cancer and diabetes.

I could not have imaged the impact my speaking about my ADHD and anxiety disorder would have in such a short amount of time, and our MHA group has grown from the founding team of 16 to 120 members in only our first three weeks. I’m looking forward to helping empower this new community of active allies to eliminate the stigma that comes with mental health.


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Written By: Dave Skinner

Dave Skinner is a senior product marketing manager in the Wolfspeed Power Business and Chair of the Cree | Wolfspeed Mental Health Allies Employee Resource Group

 
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