Let’s talk about mental health at work

Running a successful business brings about the opportunity to make a great and lasting impact. I’m using DOUGHP’s success to raise my voice around issues near and dear to my heart — like addiction & mental health.

The nostalgia of cookie dough can take us all back to a simpler time and memories of our childhood days. If we try hard enough, we can bring some of those care-free vibes back into this crazy world. So this Fall, we’re taking a cookie dough trailer down the west coast on a DOUGHP Dreams Tour; encouraging people to follow their dreams; rising above addiction and reducing the social stigmas around mental health.

In my own experience with addiction, the most important was to know that I wasn’t alone, hearing stories from recovering addicts and what they’d achieved in sobriety really changed the game for me. That’s why we’re taking this tour.

But it goes beyond helping people outside of the company, I want to have an impact for all of the amazing people that make up the inside of this company. We’re all complex humans leading lives that are unavoidably interwoven between work & home life. In hopes that I can inspire other companies to open their hearts and be a little more human for their employees, I want to openly share the steps we’re taking at DOUGHP to make a more inclusive workplace. This is a journey but we hope this moves us in the right direction!

Below is a letter sent to the DOUGHP team (remarkably made of 15 incredible people now!) about our new mental health policies. ❤

A LETTER TO OUR EMPLOYEES:

6/16/18

Hi team!

This is an important and awesome email that I’m really stoked to be writing on behalf of the company. I recently met the founder (and fellow sober sister! Woot woot!) at Nana Joes Granola, Michelle Pusateri. Michelle is a kickass entrepreneur who — like me — has a bigger vision in life than just “make a cool product and make money”. She’s inspired me to make some changes here at DOUGHP.

We want to positively impact the communities we work in and find ways to help employers like us ‘do the right thing’ when it comes to employee support for issues near & dear to our hearts — like addiction and mental health. She’s building out this platform called Community Before Profit (link) and I love everything about it — we’re working to create guides for employers/employees with helpful resources and best practices to establish in the workplace. And even looking as far as working to pass a bill requiring mandatory mental health day(s) at companies…so I pretty quickly got to thinking, if I’m going to be talking-the-talk about employers supporting mental health and addiction issues, DOUGHP sure as hell better be walking-the-walk!

Mental Health @ DOUGHP:

• Mental Health Days: You’re only human. When you’re in your lowest place, we want to support you, not burden you. Every employee will receive 2 paid mental health days a year. If you’re in distress and feel unable to work, contact myself or Cahner, we are here to help you. You will be relived of your shift, guilt-free and without risking financial strain on you. Also — your information will be kept completely confidential and not shared with the broader team nor outside the company.
• Psychology/Psychiatry Support: Need professional help to get through? DOUGHP will help subsidize the cost of any personal mental health care visits you seek out. Please talk to Kelsey to work through this.
• Open Heart Policy: I think the phrase “Open Door” is used too often and feels flimsy/disingenuous — The meaning stays the same: anytime — no matter what — I’m here to listen to you about anything inside OR outside of the workplace. Need help? Send an email/text/call me and ask for an Open Heart meeting ❤ & I’m there! Any discussions will be completely confidential and will not impact your employment in any way. Too often in a workplace, you’re expected to shut your feelings out — not talk about them for fear of seeming weak — well excuse my French but fuck that shit. Let’s be honest with each other — the answer to “How’s your day?!” simply can’t always be “GREAT!” The Open Heart Policy is for when the answer is “Pretty shit, TBH.” We are here for you.

In light of the string of celebrity suicides, and the ever-increasing rates of depression & anxiety — we’re reminded at just how real & pervasive these issues are. Just because someone seems happy on the outside, may not always be the case inside. Be mindful of this, treat people with respect, and be kind… You just never know what someone is going through.

In a nutshell…I love you all, I so value your help and support, and I am grateful we can work through this crazy cookie-dough-loving life together!

Best,
Kelsey Witherow
Founder // Cookie Dough Enthusiast