Ally Schmidt
Breaking the Stigma: Talking About Mental Health at Work

At Bio::Neos, we view mental health as a priority. Steve and Mike lead by example by initiating mental health policies, genuine care for each other, and focusing on their mental health. Often Steve and Mike will check in with employees and each other to ensure the normalcy of talking about mental health at work.

Initiating mental health policies at the workplace ensures that everyone understands the sense of community and empathy. At a basic level Bio::Neos business development team collaborated and created a mental health resource guide. This guide has a long list of resources in our employees' towns, giving them local places to access. The guide also includes details on how to recognize a problem, how to support coworkers, and what mental health problems are. Our Mental Health Resouce guide is small but important to us and updated periodically.

A significant detail of our culture at Bio::Neos is our genuine care and interest in each other's well-being. Being a small team and smaller office naturally allows us to get to know each other better. A great way to take care of your mental health is to recharge. At Bio::Neos, we want each other to have experiences and life outside of the office. Time off allows you to take a break from work and focus on hobbies. Not only do we encourage one another to take time our bosses encourage us as well! You won't find that everywhere!

Steve and Mike don't just encourage taking time off but also practice taking time off. Our use of google calendar makes it transparent when our bosses take vacations or recharge days. Seeing your boss take time off makes it easier to take time off as an employee.

We proudly offer time off and other outlets to improve and maintain mental health. By discussing mental health at work, we continue to destigmatize the negativity associated with mental health, which can be celebrated like physical health.