Elevating the Status of Women Through Workplace Wellness

Mental health

Research (initial work to identify and understand the problem)

The 2023 Report on the Status of Women (Report) notes that modest positive gains for women included: more girls graduated from high school and completed a post-secondary education, almost 75% of county women were employed in well-paying jobs. Several concerns and challenges to incite crucial discussions about needed practices and policies were raised. Women, as a group, continue to be disadvantaged when compared to men in terms of economic security, median earnings, unemployment rates, poverty rates, and economic wealth over their lifetime. Single mothers with 1-2 children have a poverty rate of 29% and those with 3-4 children had a 63% rate. Sexual violence and violent abuse against women, inclusive of intimate partner violence, is reported at a rate three times higher than men. In terms of emotional and mental health 20% of women reported having been diagnosed with depression at some point in their lives; 14% said they were currently suffering from depression.

There are clear opportunities to boost the status of women. Our theory of change is to harness the expertise and leadership of the LCGLAF to collaborate with women workers and business owners to engage as thought partners to explore how to transform the workplace to serve as an informational hub that disseminates lifesaving and life-thriving information through a modernized workplace wellness plan inclusive of maintaining positive mental health as a central premise for both workers and owners. LCGLAF is a respected and trusted change agent within the business community and a champion of women. They host the Faces of Resilience where women highlight personal and professional triumphs and tribulations to empower and inspire others to persevere and succeed; they kick off Women’s history month uniting hundreds of women across all ages and sectors to ignite thoughts, action and sisterhood through the FEMME! Power Confab. LCGLAF will lead a coalition in deep discussions to inform elements for a dynamic plan prioritizing mental health, prevention and response to gender-based violence and harassment and needed resources and information to support implementation. The gathered intelligence will result in a final report for the LCGLAF to develop a plan to pilot for full implementation including a campaign, training, strategic partnerships and advocacy for the adoption of a uniform countywide workplace wellness plan with mental health as a top priority and economic wealth as a result.

LCGLAF as a dual champion and connector of women and business will greatly benefit LA County by providing needed advocacy, leadership, and scalable action towards modern solutions to elevate women. A strategic workplace wellness plan that prioritizes the mental health of workers and employers is a solid framework that acknowledges human dignity and embodies good job qualities by addressing systemic issues that prevent women from advancing and accessing valuable information and resources to thrive.Workers are central in developing solutions and approaches to increase the employee value proposition. Business benefits by increasing morale which leads to consistent attendance, increased productivity and profits, and reduced stress for all.This level and nature of socioeconomic and emotional investment in workers creates a mutual foundation to maintain a trustworthy workplace and promote economic growth. Change a business; support a woman; change a household; change a community.

This approach is in the planning phase, and we trust in its robust transformative potential for change. Success will be measured by establishing the foundational members of the majority worker (51%) women-led coalition of about 21 members. Next, coalition member commitment and participation would be defined by the percentage of input sessions attended, input provided, and completion of a baseline needs assessment. Gathered intelligence will be used to define key elements of the wellness plan. The findings will be synthesized into themes of health (mental, spiritual, and physical), finance, and home ownership. The results will be previewed at the 2025 FEMME! and attendees can provide additional input. All input will be used to identify challenges, needed resources, strategic partners, define outcomes and goals, and provide recommendations for the development, implementation and scale of an evidence informed blueprint to realize the Workplace Wellness Plan model and supporting network.

The identified partner organizations are representatives of the business community as either a worker or a business owner. Each organization plays a vital role in establishing the framework of wellbeing focusing on their areas of expertise -mental, spiritual and physical health, economic wealth (finance & home ownership). The identified members are strategic partners in understanding, being passionate about and committed to elevating the status of women. They will engage their female staff to provide input for the initiative. Members were also considered for their network potential in marketing, mental health and disruptive creativity.