What is the Great Collide?

An important but often overlooked intersection between family life and career

For many employers, the pandemic has led to an awareness of the importance of mental health. But a new study from On Our Sleeves suggests employers shouldn’t be solely concerned about workers’ mental health. They should also be aware of the mental health of workers’ children.

Employers have found themselves with a workforce that is saying, “Wait a minute, maybe my work is not my whole life.” And I have children to raise or older parents that are struggling as things start to get back to normal.

There’s a clear connection between the mental health and wellness of children and the nation’s workforce, which is heavily comprised of parents and caregivers. It’s a connection they call “The Great Collide” — an important, but often-overlooked intersection between family life and career. Employers should be cognizant of the stress that can result from employees’ roles as caregivers.

For employers:

  • Just 40% of mental-health-disrupted parents said their company offers mental health resources for their children
  • Working parents are deeply concerned about their children’s mental health and well-being, and that concern is growing year-over-year
  • 41% of parents in the study saying concerns about their child’s mental health had developed in the past year

Read more about this here https://www.onoursleeves.org/mental-wellness-tools-guides/supporting-others/talking-about-mental-health-dos-donts