Shifting Mental Health Awareness into Action in the Workplace
Mental health awareness is on the rise, particularly as COVID-19 continues to drive an epidemic of stress and burnout. That’s why it’s more important than ever for companies to prioritize employee well-being and mental health. This presents unique challenges and opportunities for HR, going beyond just providing mental health options to creating a workplace in which all employees truly feel supported by employers. During this enlightening session, Arianna Huffington, Founder & CEO of Thrive, the founder of The Huffington Post, and the author of 15 books, will focus on how we can shift awareness into action when it comes to mental health in the workplace. Named on Time Magazine’s list of the world’s most influential people as well as on the Forbes Most Powerful Women list, Huffington will share her expert take on the state of employee mental health and how you can support your workforce through the current challenges and beyond. You will learn how Microsteps, which are science-backed steps that are too-small-to-fail, lead to lasting change and how recharging requires unplugging, among many other actionable insights.
Arianna Huffington
Arianna Huffington is the founder and CEO of Thrive, the founder of The Huffington Post, and the author of 15 books, including Thrive and The Sleep Revolution. In 2016, she launched Thrive, a leading behavior change tech company with the mission of changing the way we work and live by ending the collective delusion that burnout is the price we must pay for success.
She has been named to Time Magazine's list of the world’s 100 most influential people and the Forbes Most Powerful Women list. Originally from Greece, she moved to England when she was 16 and graduated from Cambridge University with an M.A. in economics. At 21, she became president of the famed debating society, the Cambridge Union.
She serves on numerous boards, including Onex and The B Team.
Her last two books, Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder and The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life, One Night At A Time, both became instant international bestsellers. Most recently, she wrote the foreword to Thrive's first book Your Time to Thrive: End Burnout, Increase Well-being, and Unlock Your Full Potential with the New Science of Microsteps.
Melissa Anderson, SHRM-CP
Melissa Anderson serves as SVP, Chief Human Resources Officer for Albemarle Corporation. She is responsible for all facets of Human Resources, which includes leading the execution of the Human Resources strategic plan, partnering with Executive and Senior Leadership teams to establish and implement key HR initiatives, and achieving HR objectives and approaches with an emphasis on business partnerships, talent acquisition and development, compensation and benefits, inclusion and diversity programs, and HR operations.
Prior to joining Albemarle, Anderson served as executive vice president, administration and chief human resources officer for Duke Energy where she was responsible for human resources policy and strategy, talent management and diversity, employee and labor relations, total rewards strategies and programs, and delivery of business partner services. Her administrative responsibilities included the real estate, land services, aviation and support services organizations.
Melissa has over 30 years of experience in HR, including serving as vice president of human resources of global financing at IBM Corp. During her 17-year tenure with the Fortune 100 company, Anderson created and implemented talent strategies and led several successful cultural initiatives. She has also served as senior vice president of human resources and government relations for The Pantry Inc., from 2006 to 2010.
Anderson earned a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial relations from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master of Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University.
A native of Boone, N.C., Anderson has a son and a daughter.