Mental Health and the Workplace

Author: Brightmine Editorial Team

Data from the National Institute of Mental Health shows that nearly one in five US adults lives with a mental illness and approximately six percent of those individuals experience a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression. Young adults aged 18-25 - the age group entering the workforce - have the highest prevalence.  

There is no typical employee profile for mental health challenges. Anyone can experience a mental health issue at any time, and the signs are often subtle or masked. Given this prevalence, the impact on the workplace is significant: even mild mental health issues can lead to absenteeism, presenteeism (i.e., attending work while ill or otherwise unable to perform effectively, often due to fear of negative consequences), reduced productivity, damaged relationships with co-workers, increased turnover and many other concerns.

To prevent these effects from compounding across an entire organization, employers should take a proactive approach to addressing employees' mental health. Start by:

  • Destigmatizing conversations about mental health;
  • Encouraging employees to reach out for help;
  • Implementing policies that support employees' mental health needs; and
  • Connecting employees to resources that offer needed help and support.

Common Mental Health Conditions

An employee's mental health may affect the workplace in a variety of ways and can influence their overall work performance and relationships with co-workers, supervisors and vendors.

Prevalent Diagnoses

Some of the most often diagnosed mental health conditions include:

  • Anxiety disorder: A person can experience anxiety in many ways. Symptoms may include feeling nervous, restless or tense; having a sense of impending danger, panic or doom; and having an increased heart rate. For some people, an extremely heightened state of anxiety can trigger a panic attack.
  • Bipolar disorder: A person with bipolar disorder moves between periods of mania (highs) and periods of depression (lows). Highs and lows can vary in intensity and can last for days, weeks or even months.
  • Depression: A person with depression may experience an unusually low mood that is long-lasting and persistent. Other symptoms may include feelings of unhappiness and hopelessness, crying, a lack of energy, low confidence, changes in weight, little or no appetite, feelings of guilt and no longer enjoying activities that they usually do.
  • Obsessive-compulsive disorder: A person with an obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has unwanted thoughts or images that continually enter their mind, causing them extreme anxiety. A person with OCD usually develops certain behaviors they feel compelled to perform to ease the anxiety caused by their obsessive thoughts.
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): People who have experienced or witnessed a shocking, terrifying or dangerous event such as military combat, violent personal assault, or serious accidents or injuries may suffer from PTSD, which usually presents as a rapid heart rate, sweating, fear of imminent danger and avoidance of people, places or situations due to persistently re-experiencing the traumatic event through unwanted and distressing memories and flashbacks.

Stress and Burnout

While stress may not rise to the level of an official medical diagnosis, it is a common mental health concern that should be acknowledged by employers. For example, individuals experiencing stress may be careless and unsafe at work and frequently absent or tardy. Additional symptoms of stress include anxiety, negative thoughts, worry, irregular eating and sleeping patterns, and behavioral issues.

Chronic stress can lead to burnout, characterized by exhaustion, cynicism and reduced effectiveness. Burnout typically stems from feelings of unfair treatment at work, unmanageable workload, lack of managerial support and a sense of not being appreciated. In times of extreme stress or pressure, whether external or internal, take care to note signs of burnout in employees.

Signs Indicating Poor Mental Health

Understanding common mental health conditions makes it easier to recognize if an employee may be struggling or experiencing challenges because of one. However, as the same symptoms may apply to various mental health conditions, do not be quick to make assumptions about the specific condition an employee may have. Also, the same condition might manifest different behaviors in different people. There are many potential warning signs.

Emotional and psychological signs often include:

  • Anxiousness, hopelessness or distress;
  • Loss of confidence and/or motivation;
  • Noticeable mood swings;
  • Resentment;
  • Aggression and/or tearfulness;
  • Feeling low and/or confused;
  • Difficulty relaxing;
  • Struggling to absorb information; and/or
  • Lapses in memory.

Behavioral signs often include:

  • Withdrawal;
  • Inconsistent performance;
  • Increased absenteeism;
  • Deteriorated personal grooming;
  • Overreaction to problems (e.g., tearfulness, anger or outbursts);
  • Taking extreme or out-of-character risks; and/or
  • Unusual work hours (e.g., arriving early or late, leaving early or late, emailing on the weekend or when on leave, taking long lunch breaks).

Changes in an employee's usual work productivity, behavior and routine can be small but may add up to a sign that the employee is experiencing poor mental health. For example, if an employee who is typically boisterous and outgoing begins to withdraw from others and becomes quiet and introverted, perhaps the employee is struggling with a mental health issue or suffering a personal loss that may be affecting their mental well-being.

Suicidal Behavior

Suicidal behavior, a serious mental health issue, can be present among employees with or without a diagnosed mental health condition. In any work environment - whether in-person, hybrid or remote - HR teams and managers need to be aware of behaviors that may signal an employee is at risk.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identifies several warning signs that may be indicative of suicidal behavior. These signs may be observed during conversations, meetings, written communications or social media activity:

  • Talking or posting on social media about dying (e.g., ending their life or death in general);
  • Feeling or expressing a sense of helplessness or hopelessness (e.g., making comments such as "What's the point of living?" or "No one would miss me if I were gone");
  • Expressing or presenting increased anxiety;
  • Noticeable and extreme mood swings (e.g., uncharacteristically sad, quiet, depressed or withdrawn);
  • Increased anger or rage;
  • Expressing the sense that they are a burden to others;
  • Mentioning the means or plan to access items for self-harm, including pills and weapons;
  • Showing signs of increased substance use;
  • Making comments or plans about giving away possessions;
  • Inquiring about life insurance policy details, especially as it relates to cause of death and benefits; and
  • Showing an interest in end-of-life affairs (e.g., making a will, discussing preferences for a funeral).

Any of the above warning signs in an employee who has suffered a personal and significant loss, such as a divorce, loss of child custody or bankruptcy, may indicate an increased risk for suicide. Similarly, other contributing factors include legal problems, an event causing disgrace or shame, and substance abuse.

HR professionals and managers should not try to diagnose mental health conditions, but if they notice behavioral changes, they should act with compassion and discretion. Key steps include:

  • Fostering a culture of openness and psychological safety so employees feel comfortable discussing mental health issues.
  • Training managers and employees to recognize warning signs and respond appropriately.
  • Promoting access to an employee assistance program (EAP) and other organization-offered benefits that relate to mental health.
  • Keeping in regular contact with employees who work remotely or are in hybrid roles to reduce isolation and ensure they are supported. Regular video calls may be helpful.
  • Listening and encouraging the person to seek support.

Leave Benefits and Protections

Employees facing mental health challenges may have important rights under federal, state, and local leave laws. These protections ensure that employees can take time off to address mental health needs without fear of losing their jobs. Employers should understand these laws to support compliance and foster a mentally healthy workplace.

Family and Medical Leave Act

Under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and similar state laws, eligible employees may take job-protected leave for their own serious mental health condition (i.e., a mental health condition that requires either inpatient care or continuing treatment by a health care provider) or to care for a family member with such a condition. Leave can be continuous, intermittent, or involve a reduced schedule - for example, to attend therapy or outpatient treatment. Employees must provide sufficient information to show the leave qualifies, though they are not required to disclose a diagnosis.

Employers may request medical certification and, upon return, a fitness-for-duty certification. Employees must be reinstated to the same or an equivalent position after leave. Confidentiality of all medical documentation is required.

An employee with a mental health condition who does not qualify for family and medical leave or has exhausted such available leave may be eligible for additional leave as an accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Beware that state and local paid sick leave laws generally also allow employees to take time off for mental or physical health needs, even if the condition does not meet the FMLA's serious mental health condition standard or qualify as a disability under the ADA. These laws often cover preventive care and related reasons, such as safe leave for domestic violence situations.

Additional Leave

Other laws may provide paid or unpaid job-protected leave for mental health-related reasons, including reasons related to domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking leave and crime victim leave. Requirements vary by jurisdiction, so it is important to review notice, documentation, and pay rules carefully and determine how overlapping laws interact.

Disability Protections Under the ADA

Employees with mental health conditions are protected from discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and may be entitled to reasonable accommodations. Many states and localities have similar laws with different requirements than the federal law. Mental health conditions such as depression, PTSD, OCD, and bipolar disorder are often invisible and harder to identify, especially in remote work settings.

The ADA covers employees who:

  • Have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities;
  • Have a record of such an impairment; or
  • Are regarded as having such an impairment.

Major life activities include eating, sleeping, concentrating, thinking, communicating, and interacting with others. Episodic conditions (e.g., bipolar disorder) qualify if they substantially limit a major life activity when active. Employees do not need to stop treatment or medication to qualify but must be able to perform essential job functions with or without accommodation.

Reasonable Accommodations

Employers must engage in a timely, good-faith and meaningful discussion with the employee (i.e., the interactive process) when accommodation is requested. This process should:

  • Begin promptly;
  • Be individualized;
  • Include open information exchange; and
  • Aim for a mutually satisfactory solution.

Suggested questions to guide the process include:

  • What limitations is the employee experiencing?
  • How do these affect job performance?
  • What tasks are difficult or impossible?
  • What can help with these tasks?

Examples of accommodation may include flexible schedules, remote work, frequent breaks, noise-reducing headsets or leave of absence.

Employers may request medical documentation if the disability is not obvious, provided inquiries are job-related and consistent with business necessity.

However, employers are not required to:

  • Remove essential job functions;
  • Excuse violations of conduct rules;
  • Approve accommodations causing undue hardship; or
  • Retain employees who pose a direct threat to health or safety.

A direct threat determination must be based on objective evidence and consider the:

  • Duration of risk;
  • Nature and severity of harm;
  • Likelihood and imminence of harm.

Confidentiality of Medical and Leave Information

Maintain strict confidentiality regarding all medical information, accommodation requests, and leave-related documentation under the ADA, the FMLA and applicable paid sick leave laws. Medical and accommodation records must be stored separately from personnel files and accessed only by those with a legitimate business need.

In addition, do not disclose or overshare an employee's medical condition, need for leave, or request for accommodation to coworkers, supervisors, or others beyond what is necessary to implement the accommodation or manage leave. Discussions about an employee's health status or limitations should be limited to essential parties and handled discreetly to protect privacy and comply with legal obligations.

Examples of good recordkeeping practices include:

  • Keeping all medical and accommodation documentation in a confidential file, not in the employee's personnel file.
  • Restricting access to HR staff or managers directly involved in implementing accommodation or managing leave.
  • Provide training to supervisors on confidentiality obligations and what information can and cannot be shared.
  • When communicating about leave or accommodation, avoid mentioning medical details; simply state that the employee is on approved leave or has an approved accommodation.
  • Use secure channels (e.g., encrypted email or HR portals) for sharing sensitive information.

Common confidentiality pitfalls include:

  • Sharing with coworkers or other managers about an employee's diagnosis or condition without a legitimate need.
  • Discussing an employee's health status in informal settings (e.g., break rooms, team meetings).
  • Improperly storing medical documentation in general personnel files or leaving it accessible on shared drives.
  • Allowing managers or supervisors to handle accommodation requests without proper training, leading to inadvertent disclosure.
  • Speculating about an employee's condition or reasons for leave and sharing those assumptions with others.

Retaliation, Discrimination and Harassment Concerns

Individuals who fear that disclosing a mental health issue will result in discrimination, harassment or retaliation may hesitate to seek the help they need.

If an employee requests accommodation for a mental health condition under the ADA, the employer may not retaliate against the employee by taking adverse employment action in response. Examples of adverse employment actions include:

  • Termination;
  • Suspension;
  • Reduction in pay or hours;
  • Placement on involuntary or unpaid leave;
  • Refusal to hire;
  • Increased surveillance;
  • Threats;
  • Poor performance evaluations; and
  • Any other action likely to deter a reasonable employee from engaging in similar protected actions in the future.

Supervisors and managers should be instructed in the organization's antiretaliation policies and trained to understand what constitutes protected activity.

Further, employers must ensure that they do not discriminate, either intentionally or inadvertently, against employees with mental health issues. Discrimination can take the form of:

  • Refusing to hire an otherwise qualified individual;
  • Making assumptions about an individual's abilities or capacities;
  • Withholding responsibilities or desirable assignments;
  • Penalizing an employee facing a mental health challenge more severely than other employees for issues such as absences and missed deadlines; and
  • Engaging in many other practices that employers must take care to avoid.

However, an employer is not required to hire and may lawfully discharge an individual posing a direct threat to the safety of the workplace (i.e., a significant risk of substantial harm to self or others). In doing so, an employer may not rely on myths or stereotypes when evaluating whether an individual can perform a certain job or whether the individual poses a safety risk.

An employer must have objective evidence that an individual is unable to perform the job in question or that the individual would create a significant safety risk before rejecting the individual. Further, an employer does not have to excuse poor job performance, even if it was caused by a medical condition or the side effects of medication.

Similarly, harassment based on a mental health condition is illegal. Employers should implement an antiharassment policy and a reporting procedure to prevent and identify harassment based on mental health issues. Antiharassment handbook statements and policies should address the use of stigmatizing language and jokes that perpetuate stereotypes surrounding mental health and make clear that such language is unacceptable in the workplace. Supervisors and employees alike should be trained to understand and follow these policies.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Mental health is a major workplace diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) issue. Immense stigma that often accompanies mental health issues may make it unlikely that certain employees will come forward for help. A more diverse team may help individuals feel less isolated and more comfortable in reaching out for help if they need it.

Microaggressions at work also can affect employee mental health. Microaggressions are actions or incidents that are indirect, subtle and possibly unintentional that nonetheless communicate some sort of bias against an employee from a historically marginalized group. They may contribute to injuries to the psyche that can result in depression, anger and other ailments.

Another DEI issue that relates to mental health involves psychological safety - the belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up about ideas, questions, concerns or mistakes. A lack of psychological safety at work may lead to heightened stress and sleep loss among employees stemming from fear and anxiety.

These potential issues could harm an employer's bottom line in a variety of ways, including:

  • Lower productivity;
  • Reduced employee engagement;
  • Increased absences; and
  • Increased attrition rates.

Accepting diversity and creating an inclusive culture for all employees is an important step in achieving psychological safety.

Employee Benefits

An asset that employers can use to support employee mental health is something they have already made a huge investment in - employee benefits. Employers spend millions of dollars each year on employee benefits, with benefits often accounting for one-third of employee compensation costs. It is a win-win for both employers and employees when an employer uses benefits it already offers to help support the mental health of its employees.

Health Care Benefits

Employer-sponsored health care benefits are a crucial part of an employer's overall benefit package and are highly valued by employees. Health care benefits can be indispensable to an employee suffering from a mental health issue.

Luckily, employer-sponsored health care plans likely include coverage for mental health. The Affordable Care Act generally requires employers to offer essential health benefits without annual or lifetime dollar limits. Mental health and substance use disorder services, including behavioral health treatment, are considered essential health benefits.

Additionally, federal and state mental health parity laws require a group health plan that covers mental health and substance use disorder benefits to make sure such benefits are equivalent to the medical and surgical benefits the plan offers. For example, this means a plan must apply the same deductibles, co-payments and visit limits to both types of benefits.

Wellness Programs

Employers often use wellness programs to supplement their employee benefits programs in an effort to prevent illness and lower health care costs by motivating employees to adopt and maintain healthy behaviors. Wellness programs can make a workforce healthier by encouraging employees to pay attention to their overall health and identify their unhealthy habits.

Although wellness programs may not always have a specific mental health component, many of the goals they are often designed to accomplish can help employees' mental health (e.g., encouraging self-care, exercise, healthy sleep and eating habits, mindfulness).

Studies have shown that employers have benefited greatly by implementing and maintaining an employee wellness program. Over time, employers reported positive outcomes such as:

  • Reduced costs related to health care;
  • Increased productivity;
  • Reduced absenteeism;
  • Higher morale; and
  • Increased employee retention.

Wellness programs that are appropriately designed and effectively communicated have the power to spark sustainable, permanent behavior changes in a substantial percentage of the participants. The goal is to prove to employees that they can maintain healthy habits and enjoy the results. Setting and committing to wellness goals can have extremely positive effects on both the physical and mental health of employees by giving them purpose and a sense of control over their lives.

Employee Assistance Programs

Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) are a valuable tool for promoting the mental health of employees because they offer a variety of services on a confidential basis. An employee can call an EAP and speak to counselors with expertise in different areas, such as psychology, finance or law.

Among other things, EAPs can help employees with combating:

  • Alcohol and substance use;
  • Anxiety;
  • Stress;
  • Depression;
  • Grief;
  • Family and relationship problems;
  • Debt and financial issues; and
  • Other mental health issues.

EAP offerings can vary, but they may include mental health assessments, counseling sessions, referrals, tools, apps or other resources.

An EAP is most effective when it is integrated with an employer's other benefits, such as health plans, wellness programs and disease-management programs. EAPs can also train managers on how to effectively handle behavioral problems and to determine when they should recommend an EAP to an employee.

Assure employees that the EAP is completely confidential. If employees do not feel like the program is fully private, they are not likely to use it when they really need help with mental health issues.

It is also critical to make sure EAPs and benefits providers are adequately equipped to address mental health challenges. This may involve:

  • Reviewing all the different resources EAPs can offer to aid employee mental health, including less-publicized options (e.g., online support groups and information and resources on childcare, elder care, mindfulness and telehealth);
  • Reviewing the scope of current EAP services and determining whether changes should be made; and
  • Training supervisors on how to use and publicize EAPs.

Telehealth/Digital Solutions

The use of telehealth (or telemedicine) is an area that has continued to grow as a key employee benefit, and digital solutions addressing mental health have become prevalent.

There are a wide array of digital offerings, apps and tools designed to help with a variety of mental health and well-being issues, including:

  • On-demand therapists;
  • Chat-based coaching;
  • Counseling chatbots;
  • Subscriptions to mental health apps;
  • Meditation and mindfulness apps;
  • Stress and/or anxiety reduction apps;
  • Sleep apps; and
  • Videos and webinars.

Employees can use telehealth benefits from home instead of going to a therapist's office or clinic. This convenience can help encourage employees to seek help because it may feel like a less intimidating option. And since digital mental health services may make it easier to access a mental health professional, employees may end up using them more often.

If telehealth or other digital tools are available to employees, emphasize how valuable they can be and how employees can use such offerings to address their mental health and well-being needs. If digital health options are not being offered yet, consider offering them.

However, it is important to research digital mental health options and make sure they are vetted, legitimate solutions that will help meet employees' needs. When evaluating the options, consider the following regarding each solution:

  • Effectiveness;
  • Accessibility;
  • Flexibility;
  • Ease of use;
  • Ability to engage with employees;
  • Privacy and confidentiality;
  • Legitimacy (i.e., the credentials of the professionals involved); and
  • Proven outcomes.

Most employers offer some sort of paid time off (PTO) benefits, which also can be helpful to employees dealing with a mental health issue. Types of PTO may include:

  • Vacation days;
  • Personal days;
  • Holidays; and
  • Paid time off banks.

Taking time off is key for employee mental health since it helps them:

  • Achieve work-life balance;
  • Attend to personal needs;
  • Prevent burnout;
  • Decompress, de-stress and recharge their batteries; and
  • Maintain or improve morale and productivity.

Encourage employees to plan and take leave since workers not taking enough vacation is often a widespread problem. Such encouragement involves creating an organizational culture that values employee wellness and work-life balance.

Managers and supervisors should lead by example and take their own vacation time. This sends a clear message to employees that their wellness and work-life balance are valued and spending time with their families will not limit opportunities at work.

Also, clearly send the message that time off from work means totally disconnecting. Make sure employees know that they should not be working while on vacation and that company leaders are leading by example and disconnecting from work when they take their own vacation time.

If employees are not taking time off because they do not have specific travel plans, encourage them to think of a "vacation" or "staycation" as a time for focusing on family, providing caregiving, volunteering, exploring an existing hobby or learning a new one and engaging in self-care. Finding creative ways of taking time off and relaxing even if they do not have elaborate plans can help employees balance competing priorities and support mental well-being.

In addition, be more flexible by encouraging employees to take shorter periods of leave more often. Taking frequent breaks can help reduce stress levels, especially if employees are encouraged to unplug from work entirely and avoid checking or responding to work emails or other communications.

Some organizations offer self-care or "mental health" days where employees can choose to take a day off when they need a mental health break.

Flexible Work

Flexible working has emerged as an essential workplace benefit and only continues to gain importance, especially in supporting employee mental health. In many surveys, employees have indicated that they would leave a job that does not offer them the amount of flexibility they desire.

There are many ways employers can offer workplace flexibility. Some options include:

  • Job sharing;
  • On-site childcare;
  • Flexible schedules and/or shifts;
  • Reduced schedules;
  • Compressed workweeks;
  • Hybrid work; and
  • Remote work.

Remote Work

Although remote work can provide many benefits in terms of flexibility and work-life balance, it also can negatively affect mental health for some people. Employees working remotely may struggle with feelings of isolation, which can lead to loneliness and depression, particularly if they lack other sources of social support.

For some employees with preexisting mental health challenges, such as a history of substance abuse or an eating disorder, the lack of visibility and regular contact with others may exacerbate these issues or provide an opening for a condition to reemerge.

Some employees may also have difficulty balancing caregiving responsibilities with work obligations. For others, the blurred boundaries between work and home can make disconnecting at the end of the workday difficult and contribute to stress and burnout. Over the long term, these difficulties may compound and contribute to depression, anxiety and other mental health difficulties.

Employers can help mitigate these challenges by:

  • Offering a variety of ways for employees to stay connected with each other through both formal and informal channels;
  • Implementing communication systems and strategies that keep remote employees fully informed and engaged with developments in the organization;
  • Scheduling regular check-ins between remote employees and their supervisors that address both work issues and overall well-being;
  • Creating employee resource groups for employees to connect and share with others facing similar challenges;
  • Ensuring that remote employees are aware of available support resources, including employee assistance programs (EAPs) and other benefits;
  • Training supervisors to recognize warning signs and red flags of mental health issues and to be alert for these signs in all employees, including those who work remotely;
  • Including remote workers in on-site events, either virtually or by traveling to the worksite;
  • Providing a level of flexibility tailored to each employee's needs that allows employees to fulfill other responsibilities, such as caregiving duties, while meeting job-related objectives;
  • Encouraging employees to disconnect from work each day and instructing managers to lead by example in modeling work-life balance; and
  • Listening to employees' concerns and having an ongoing dialogue about the forms of support remote employees find most valuable.

Of course, these challenges are far from universal. Many employees find that remote work enhances their mental health by reducing stressors related to commuting and time away from family, saving money, allowing greater flexibility in choosing where to live and creating better opportunities to engage in fitness and wellness activities during the day, to name just a few potential benefits.

Many remote employees experience a combination of benefits and challenges. For this reason, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Rather, employers must listen to their employees in selecting the strategies to support remote workers' mental health and avoid making assumptions about the needs of a given individual or team.

Financial Wellness Benefits

Financial stress can have a huge impact on an employee's emotional, physical and mental well-being. Many employees worry about their finances and consider financial issues to be a big source of stress and anxiety.

Offering financial wellness benefits designed to help employees with their finances can have a significant effect on their lives, both in and out of the workplace. Benefits that promote employee financial wellness may include:

  • Financial education, counseling and/or training;
  • Retirement planning;
  • Debt counseling;
  • Budget management tools and assistance;
  • Student loan assistance;
  • Identity theft benefits;
  • College savings programs;
  • Emergency savings account options;
  • Flexible pay options; or
  • Lifestyle spending accounts (i.e., post-tax accounts funded by employers that allow employees to be reimbursed for expenses that relate to their lifestyle, including financial, social, emotional and physical aspects).

Other Miscellaneous Benefits

While the bulk of benefits that would be most helpful to the mental well-being of employees may be health insurance benefits, EAPs or paid time off, there are other things an employer should not overlook promoting. For example, employers may offer helpful benefits such as:

  • Counseling services;
  • Coaching services;
  • Discounts to gyms, virtual exercise classes or other exercise programs;
  • Skill-building courses;
  • Learning and development programs;
  • Childcare;
  • Group classes or support groups;
  • Employee hotlines;
  • Caregiving benefits;
  • No-meeting days; and
  • Employee resource groups.

Additionally, when assessing what benefits may help with employee mental health, it is a good idea to check what benefits competitor employers are offering; this will help an organization remain or become a strong employer-of-choice). But it is even more important to assess the needs of the employer's own workforce. Do not just try to guess what employees want - reach out and ask them.

For example, find out what benefits employees really want by:

  • Soliciting employee feedback in a variety of ways (e.g., polls, surveys, town halls, one-on-one meetings);
  • Actively listening to what employees have to say; and
  • Determining what their problems and pain points are and figuring out how to help solve them with benefits offerings.

Highlighting Mental Health Benefits

Most employers make a substantial investment in benefits offerings that can help promote the mental health of their employees. But simply offering benefits is not enough, especially if employees may not even know they are available. Employers must also encourage employees to take advantage of all the resources and benefits offered by using a wide range of forums to deliver engaging benefit messages.

Make it easy on employees. Ensure they know how all the mental health benefits offered work and how they can access them and obtain additional information and guidance.

Since people process information in various ways, consider different methods of communicating the value of mental health benefits. Such communication methods may include emails, texts, social media, webinars, town halls and announcements on an intranet or benefits portal. But do more than just send out the information. Make sure to get the word out about benefits in a more conversational way through one-on-one meetings and manager encouragement.

Plan to communicate benefits information all year. To create and foster employee engagement, promotion of benefit offerings and information should not be communicated only when new programs are rolled out or once a year around open enrollment. For example, certain benefits can be included in employee handbook statements, and a schedule can be set to promote different benefit offerings and make sure mental health benefits are part of it.

And remember, benefits vendors are usually ready, willing and able to help HR and benefits professionals educate employees about benefits and may be a key resource in promoting mental health benefits offerings.

Training Supervisors

Supervisors are central to building a mentally healthy workplace. Strengthen the ability of supervisors to foster mental well-being among their teams by helping them build a supportive culture and management style. This means promoting a culture that encourages participation, delegation, constructive feedback and coaching. Training is essential, because it helps supervisors understand how their management style and practices can promote, or impair, the mental well-being of their employees.

Training for supervisors should enable them to:

  • Identify and respond sensitively to workers' concerns;
  • Recognize symptoms of mental health issues, including when an employee is having more than just a "bad day";
  • Understand the impact of employees' mental health issues on the workplace and colleagues;
  • Have difficult conversations with employees who may be experiencing difficulties in or beyond work; and
  • Understand when to refer a worker to other sources of help and support, including occupational health.

With training, the supervisor gains an awareness of the importance of acknowledging and promoting the mental well-being of their employees. Training also provides them with the tools to create a work culture and dynamic that encourages employees to share their feelings and concerns, should they feel comfortable doing so.

Promoting Mental Health and Wellness

Promoting employee mental wellness should be a priority since it is a vital part of achieving a healthy workplace. Develop strategies that can be integrated into a variety of policies and practices, and may include:

  • Monitoring workplace mental well-being using employee surveys, absence data, etc.;
  • Designating an HR manager or other senior manager to be responsible for promoting mental health;
  • Encouraging a healthy workplace culture of open communication and inclusion;
  • Emphasizing and encouraging personal employee development;
  • Ensuring that employees are equipped to cope with changes in the workplace;
  • Fostering a culture that helps employees have a healthy work-life balance; and
  • Promoting benefits that help employees achieve mental health, such as employer-based health services and EAPs.

Fostering Open Communication

Since talking about mental health may be hard for employees, it is important to normalize such conversations and make sure the workforce understands that it is an organizational priority. Consistently communicate that it is okay not to be okay and try to eliminate any stigma around discussing mental health issues. Open communication and discussion of mental health issues should increase awareness and make it easier for employees to broach the subject.

Building an open and inclusive culture regarding mental health needs to start at the top. Recruit leaders in the organization to speak about mental health issues and share any personal experiences they may have. For example, a manager casually talking about how they often take walks during lunch to take a break and clear their head or discussing going to therapy could have a big impact on making employees feel comfortable and safe discussing mental health.

There are also resources available that can benefit both employers and employees and can be promoted across the organization. For example, there are mental health resources provided by: