There's a massive shift among employers to destigmatize mental health needs and support employee mental health as workers are shouldering unprecedented mental health challenges .(Image: Shutterstock)
This year has been hard in so many ways, but perhaps the biggest hit has been to Americans' collective mental health throughout back-to-back public health and cultural crises. With pervasive problems like COVID-19, an unstable economy, racial injustice, and timely mental health challenges brought about by stress-inducing events like the recent election, it's no wonder that more than 80% of U.S. workers are experiencing mental health issues in 2020.
As human resources (HR) and benefits leaders reflect on 2020 and look ahead to 2021, they are likely to breathe a sigh of relief as they shut the door on the past year. Like the employees they prioritize day in and day out, many HR and benefits leaders themselves are experiencing mental health struggles amid the turmoil that defined the last 12 months.
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Despite these challenges, HR and benefits leaders have risen to the occasion to prioritize mental health benefits and support in 2020. Leading organizations like Morgan Stanley, Starbucks, and Pinterest are prime examples of companies that leaned in to mental health benefits for their workforces:
- Morgan Stanley – Spearheaded an array of virtual trainings for human resource benefits partners and managers to help them understand how to better identify if an employee is dealing with mental health challenges and then drive an open, honest dialogue about these issues with their teams and workforce.
- Pinterest – Announced they would give all employees and contractors free access to the Calm app to support mindfulness and meditation and give workers access to even more ways to decompress.
- Starbucks – Reimagined their mental health care benefit for employees by partnering with an innovative mental health care benefits provider. Starbucks now provides all U.S. partners and eligible family members access to 20 free sessions a year with a therapist or mental health coach through this partner.
These companies have set a high bar for mental health care and benefits in the workplace, but they represent only a part of the massive shift that all employers would do well to embrace to destigmatize mental health needs and support employee mental health as workers are shouldering unprecedented mental health challenges.
To further reduce burdens and improve workforce mental health, many employers have also embraced benefits and policies beyond mental health care. For example, some employers now offer workers more flexibility in their schedules, additional leave, and parenting- and family-specific benefits that address issues like child care gaps. Each of these approaches also provides a positive surround-sound effect on employee mental health by reducing stress and anxiety.
As HR and benefits leaders plan for a new year that's likely to be an uphill battle given the latest wave of COVID-19 and resulting uncertainty about what work and life will look like in 2021, now is the time to focus on the following strategic actions specific to workforce mental health.
First, HR and benefits leaders should consider mental health solutions that are comprehensive and cover issues ranging from stress and relationship issues to diagnosed mental illness. In addition, engaging employee resource groups (ERGs) in the decision-making process helps ensure that workers' voices are more holistically represented in that process. ERGs, in particular, can help ensure that historically underrepresented groups in the workplace have a voice in choosing benefits that are tailored to their unique needs.
Second, employers can and should focus on educating managers — the front lines of any workforce — on the mental health benefits available and how to identify team members dealing with mental health challenges. Organizations that encourage managers to practice transparency and authenticity around mental health in the workplace will often reap the benefits of employees seeking out mental health support before it drastically impacts individuals and teams.
Last, being decisive about your approach to measuring workforce mental health and well-being is critical. Some companies now collect well-being surveys a few times a year and even measure psychological safety in the workplace — as well as more standard measurements of utilization, cost savings, and retention. Proactively getting a pulse on their employees' mental health can allow HR and benefits leaders to course-correct in real time to make sure employees have access to the care they need to move forward from their mental health problems and thrive.
In 2021, HR and benefits experts must educate business leaders on the pressing need for meaningful mental health support as a strategic, culture-defining priority for their organizations. Conversations about mental health should not be limited to HR and benefits teams or between managers and team members. These discussions must also take place in the boardroom and among the C-suite in the year ahead. As we collectively face a new year that poses serious challenges, it is incumbent on business, HR, and benefits leaders to recognize that we each have a critical role to play in advocating for the mental health of our valued workforces.
Dr. Joe Grasso, Ph.D, is the clinical director of partnerships of Lyra Health and a clinical psychologist who specializes in developing and evaluating mental health and wellness programs. At Lyra, he consults with employers on mental health in the workplace and leads the development of educational content related to emotional well-being and behavior change
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