Mental health: Prioritizing access to services and treatment for employees is key

A direct consequence of this “new normal” for business leaders is a need to put the mental health wellbeing of their employees at the top of our priority lists.(Photo: Shutterstock)

Americans are stressed. In an October 2022 survey by the American Psychological Association, nearly 30% of adults said they’re so stressed they can’t function and 76% say stress is impacting their health. All that stress is impacting the workplace and putting a lot of pressure on employers to provide greater access to mental health resources. Not surprisingly, increasing access to mental health services was cited as the No. 1 emerging trend among HR leaders in SHRM’s 2022-2023 State of the Workplace Report. And it was the No. 1 service added by Marathon Health clients last year.

Mental health has long been an underserved need in America, but COVID-19, racial injustice and social media amplified the issue and made it easier to talk about openly. While it continues to carry stigma in some communities, there has been meaningful progress in our ability to empathize and not see it as a sign of weakness or the result of “not trying hard enough.”