Mental health is such a vast, complex topic. How does one even start to address it in the workplace?
Read on to learn more about the top mental health resources HR executives around the country are addressing (or planning to address) employee mental health.
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The Mental Health Resources HR Has Their Eyes On
Here are the most popular initiatives HR executives implement to care for their people and their mental wellbeing.
- EAPs and mental health programs
- Wellness fairs, lunch and learns, and roundtable discussions
- Manager and psychological safety training
- Wellbeing days and flexibility
1. EAPs and mental health programs
Nearly 80% of companies provide at least an EAP to their team. Yet, since they are specific to crisis care, EAPs aren’t comprehensive enough to support the whole employee.
That’s where mental health programs come in. They can help your team implement all six of the top mental health resources HR leaders are providing to their teams.
The best mental health programs offer therapy, financial coaching, and options to boost physical health.
“We provide EAP, flexible work schedules, open communication and support from a human level consistently. Bottom line, our caring and communication is the foundation of who we are and how we support one another.” - Julie
2. Wellness fairs, lunch and learns, and roundtable discussions
Many mental health programs will help you hold a lunch and learn to help drive home the importance of self-care and mental health. To knock it out of the park, have a company leader or two talk about their personal mental health experiences.
62% of employees want to hear their leaders talk about mental health.
During your wellness fair or mental health lunch and learn, remind employees how to access their mental health benefits.
Your mental health program may even set you up with a counselor to lead the whole thing. To gather various perspectives, consider having a life coach, fitness coach, counselor, and a financial coach join your roundtable discussion.
“Focusing on mindfulness during our Health & Wellness Fair with a guest speaker.” - Anonymous
“We provide lunch and learns that are led by mental health providers with the intention of removing the stigma about mental health.” - Katie
“[We are providing our employees an] EAP of course, but we're adding workshops on stress, balance, mindfulness, exercise, etc. as well as quick email communications.” - Anonymous
3. Manager and psychological safety training
Manager training is essential if your company is wanting to take these mental health initiatives to heart. This is how lasting culture change happens.
“We are doing phycological safety training from the leadership level on down. We also look at personal financial wellness as a huge stressor and part of mental health, so we are also looking at providing earned wage access through our payroll company.” - Amy
“Training for managers to check in with employees, ask how you are really feeling and don't accept the robotic response ‘fine.'” - Nina
Related: How HR Leaders and Managers Can Build Trust and Psychological Safety at Work
4. Wellbeing days and flexibility
Wellbeing days can look like a company-wide mental health day or Friday afternoon, or a day dedicated to workshops on mental health.
Flexibility can look like flex working hours, generous PTO, and remote or hybrid work options.
The idea is to give employees space and time to care for themselves.
“We offered Wellness Wednesdays and currently offer secondary trauma group therapy sessions (and one-on-ones when it is needed).” - Shawnna
“[We hold] fun events that include family members, coaching, and time off.” - Anonymous
“[We] encourage team members to take time off and try to work a balanced day. If they have a large workload, they are to talk to their managers to help them sort through priorities so they can get more balanced to keep them sane.” - Anonymous
Disclaimer
By participating in/reading the service/website/blog/email series on this website, you acknowledge that this is a personal website/blog and is for informational purposes and should not be seen as mental health care advice. You should consult with a licensed professional before you rely on this website/blog’s information. All things written on this website should not be seen as therapy treatment and should not take the place of therapy or any other health care or mental health advice. Always seek the advice of a mental health care professional or physician. The content on this blog is not meant to and does not substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
